Invited Reaction: The Contrasting Effects of Coaching Style on Task Performance: The Mediating Roles of Subjective Task Complexity and Self-Set Goal

Although part of managerial development and practice for some time, managerial coaching is an emerging area of research. Given the relative lack of empirical research, the study by Hui, Sue-Chan, and Wood in this issue of HRDQ contributes to our understanding of the influence of coaching style on in-role performance, and presents a mediating mechanism. Using the sample of 127 participants, this study used an experimental design to examine the impact of two different coaching styles (guidance and facilitation) on two different types of task performance (coached task and transfer task). Mediating roles of two cognitive variables (subjective task complexity and self-set goal) also have been explored. The approach taken by Hui et al. led to interesting findings and insights toward fruitful prospective studies in this underresearched topic area. Concurrently, the sampling frame utilized and other limitations offered by the authors present opportunities for future exploration in other organizational contexts.