Research Article - (2025) Volume 20, Issue 4

Authentic Coaching in Sales Management: The Effects on Salespeople\'s Task Performance Related Outcomes

Keywords

Authentic Coaching, Sales Management, Salespeople's Task Performance, Asia-cell Telecommunications, Iraq.

Introduction

The sales profession has undergone significant changes in recent years. To remain competitive in the evolving market landscape, sales organizations must invest in professional sales coaching programs that equip salespeople with the necessary task-related, growth-oriented, and meta-knowledge, skills, and abilities (Badrinarayanan et al., 2015). Every sales manager has a vital interest in determining the elements influencing a salesperson's work performance as it might be vital for the survival and success of the organization. The quality of coaching obtained is seen to be directly related to job performance (Serviss, 2022).

Sales coaching has been more important in recent years as a key element of salesperson development initiatives. Consistently, companies are spending on training and development projects to let sales people reach and keep preferred degrees of competence and output (Badrinarayanan et al., 2015). Coaching fits with conventional sales leadership responsibilities, which include steering a sales team, establishing strategic goals, and coordinating sales efforts with more general company goals (Safari & Moradi, 2025). Coaching serves as the primary intervention strategy used by sales managers to enhance the competencies of their sales staff. The ability to effectively coach others is often a key factor in the success of a sales manager (Nguyen et al., 2019) and is increasingly recognized as an essential tool for talent development (Blumberg, 2016). Over the last thirty years, modern coaching practices and discussions about best practices have seen significant growth in academic analysis (Barnson, 2014), reflecting a shift toward prioritizing human capital and adaptable development processes (Mhmood et al., 2024). This comprehensive approach highlights the integral role of coaching in fostering a productive sales environment and achieving organizational goals.

Coaching is defined as a relationship between a consultant and an individual, aimed at promoting professional growth and achieving specific goals. It focuses on various outcomes, such as improving performance related to the coachee's current or future job, as well as fulfilling the executive's specific agenda (Sonesh et al., 2015). Mhmood et al. (2024) acknowledge that effective coaching enhances both individual and organizational performance, leading to the development of sales representatives' skills and optimal sales performance. Sales representatives view "coaching skills" as among the most important competencies. However, Many sales managers lack the abilities required to properly teach their staff members or salesmen even though coaching is rather important. Moreover, authenticity is also significant in coaching contexts beyond leadership, as much of coaching focuses on helping coachees recognize and pursue personally meaningful, self-concordant goals (Burke & Linley, 2007). Coaches are considered authentic when they engage in actions they believe will result in success and have faith that those actions will indeed lead to positive outcomes (Barnson,2014). Authentic coaching involves integrating beliefs with actions. To coach authentically, one must have a profound and personal grasp of three key beliefs, referred to as the belief triad. This triad connects the coach's perspectives on cultivating individual talent in athletes, fostering team cohesion, and developing sports strategies into a cohesive philosophy. By drawing on their own experiences, authentic coaches organize these three beliefs into a coaching philosophy that ignites their passion for coaching and informs their decision-making (Barnson,2014).

Empirical studies on the connection between authentic coaching and employee outcomes remains limited, highlighting a significant gap in our understanding of sales coaching, particularly across various industries (Peterson & Dover, 2021). Additionally, there is insufficient clarity regarding the specific skills and abilities that drive and improve the sales coaching process (Nguyen et al., 2019). A further challenge is the absence of a validated coaching scale suitable for the sales coaching context, as noted in the literature (Badrinarayanan et al., 2015). In light of these gaps, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of authentic coaching in sales management on the performance of salespeople.

Literature Review

Usually, coaching is the "process of giving people the tools, knowledge, and chances they need for self-development and greater efficacy" (Peterson and Hicks, 1996, p. 14). Widely acknowledged as a management and leadership tool emphasising the growth of workers' abilities, it also supports learning and helps executives change from competent performers to outstanding leaders (Badrinarayanan et al.,2015). Coaching has been studied in many different fields, including sports (e.g., Horn, 2002), management (e.g., Hagen and Peterson, 2014), executive coaching (e.g., Feldman and Lankau, 2005), and sales (e.g., Onyemah, 2009). Among these various kinds of coaching, Badrinarayanan et al. (2015) point out several unique features: purpose (focus of coaching), coach (provider of coaching), coachee (recipient of coaching), timeframe (short, medium, or long), authority of the coach (formal or informal), and process (structured or semi-structured).

Research on sales coaching, which dates back several decades, has recognized its crucial role in helping new employees acclimate, providing them with the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities, and correcting behaviors through targeted interventions. Key areas of examination include the conceptualization and scale development of sales coaching, as explored by Rich in 1998, and the outcomes of sales coaching identified by Onyemah in 2009. Additionally, researchers like Challagalla and Shervani (1996) have looked into the consequences of coaching for both managers and salespeople, while Schwepker and Good (2010) focused on the qualities that make sales coaches effective. Cron (1984) discussed the importance of adapting coaching practices to the different career stages of sales personnel, and Bellizzi and Hasty (2003) examined how coaching influences ethical behavior among salespeople.

Sales coaching is a series of conversations and activities that provide continuous feedback and assistance to a salesperson or team member in order to increase their performance (Corcoran et al., 1995). A broader definition offered by academic sales researchers describes sales coaching as an action-oriented process that aims to provide salespeople, managers, and senior executives with the necessary KSA to develop their cognitive, emotional, and behavioural abilities. This, in turn, helps them to meet task-related and organisational objectives more efficiently (Badrinarayanan et al., 2015).

Though acknowledged as crucial in the coaching field, psychological dimensions are missing from numerous important studies. Although some studies have shown coaching using commercial or proprietary leadership evaluations (Grant, et al., 2010; Kampa-Kokesch, 2002; Trathen, 2008), access to these tools is usually limited to individuals with enough financial means. Susing et al., 2011 suggested that the discipline of coaching psychology would significantly benefit from the discovery of accessible, validated evaluations linked to the psychology of leadership. Using such tests might strengthen the empirical basis of coaching methods. In this regard, authenticity is a key concept. Growingly acknowledged as a key element of good leadership is authenticity (Avolio & Gardner, 2005; Cameron, 2008; Gardner et al., 2005). Authenticity is also important in non-leadership coaching as many coaching programs emphasise assisting people find and follow individually relevant, self-concordant objectives (Burke & Linley, 2007). Authentic coaching is when the coach creates a sincere environment of mutual respect and dedication between them and the coachee (e.g., Noer, 2005). This may involve actions aimed at achieving specific goals. A strong sense of commitment is essential for building a productive working relationship (Baron & Morin, 2009), and such behaviours contribute to strengthening that commitment.

Methodology

This paper used a mixed-methods strategy consisting of both quantitative and qualitative stages. Qualitative content analysis and coding techniques were used in the qualitative phase. Twenty salespeople chosen by purposive sampling participated in semi-structured interviews throughout this phase. The interviews continued until reaching theoretical saturation and the repetition of concepts in the interviews. Following the transcription of the interviews, a line-by-line analysis was performed, and data coding led to the extraction of themes related to authentic coaching.

In the quantitative phase of the research, the Authentic Coaching Questionnaire was combined with the standardized questionnaire created by Donassolo and Matos (2014) for assessing job performance. Both questionnaires were distributed to a sample of 371 salespeople from Asia-cell Telecommunications, selected through a simple random sampling method. Cronbach's alpha was used to evaluate the dependability of the questionnaire. Authentic Coaching had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.973; Job performance had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.885. Apart from employing the views of academics and experts in the area of management, the questionnaire's validity was assessed using two standards: convergent and discriminant validity, particular to structural equation modelling. The model fit section shows the findings. Structural equation modelling was used using SMART PLS software to examine the research hypotheses for data analysis of the study in this phase. Its insensitivity to the normal distribution of constructs and capacity to examine complicated models with a little sample size led one to choose this approach (Henseler, & Fassott, 2010).

Findings

Descriptive statistics of the research

Twenty salespeople participated in in-depth and semi-structured interviews throughout the qualitative phase of the study to uncover genuine coaching topics. Demographic characteristics are shown in the following (Table 1).

After transcribing 20 interviews conducted with experts, coding was done using theme analysis.

Thematic analysis (TA) is a method for identifying, analysing, and interpreting relationships between elements of meaning ('themes') in qualitative data (Clarke & Braun, 2017). Based on the coding of concepts, the table below was extracted for designing the questionnaire (Table 2).

Hypothesis test

This study used structural equation modelling using a partial least squares (PLS) approach to examine the relationship between authentic coaching and salesperson performance. Testing the conceptual model in structural equation modelling occurs in two phases: the first is evaluating the model fit (measurement, structural, and general), and the second is testing the research hypotheses. Reliability indices, discriminant validity, and convergent validity help to assess the fit of the measurement model. Three factors-Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability, and factor loadings—define how one measures dependability. For the model to be deemed sufficiently reliable, particularly, Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability should be more than 0.7 and factor loadings should be more than 0.4 (Table 3).

All of the variables in Table 3 have composite reliability and Cronbach's alpha values more than 0.7, indicating that the model is reliable enough. Fornell and Larcker (1981) also said the suitable value for the extracted average variance should be 0.5 or greater when considering convergent validity, which measures the degree of correlation of a concept with its own indicators. From the perspective of other studies as well, notably Magner et al. (1996), values over or equal to 0.4 are equally acceptable (Table 4).

Discriminant validity was examined in this study using the Fornell and Larcker (1981) approach. Acceptable discriminant validity in this approach suggests that a model construct interacts more with its indicators than with other constructs. The matrix above indicates that the root value of AVE of all first-order variables exceeds the correlation value between them, indicating the suitable discriminant validity and fit of the measurement models (Table 5).

To evaluate the Goodness of Fit in a generic model that takes into account both structural and measurement elements, the GoF criteria are calculated in the following way:

GOF=√((Communalities) ̅*R ̅^2)

The mean communal values of the first-order unknown variables provide (Communalities) ̅. Consequently, the mean community values in the present study is: 0.493 (Table 6).

The outcome of 0.451 for GoF indicates the general strong fit of the model based on three values of 0.01-0.25, 0.25-0.36 and higher than 0.36 (As weak, medium and strong values for GoF).

Provided that z coefficients are more than 1.96 to verify their relevance at a 95% confidence level, one may examine the PLS structural model and study hypotheses utilising z coefficients. Path analysis and hypothesis testing in standard mode are shown in program output in Figure 1, Figure 2.

Figure 1. Factor loadings for observed variables.

Figure 2. Z significance coefficients for the structural equation model of the research.

The substantial coefficient z (29.433) of the pathway connecting the two latent variables, as seen in Figure 2, indicates that the correlation between Authentic Coaching and performance is considerable. Consequently, given that the T statistic exceeds 1.96, it can be said that the primary hypothesis is validated, indicating a substantial association between authentic coaching and performance.

Discussion and Suggestions

Companies are facing a more arduous business environment owing to economic globalisation and technical progress. The contemporary business landscape is very competitive, necessitating organisations to intensify efforts to cultivate and preserve competitive advantages. Continued success is increasingly linked to the development, retention, growth and of workers (Narayanan et al., 2019), with direct supervisors often assuming vital responsibilities in the selection, evaluation, training, and retention of their team members (Townsend & Hutchinson, 2017). They are supposed to cultivate their subordinates to adapt to the organization's always shifting requirements and facilitate their learning. Companies increasingly acknowledge the crucial role of coaching in improving individual, team, and organisational performance (Edinger, 2015).

A salesperson's internal social network, including their sales managers, encompasses interpersonal relationships that enable the flow of information among persons (Balkundi & Harrison, 2006). This transfer of information is essential for education. Moreover, social learning allows salespeople to develop decision-making and behavioural habits influenced by the behaviours of their peers. Following instruction, sales personnel often choose to imitate the conduct of their sales bosses. Coaching provides the necessary information transfer and feeling of connection to satisfy a salesperson's psychological demands, hence enhancing performance. Furthermore, coaching empowers salespeople to identify opportunities for development while providing the essential advice for implementing significant and enduring transformations (Serviss, 2022). Consistent with our hypothesis that authentic coaching impacts job performance, Serviss (2022) asserts that a company's survival hinges on the efficacy of its sales personnel, making research on sales coaching essential. According to the results, a salesperson's sales inventiveness and performance are both improved after receiving high-quality coaching. In addition, actual leadership traits that boost clients' professional performance, life experiences, self-directed learning, and personal development are a part of effective coaching, according to Gatling (2014). He showed how a business coach's real leadership influences the client's career and personal objectives, and he offered fresh perspectives on the connection between the two. Similarly, Walumbwa et al. (2008) found that being authentic correlates positively with productivity on the job. Moreover, Malloy & Kavussanu (2021) assert that a genuine coaching intervention may significantly improve coaches' real behaviours while fostering favourable results for athletes, aligning with our hypothesis.

The components of genuine coaching include Self-Awareness, Self-Concordance, and Self-Regulation; hence, self-awareness is defined as the capacity to concentrate on and contemplate one's own ideas and emotions (Rasheed, Younas, & Sundus, 2019). To be a self-aware business coach is to know and trust one's own principles, sentiments, motives, and ideas, as well as to be conscious of the inherent competing components of one's own personality that could influence one's own mental processes (Ilies, Morgeson & Nahrgang, 2005). Self-awareness significantly impacts coaching efficacy, since a coach's comprehension of their effect on others may enhance clients' capacity to attain their objectives (Kernis, 2003). Self-awareness is essential for improving job performance in modern enterprises. Employees must acknowledge different aspects of themselves, including their traits, features, behaviours, and emotions (Klassen & Klassen, 2018). Viewing ourselves as unique people enhances our self-awareness, allowing us to implement desired changes by using certain abilities and attributes. Self-awareness is defined as the capacity of people to comprehend their social connections and interactions with others, together with their interior states (Sheth et al., 2021). Self-awareness is crucial for workplace productivity and performance, as efficiency is unattainable without it. Leaders with self-awareness are more effective, knowledgeable, and impactful for their organisations than those lacking this quality (Hansbrough, Lord, & Schyns, 2015). In this context, Budworth and Chummar, (2022) stated that self-awareness is linked to significant outcomes, including enhanced job performance and satisfaction, as well as improved professional decision-making (Kim, et al., 2020). Alferaih, (2022) also found that, there is a association between self-awareness and job performance, which is consistent with the results of our study.

Also, it can be stated that the current business environment, marked by heightened competition and rapid change, requires organizations to be more adaptable and employees to actively engage in coping behaviors. One strategy organizations can employ to enhance employees' ability to initiate and sustain these coping behaviors is to utilize specific managerial tools that foster self-regulatory actions. Drawing from Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1977), we suggest that managerial coaching is one such tool that can boost employee self-efficacy—an essential element of self-regulation-along with improving both behavioral and performance outcomes. In this regard, Pousa, & Mathieu, (2015) also stated that widespread coaching by managers can enhance employees' self-efficacy—crucial for boosting their initiative and persistence in dealing with challenges—then implementing managerial coaching within an organization could foster employee self-regulation, enhance overall resilience, and ultimately serve as a sustainable competitive advantage. Self-regulation theory elucidates human behaviors via a feedback loop mechanism, whereby people monitor their advancement towards personal objectives, experience emotions pertinent to their encounters, and modify their thoughts and behaviors to attain those objectives (Laulié, et al., 2023). Self-regulation (SR) denotes the mechanisms enabling a person to oversee their goal-directed endeavors throughout time and diverse contexts, including the modulation of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Within organizations, managers aim for employees to reach high performance levels, which is why industrial–organizational psychologists focus on how individuals regulate their own job performance (Vancouver, 2000). In this regard, Porath, & Bateman, (2006) stated that that self-regulation strategies influence how learning and the desire to demonstrate competence (performance-prove goal orientations) affect an individual's job performance. The extent and nature of the performance-satisfaction connection are determined by the following self-regulatory mechanisms (Heidemeier & Moser, 2019).

But, the finding that the relationship between self-regulation and job performance was not confirmed in your study is an interesting and potentially important result. While this outcome may seem counterintuitive given the existing literature, it's crucial to consider several factors: Contextual Factors or Measurement Issues. The specific context of your study might have influenced the results. Factors such as organizational culture, industry type, or job characteristics could moderate the relationship between self-regulation and job performance. The way self-regulation and job performance were operationalized and measured in your study could have affected the results. Different measures might capture different aspects of these construct.

Self-concordance influences work performance. Terblanche and Heyns (2020) said that trust is an essential factor that profoundly affects the quality of the interaction between a coach and coachee. Trust is described as "a psychological state that entails a readiness to embrace vulnerability predicated on optimistic anticipations concerning the intentions or actions of another" and has been linked to beneficial coaching results. When reciprocal trust is established, clients are at ease in sharing and reflecting candidly (Boyce et al., 2010), fostering a secure atmosphere that allows coachees to address their difficulties and embrace risks, so promoting personal development (Cox, 2012). Zhang and Chelladurai (2013) posited that trust in a coach influences athletes' commitment, collaboration, and perceived performance; therefore, coaches should endeavour to enhance athletes' trust by exhibiting fairness and kindness, alongside bolstering their integrity and competence, aligning with our study's findings.

Finally, based on the findings of regarding the relationships between authentic coaching, self-awareness, self-regulation, self-concordance, and job performance, several practical recommendations can be made to enhance organizational effectiveness.

First, organizations should prioritize the development and implementation of authentic coaching programs. By training managers and leaders in authentic coaching techniques, organizations can create an environment that fosters open communication, trust, and support among employees, thereby enhancing job performance. Second, it is essential to promote self-awareness initiatives within the workplace. Implementing workshops, feedback sessions, and reflective exercises can significantly improve employees' self-awareness, which has been shown to positively impact job performance. Encouraging regular self-assessment can help individuals identify their strengths and areas for improvement. Third, while the findings indicate that self-regulation does not have a significant relationship with job performance, organizations should still consider facilitating the development of self-regulatory skills. Training programs focused on time management, goal-setting, and self-monitoring can equip employees with the tools necessary to enhance their overall effectiveness in the workplace. Additionally, fostering self-concordance is crucial. Organizations can encourage employees to align their personal goals with organizational objectives through regular discussions about career aspirations. By facilitating this alignment, employees are likely to experience increased motivation and a greater commitment to their roles, ultimately leading to improved job performance. Moreover, implementing regular performance evaluations that incorporate feedback on coaching effectiveness, self-awareness, and self-concordance can provide valuable insights into employee development. Such evaluations can help identify areas for improvement and ensure that these critical factors actively contribute to enhancing job performance. Finally, creating a supportive organizational culture that values personal development, coaching, and self-reflection is vital. By cultivating an environment that encourages employees to engage in continuous learning and self-improvement, organizations can leverage the significant relationships identified in this research to foster a more productive and engaged workforce.

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