Developing a Model to Explain and Conceptually Expand Manager-as-Coach Skills in the Ministry of Energy
Keywords:
Manager in the role of coach, managerial coaching, managerial skills, Ministry of Energy, thematic analysisAbstract
This study aimed to develop and explain a comprehensive, context-specific model of the skills required for managers to effectively perform the role of coach in the Ministry of Energy. This applied qualitative study was conducted within an interpretivist paradigm using thematic analysis. Participants included senior and middle managers in the electricity industry, experts in human resource management and organizational development, and university faculty members specializing in coaching and organizational behavior. Participants were selected through purposive sampling using snowball and maximum-variation strategies. Data collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved after 16 in-depth semi-structured interviews. The interview data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis procedure with the assistance of MAXQDA software. To enhance the credibility and trustworthiness of the findings, Lincoln and Guba’s criteria were applied through participant checking, peer debriefing, confirmability procedures, and inter-coder reliability assessment. Agreement between the two coders was 84%, indicating an acceptable level of analytical reliability. The thematic analysis identified seven interrelated organizing themes constituting the manager-as-coach skills model: effective communication, purposeful questioning, employee development and empowerment, conscious feedback, employee development and learning, emotional intelligence, and a culture of learning and innovation. Effective communication provided the foundation for trust-based relationships and constructive dialogue, whereas purposeful questioning encouraged employees to reflect, identify problems, and independently generate solutions. Employee empowerment facilitated the realization of individual capacities, while conscious feedback supported performance improvement and continuous learning. Employee development and learning promoted sustained professional growth, and emotional intelligence strengthened the management of interpersonal relationships, emotions, and conflicts. Furthermore, a culture of learning and innovation emerged as the organizational context required for the sustainable implementation of managerial coaching. Effective performance of the manager-as-coach role in the Ministry of Energy requires an integrated combination of communicative, cognitive, developmental, emotional, and cultural competencies rather than isolated coaching techniques. The proposed model provides a practical framework for shifting from control-oriented toward development-oriented management and can inform managerial training and development programs, employee empowerment initiatives, leadership development systems, and the institutionalization of coaching, learning, and innovation cultures in the Ministry of Energy and other public-sector organizations.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Erfan Abdolahi (Author); Kumars Ahmadi; Fatemeh Sohrabi (Author)

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