This paper views the proliferation of executive coaching for developmental purposes as a sign of organisational deficits in the areas of leadership, mentoring, and formal training. Key coaching concepts are described in terms of their links to counselling psychology and are compared with foundational development activities to argue that coaching may be a facile response to more serious underlying deficiencies. A police organisation provides an interesting context to illustrate how coaching is uncritically embraced to bridge shortcomings in areas where human resource structures and processes should play a more active mediating role.
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