As more business executives are recognizing the benefits of coaching in the workplace, companies are evaluating its return on investment (ROI). A study conducted by MetrixGlobal for an executive coaching program was designed by The Pyramid Resource Group. Pyramid coached over 70 executives from a multi-national telecommunications company that included participants in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. MetrixGlobal performed an extensive survey of 43 coaching participants. Survey respondents credited coaching for "Significant or very significant” impact on at least one of nine business measures and experienced:

increasing personal and work group productivity (60% cited)

Annualized financial benefits (50% cited)

Increasing employee satisfaction (53% cited)

Increased customer satisfaction (53% cited)

Improved work output (30% cited)

Greater work quality (40% cited)

While the study was not able to quantify dollar benefits for improvements in employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction or work quality, the remaining benefits were calculated to determine the 529% ROI.

Michigan-based Triad Performance Technologies, Inc. studied and evaluated the effects of a coaching intervention on a group of regional and district sales managers within a large telecom organization. The third party research study cites a 10:1 return on investment in less than one year.

The study found that the following business outcomes were directly attributable to the coaching intervention:

• Top performing staff, who were considering leaving the organization, were retained, resulting in reduced turnover, increased revenue, and improved customer satisfaction.
• A positive work environment was created, focusing on strategic account development and higher sales volume.
• Customer satisfaction was improved due to fully staffed and fully functioning territories.
• Revenues were increased, due to managers improving their performance and exceeding their goals.

In 1997, AMOCO Corporation, now part of British Petroleum (BP), conducted an evaluation of the coaching they had offered to their executives over a ten year period (Birkeland et al., 1997; Davis & Petchenik, 1998). The investigators reported that "compared to other AMOCO managers, coaching participants consistently demonstrated improved performance, increased ratings of potential for advancement and 50% higher average salary increases. Moreover, the participants themselves attributed these results directly to the coaching they had received."