Confidence
APPENDIX D: Copy of information sheet to participants
Research Participant Information Document
Name of the researcher
Contact details
Tanya Stevens
082 773 4377
Title of the research project
The executive’s perceptions and experiences of resilience as influenced by coaching interventions.
Purpose of the study The purpose of this research is to explore different executive coaching interventions that have been used by certain executive coaches, and determine the ways in which these interventions influence executives’ perceptions and experiences of resilience.
Description of the study South Africa has a unique and constantly evolving social, economic and political climate. Executives in South Africa have therefore had to adapt quickly and develop various interpersonal skills in order to operate within these dynamic and challenging circumstances. This study aims to explore how coaching affects an executive – specifically how coaching interventions influence their perceptions and experiences of resilience.
Duration of study 1 year
What is involved and how long will the process take?
The proposed study will entail one-on-one semi-structured interviews with the participant at a suitable date and time. Open-ended questions on certain key topics will be asked by the interviewer and the interviewee will be given the opportunity to give their individual point of view in a relaxed, flexible environment. The interviews will be recorded and transcribed to help in the analysis stage of the research.
Interviews will take between one and two hours.
Why have you been invited to participate?
You have been invited to participate in this study due to your knowledge and expertise in your capacity as an executive.
Additionally, you have been asked to participant because of your exposure and practical experience with executive coaching.
What will happen to the information given by the participant in the study?
The information will be kept confidential during all stages of the research process. Notes, transcripts, and recordings will only be accessible to the researcher and her supervisor.
What will be done with executives, HR practitioners, and executive coaches to gain a more comprehensive and inclusive understanding of how the coaching process operates and affects coaching clients’ experiences and perceptions of resilience. Furthermore, this research will focus on South Africa and give important insights into the growing field of executive coaching in a South African context.
Who has reviewed this Committee at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
Following this review, the research was approved and the researcher has been granted permission to commence with the study.
Can permission for the researcher to use information from the interview be withdrawn?
Yes. The participant retains the right to have their contributions to the research withdrawn at any time prior to the submission of the research.
Can you refuse to answer any of the interview questions?
Yes. The participant has the right to refuse to answer any question in the interview, and to end the interview at any time
APPENDIX E: Letter of introduction to participants
Wits Business School
Dear X,
We appreciate your time and willingness to consider participating in this research. It is being undertaken by a masters student in business and executive coaching (MM BEC Masters of Management: business and executive coaching) at Wits Business School.
Purpose and Benefits to Research
The purpose of this research is to assess the influence of coaching interventions on resilience. With your participation, we hope to learn more about resilience as it applies to executive coaching.
Procedure
We invite you to participate in an interview with the researcher, which should last approximately one to one and a half hours, at a time and venue convenient to you. You will be asked if you are willing to have the interview recorded, you may decline to do so.
Voluntary participation
Your participation is voluntary, and you are free to ask questions or to discontinue participation at any time.
Anonymous and Confidential
Your anonymity will be protected. All interviews will be kept at a safe location which only the researcher will have access to.
Contact Information
If you have any questions about the study, or would like a copy of the results, please feel free to contact the researcher or faculty listed below.
Tel no: 082-77-343-77
email: [email protected]
Please keep a copy of this form, should you need to refer to it in the future.
Sincerely,
...
Natalie Cunningham Supervisor
...
Tanya Stevens Researcher
Consent to Participate
I ,... have read the information provided and any questions I asked have been answered to my satisfaction. I agree to participate in this study, realising that I may withdraw without prejudice at any time.
I understand that the information, which I supply, is confidential and anonymous and will only be used in the findings of the research.
Signed ...
Date ...
APPENDIX F: Guidelines for the unstructured interviews
From: Unstructured Interviews by Yan Zhang and Barbara M. Wildemuth
Unstructured Interviews are those in which neither the question nor the answer categories are pre-determined.
Unstructured interviews rely on the generation of questions in the natural flow of interaction.
The researcher should keep in mind the study’s purpose and the general scope of the issue that she would like to discuss during the interview.
The interviewer follows the interviewee’s narration and generates questions spontaneously based on his/her reflection of that narration.
The intention of an unstructured interview is to expose the researcher to unanticipated themes and help him or her to develop a better understanding of the interviewee’s reality.
Unstructured interviews often correspond to design studies conducted within an interpretivist research paradigm.
Conducting an Unstructured Interview:
Step 1 Getting in and assessing the setting.
Step 2 Understand the language and the culture of the interviewee.
Step 3 The researcher decides how to present him/herself as the unstructured interview is a two way conversation. The interviewer is a “learner’ in the conversation.
Step 4 Locate the interviewee. Decide who will be a good and knowledgeable informant.
Step 5 Gain trust and establish rapport with the interviewee.
Step 6 Capture the data. Audio record where possible.
APPENDIX G: CD with transcribed interviews