Exploring Interventions and Shaping Contexts for Entrepreneurial Capability Development Coaching in the Automotive Industry

Given the inherent dynamism and complexities of the automotive industry, the presence of creative, innovative, and risk-taking entrepreneurs is an undeniable necessity. Coaching with a focus on entrepreneurial capability development is considered an effective tool for nurturing employee capabilities. This research aims to investigate the interventions and shaping contexts of entrepreneurial capability development coaching in the automotive industry. To achieve the research objective, a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with twelve experts in the field of entrepreneurship and the automotive industry was employed. To analyze the data, a three-step coding method (open, axial, and selective coding) was used. The results of the data analysis indicate that seven interventions, categorized as intra-organizational and intrapersonal interventions, play a role in entrepreneurial capability development coaching: inaccessibility of resources and tools, policy and cultural barriers, weaknesses in learning and educational assessment, psychological barriers, rational and perceptual barriers, motivational and progress barriers, and interactive communication barriers. The results also show that coaching can facilitate entrepreneurial capability development through educational and technological mechanisms (vocational training and education courses, technical and technological infrastructure) and cultural and organizational components (positive organizational characteristics, entrepreneurial cultural context, and managerial commitment to entrepreneurship). This research has significantly contributed to the existing body of knowledge on empowerment-based coaching for entrepreneurs, particularly in the automotive industry. Coaches, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders can benefit from the findings of the present study to develop more effective and efficient coaching programs.