Enabling role of an intranet to augment e‐coaching

Purpose – This paper has the aim of exploring whether virtual coaching in an organisation may be facilitated and enabled by intranet technology for the creative dialogue of e‐coaching. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the e‐coaching, the enabling role of technology, and intranet technology and intranets literature is undertaken. It is then argued that by adopting an autopoietic view of an intranet, virtual coaching may be facilitated and enabled by intranet technologies for the creative dialogue of e‐coaching in an organisation. Findings – Rather than intranet technology and intranets being simply an add‐on to established processes in an organisation, technology and coaching are synthesised into something new and exciting in the e‐coaching domain. Research limitations/implications – The six implications for organisations suggested in the paper are not inclusive, but may provide an avenue for research in the evolving e‐coaching domain. A research entry point may be the development and validation of a theoretical framework for e‐coaching. Practical implications – In order that e‐coaching may be seen as a development partnership, six implications for organisations are suggested. Originality/value – E‐coaching can be seen as a developmental partnership in which much learning can take place using e‐mail but will be augmented by the enabling role of an intranet.