ABSTRACT
Two of the main reasons why coaches desire a good ending to their work are to provide customer satisfaction and gain repeat business. Marketing research has shown that endings occur when customers ‘dissociate themselves from the object of their dissatisfaction’ (Hirschman, 1970: 29) resulting in a switching of brand, reduction in consumption or the refusal to buy. To coaches, as professionals offering a service, a happy ending to the relationship is therefore paramount in order to satisfy and retain clients. Hodgetts (2002: 217), taking an organisational perspective, proposes that ‘wellmanaged endings are just as essential to coaching success as clearly defined and explicit beginnings are’. If an ending is poorly managed, he argues, this can perpetuate an organisation’s dependency on the coach. Hodgetts goes on to refer to the ‘never-ending coaching engagement’, suggesting that, like some therapy, coaching has the potential to go on indefinitely, and although there is probably learning to be had through continuation, in the organisational contract coaching is invariably tied to clear business strategies and objectives and usually ends once these objectives have been met. Thus, the ending is of significant practical importance not only to coachees wanting to achieve their aim, but also to the coach and the client organisation.
