Managerial Coaching and Organisational Performance in a Ugandan Public Water Utility: Evidence from National Water and Sewerage Corporation branches in Mbarara City
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Purpose: This paper examined the relationship between managerial coaching and organisational performance in National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) branches in Mbarara City, Uganda. The inquiry responded to a practical paradox: coaching was widely reported as an established workplace practice, yet service reliability, complaint response, cost control, and water-loss management remained below respondents’ expectations. Methodology: A cross-sectional mixed-methods design was used. The study targeted 137 participants drawn from branch management, technical staff, and customers; 129 participated, yielding a 94.2% overall response rate. Of these, 124 completed the quantitative questionnaire and all five branch managers completed qualitative interviews. Quantitative data were collected with a five-point Likert questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression in SPSS Version 30. Five branch managers were interviewed, and their accounts were analysed thematically and integrated with the quantitative results. Findings: Coaching was rated highly (M = 4.11, SD = 0.81), whereas organisational performance was rated below the desired level (M = 2.65, SD = 1.06). Coaching had a strong positive relationship with organisational performance (r = .641, p < .001). In a model controlling for job instruction and job rotation, coaching remained the strongest predictor (B = .392, SE = .089, β = .428, t = 4.404, p < .001). The full model explained 52.4% of the variance in organisational performance (adjusted R² = .512; F(3,120) = 43.982, p < .001). Managers attributed the relationship to immediate feedback, problem diagnosis, confidence building, and accessible supervisory support. Conclusion: Managerial coaching is associated with better organisational performance, but high coaching ratings alongside low performance ratings show that coaching is not sufficient on its own. Its value depends on technical resources, clear goals, accountability and opportunities to apply learning. NWSC should formalise coaching, develop supervisors’ coaching capability, and connect coaching conversations to operational indicators. Because the design was cross-sectional and relied substantially on perceptual measures, the findings support association and prediction, not causal proof.
Institution: Bishop Stuart University
Language: English
Topic: Coaching Methods and Impact
Subfield: Applied Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7214447487