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Coaching Banking Managers Through the Financial Crisis: Effects on Stress, Resilience, and Performance

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Abstract

We conducted a study to test the effectiveness of an executive cognitive-behavioral coaching program in enhancing managerial stress resilience and performance during the financial recession. Our sample consisted of 59 middle and top-managers from an Italian multinational banking group. Results suggest that the program was effective in helping managers to improve their performance, manage their distress and depressed mood. We found that changes in irrational beliefs and rational beliefs after the program can function as mechanisms for both managing depressed mood and boosting managers’ performance levels.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant awarded to Oana Gavita from the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research, CNCS– UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-1937.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Coaching Institute, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Babeş – Bolyai University, No. 37 Republicii Street, 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Oana A. David & Ioana Ionicioiu

  2. HR Department, Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Romania, Arad, Romania

    Adriana C. Imbăruş

  3. Department of Psychology, West University Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania

    Oana A. David & Florin A. Sava

Authors
  1. Oana A. David
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  2. Ioana Ionicioiu
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  3. Adriana C. Imbăruş
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  4. Florin A. Sava
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Correspondence to Oana A. David.

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Authors have no potential conflict of interest pertaining to this submission to Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy. The research involved human participants and informed consent was obtained for participating in the study.

Appendix

Appendix

“Psychological pills” for managers

(now part of the PsyPills app ©developed by Oana Gavita and Daniel David).

“I want very much to get high performance at work, receive support, and be fairly appreciated or rewarded, and I do my best to get it, but I accept that just because I want this and/or worked hard for this, it does not mean that it necessarily must happen.”;

“It is very bad and unpleasant when I do not get the performance I want at work, I lack control for delegated tasks, or I am not fairly appreciated or rewarded, but it is not awful and I can search for solutions, positive alternatives and/or ways to cope.”;

“When I do not get the performance I want at work, delegated tasks are poorly followed, or I am not fairly appreciated or rewarded, I can accept that it does not influence my self-worth in any way, and I can make efforts to improve the situation”;.

“When I receive difficult performance requirements, I have less competent/complying subordinates, or I am not fairly appreciated or rewarded, I can accept that this does not influence the worth of the others or does not make them totally bad people. I can understand that this does not mean that my life is completely bad and I can still find other things to enjoy while finding solutions.”

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David, O.A., Ionicioiu, I., Imbăruş, A.C. et al. Coaching Banking Managers Through the Financial Crisis: Effects on Stress, Resilience, and Performance. J Rat-Emo Cognitive-Behav Ther 34, 267–281 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-016-0244-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-016-0244-0

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