THE EFFECT OF COACHING ON COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF HUMAN CAPITAL

The direct relationship between coaching and competitive advantage has been studied without identifying mechanisms that can explain it. Based on the resource approach, we have proposed to study the human capital as mediator in the relationship between coaching and competitive advantage. Indeed, this approach considers the intangible resources to be more highly valued than the tangible resourcesand the sustainable competitive advantage to be anchored in the efficient channeling of human capital. The objective of this research is to visualize the existing relationship between coaching and human capital and between human capital and competitive advantage and to infer the mediating effect of human capital in this relationship. Our empirical study has been conducted with 127 coached managers in companies operating in the telecommunications sector in Tunisia. The results have shown that the relationship between coaching and competitive advantage is not direct and is fully mediated by the human capital.