Date

4-29-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Amy Stevens

Keywords

executive coaching, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, legal administrators

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

Executive coaching has emerged as a leadership development tool that can influence how professionals interpret their work experiences within organizations. This qualitative phenomenological study explored how legal administrators within the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAGC) described their lived experiences with executive coaching and how those experiences influenced their perceptions of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 active-duty legal administrators. Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns within the collective experiences described by the participants. The analysis revealed several themes that characterized how legal administrators experienced coaching and its influence on their professional perspectives. Legal administrators described job satisfaction as closely connected to mission-driven meaning, while organizational commitment was often shaped by leadership environments and operational demands. Coaching experiences were described as contributing to professional validation, structured reflection, perspective shifts, and perceptions of organizational investment in leadership development. These findings suggest that executive coaching may serve as a developmental resource that supports reflective leadership practices and professional growth within military legal organizations. The findings from the study contribute to a deeper understanding of how coaching experiences shape job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and leadership development within the JAGC.

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