Revisiting the Effectiveness Coaching Methodology

Revisiting the Effectiveness Coaching Methodology

 

Sukjae Lee, Ph.D.
Creator of the Effectiveness Coaching Methodology
February 13, 2026

 

 

This book, Coaching Methodology (Lee, 2019), represents a pivotal stage in the development of what I now formally articulate as the Effectiveness Coaching Methodology (ECM). Over twenty-four years of practice in corporate and leadership coaching, my central inquiry has remained consistent:

What is the structural logic that enables coaching to reliably produce desired results?

The answer evolved beyond techniques, beyond tools, and even beyond theory. It required architecture.

This integrated preface situates the original content of Coaching Methodology within the more refined and systematized framework of ECM and its operational engine: 3S–FORM.

 

I. From Concept to Architecture

In Coaching Methodology, I introduced three core variables that determine effectiveness:

• Change Demand
• Critical Behavior
• Desired Results

These three elements describe the causal pathway of transformation. However, over time it became clear that describing variables is not sufficient. Coaching requires an operational system that activates and aligns them.

That system is 3S–FORM.

 

II. The Dual-Engine Structure of ECM

Effectiveness Coaching rests on a dual-engine architecture:

 

1. Engine 1: The Inner Growth Engine — 3S

The first engine operates internally within the client. It activates psychological restructuring and intentional development.

3S consists of:

1. Self-Awareness
   Expanding perceptual range and systemic consciousness.
   Clients move from partial perception to whole-system recognition.
2. Self-Talk
   Identifying and restructuring internal narratives, cognitive scripts, and emotional interpretations.
3. Self-Reflection
   Integrative processing that consolidates insight into stable meaning structures.

These three processes transform “Change Demand” from an external pressure into an internally owned developmental commitment.

 

2. Engine 2: The Structural Intervention Engine — FORM

The second engine provides the coach’s structured intervention pathway.

FORM consists of:

• Feedback
  Data-based illumination of performance, alignment, and systemic patterns.
• Opportunity
  Identification of leverage points where intervention yields disproportionate impact.
• Restructure
  Mental model remodeling that goes beyond reframing.
  This is structural—not cosmetic—change.
• Move Forward
  Executional commitment to critical behaviors that produce measurable outcomes.

FORM transforms insight into execution.

 

III. Where the Original Model Fits

The original Effectiveness Coaching Model identified:

• Change Demand → Why change is necessary
• Critical Behavior → What must shift behaviorally
• Desired Results → What outcome defines effectiveness

1. Through the lens of 3S–FORM:

Original Model	3S Activation	FORM Intervention	Result
Change Demand	Self-Awareness	Feedback	Clarity
Critical Behavior	Self-Talk + Reflection	Restructure	Alignment
Desired Results	Integrated 3S	Move Forward	Execution

Thus, the model evolves from conceptual description to systemic coaching methodology.

 

2. Coaching as Mental Model Restructuring

The upgrade from “Reframe” to “Restructure” marks a decisive evolution in ECM.

Reframing adjusts perspective.
Restructuring transforms the mental architecture generating behavior.

Coaching becomes:

• A disciplined process of systemic awareness expansion
• A structured remodeling of internal cognitive-emotional frameworks
• A deliberate alignment of intention and action
• A measurable pathway toward effective results

Coaching is neither therapy nor consulting.
It is a structured developmental intervention that integrates inner transformation with outer performance.

 

3. Evidence-Based and Methodologically Grounded

ECM responds directly to the global shift toward evidence-based coaching.

Rather than relying solely on theoretical justification, ECM integrates:

• Diagnostic-based goal setting
• Quasi-experimental coaching design
• Midpoint behavioral tracking
• Final performance evaluation
• ROI considerations in organizational contexts

This methodological rigor allows coaching to move from inspirational dialogue to measurable performance architecture.

 

4. Productivity and Positivity: The Organizational Axis

In corporate environments, effectiveness emerges at the intersection of:

• Productivity (performance outcomes)
• Positivity (psychological climate and relational energy)

ECM posits that sustainable productivity is catalyzed through structured positivity.

Coaching leadership therefore becomes the disciplined practice of:

Enhancing productivity through positivity,
by activating 3S internally and applying FORM structurally.

 

IV. The Maturation of a Coaching Logic

This book marked the fourth milestone in my professional journey.
It was not the conclusion, but a structural consolidation.

Since its publication, ECM has evolved into a more explicit architecture that includes:

• The Effectiveness Coaching Model
• 3S–FORM Change System
• Diagnostic Instruments (ELA, TEA, OEA)
• Integrated Individual–Team–Organization design
• Evaluation and ROI frameworks

Each component strengthens coaching’s position as an independent professional discipline.

 

An Invitation

For professional coaches, this integration offers a replicable logic for producing sustainable results.

For organizational leaders, it offers a method for aligning change demand, critical behavior, and strategic outcomes.

For scholars, it offers a methodological bridge between theory and field application.

Coaching is no longer simply a conversation.
It is an architecture of effectiveness.

And 3S–FORM is its operating system.

 

Reference:

Lee, Sukjae (2023). Coaching Psychology Class for Boosting Execution. Seoul: Hakjisa.

Lee, Sukjae (2019). Coaching Methodology. Seoul: Korea Coaching Supervision Academy.