What was happening in coaching in the 1940s?

Coaching in business during the 1940s was performed by psychologists in under the umbrella of ‘developmental counseling’. RHR International, a consulting firm composed primarily by psychologists, has been providing developmental counseling, also known as executive coaching, since the late 1940s. According to Edwin Nevis, a consulting psychologist and one of the pioneers in the organization development field, RHR’s service was primarily getting contracts with corporations to do ongoing counseling of their executives.

Remember that World War II ended during the 1940s and as soldiers returned to civilian life, the military models of command and control were embraced by management, consulting, education and development. The demand for clinical psychology was also high to treat these returning soldiers.