Design and Validation of a Human Resource Coaching Model: Emphasizing the Facilitating Role of Knowledge Sharing in Enhancing Employee Performance in Hospitals of Khuzestan Province

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to design and validate a human resource coaching model emphasizing the enhancement of employee performance through the facilitation of knowledge sharing in hospitals of Khuzestan Province, Iran.

Methodology: This applied study employed a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design. In the qualitative phase, 15 managers, supervisors, human resource experts, and experienced hospital employees were recruited through purposive sampling and interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed through conventional qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. Based on the qualitative findings, an initial 51-item researcher-developed questionnaire was constructed and assessed for face and content validity. In the quantitative phase, 405 questionnaires were distributed among hospital employees, of which 391 valid responses were retained. Covariance-based confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), together with reliability, convergent validity, and model-fit indices, was used to validate the measurement model.

Findings: CFA supported the final five-dimensional measurement model after removing 10 unsuitable items, resulting in a 41-item instrument. The model demonstrated satisfactory fit indices, including CMIN/DF=2.548, NFI=0.964, RFI=0.947, IFI=0.978, TLI=0.967, CFI=0.978, and RMSEA=0.063. PCLOSE was 0.101, while PNFI and PCFI were 0.664 and 0.673, respectively, and the Hoelter index was 223. Composite reliability and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients indicated acceptable-to-strong internal consistency across the dimensions, while the reported AVE values provided acceptable evidence of convergent validity. Collectively, these results confirmed the psychometric adequacy and structural validity of the five-dimensional measurement model.

Conclusion: Human resource coaching in hospital settings can be conceptualized as a multidimensional construct incorporating experiential learning contexts, human and relational requirements, organizational support, and professional and team–organizational outcomes. The validated five-dimensional, 41-item model provides a context-specific framework for assessing and developing human resource coaching, experience transfer, and knowledge retention in hospitals. However, the findings validate the measurement structure and should not be interpreted as demonstrating causal relationships or confirming a mediating role of knowledge sharing.