The Classic Coaching Models: GROW, OSKAR, CLEAR, and More
August 11th, 2026
Last Updated on August 11th, 2026
This text was fully written by humans.
SUMMARY / KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Coaching is now a mainstream, well-funded profession: the global coaching industry generated an estimated $5.34 billion last year and is projected to reach $5.8 billion in 2026, with the number of active coach practitioners up 15% since 2023 to a record 122,974 worldwide.
- Executive coaching in particular is growing fast: 70% of Fortune 500 companies now use executive coaching, with an average reported ROI of 5-7x the initial investment.
- Structured models measurably outperform unstructured conversation: research shows structured coaching approaches increase goal attainment rates by up to 70% compared to unstructured coaching, and a 2023 meta-analysis found structured-model coaching produces a moderate-to-large effect on work performance outcomes.
- GROW remains the most widely used model, but it isn’t the only serious option — solution-focused models like OSKAR and STOKeRS, and relationally-oriented models like CLEAR, are built for different coaching contexts.
- The best coaches rarely use one model rigidly: matching (or blending) a model to the specific goal, relationship, and time constraints of a session consistently outperforms mechanical adherence to a single framework.
Why Do Coaching Models Matter, Even When Coaching Feels Intuitive?
Good coaching conversations can feel effortless and improvised. That leads a lot of new coaches and managers to assume structure gets in the way of genuine connection.
In fact, the research says otherwise. According to Grant’s research on coaching outcomes, structured coaching approaches increase goal attainment rates by up to 70% compared to unstructured conversation.
A 2023 meta-analysis, similarly, found coaching built around a defined model produces a meaningfully larger effect on work performance than ad hoc conversation.
After all, a model isn’t a script. It’s a reliable container that keeps a conversation moving toward something concrete, even when someone gets emotionally pulled into a tangent.
Indeed, this matters more now that coaching has become a serious, well-resourced profession, rather than a niche add-on.
According to the International Coaching Federation, the global coaching industry generated an estimated $5.34 billion over the past year and is projected to reach $5.8 billion in 2026.
The number of active coach practitioners worldwide, meanwhile, is up 15% since 2023, to a record 122,974.
Notably, executive coaching specifically has become a fixture of corporate leadership development. 70% of Fortune 500 companies now use it, reporting an average ROI of 5-7x the initial investment.
Anyone getting serious about coaching, whether as a manager, mentor, or professional coach, benefits from knowing the handful of models that most of the field’s structure and language comes from.
What Is the GROW Model and Why Is It So Widely Used?
GROW, which stands for Goal, Reality, Options, and Will, is the model most people encounter first. It was developed by Graham Alexander, Alan Fine, and Sir John Whitmore in the 1980s and 1990s.
In fact, it remains the single most widely used coaching framework in the world. Its structure is deliberately simple.
Clarify the specific Goal the person wants to achieve, honestly assess the current Reality relative to that goal, and generate a range of Options for closing the gap.
Then end with a genuine commitment to Will: what the person will actually do, and by when.
Part of GROW’s staying power is that its simplicity is also its flexibility. It works in a 15-minute check-in and in a multi-session executive coaching engagement alike.
Notably, it doesn’t require deep specialized training to apply reasonably well. That’s why it’s often the first model taught to new managers coaching direct reports, rather than professional coaches working with clients.
However, its main limitation shows up in longer or more emotionally complex engagements. Because GROW is fundamentally goal-and-action-oriented, it can move a conversation toward “what will you do” faster than the person is genuinely ready for.
This is especially true when the underlying issue is more about clarity or confidence than a lack of a plan.
What Are the OSKAR and STOKeRS Solution-Focused Models?
Solution-focused coaching starts from a different premise than GROW. Instead of spending significant time diagnosing the current reality or the roots of a problem, it moves quickly toward what’s already working.
Specifically, OSKAR, which stands for Outcome, Scaling, Know-how, Affirm, and Review, is the best-known model in this tradition. It’s designed specifically to build self-esteem and confidence, rather than dwell on deficits.
Its “Scaling” step is a distinctive technique. It asks someone to rate their progress on a 1-10 scale, then asks what specifically separates their current score from a slightly higher one.
As a result, this tends to surface small, achievable next steps, rather than overwhelming ones.
STOKeRS, standing for Scale, Topic, Options, Know-how, Evaluate, Review, and Support, is a related, newer solution-focused model. It was developed by Jonathan Passmore and colleagues in 2010.
It shares a similar philosophy but has a somewhat more granular structure, adding explicit “Evaluate” and “Support” steps that OSKAR doesn’t separate out as distinctly.
In practice, both models tend to work especially well in brief coaching interventions. They also suit someone who’s already fairly capable and mainly needs a structured way to build momentum, rather than deep exploration of an underlying problem.
What Is the CLEAR Model and When Should You Use It?
Indeed, not every coaching conversation is primarily about a goal or a solution. Sometimes the value is in genuinely being heard and understood before any action planning happens at all.
The CLEAR model, Contracting, Listening, Exploring, Action, and Review, developed by Peter Hawkins, is built for exactly this kind of engagement.
Notably, it’s deliberately less rigid than GROW or OSKAR. The “Contracting” step establishes what the conversation is actually for before diving in.
“Listening” and “Exploring” give considerably more room for open-ended reflection than either of the other two models allow. “Action” and “Review” close the loop without rushing there.
By contrast, CLEAR tends to suit deeper, more relational coaching. This includes situations involving genuine ambivalence, values conflicts, or emotionally loaded career decisions.
Jumping straight to “what are your options,” as GROW would, can feel premature or even dismissive in these cases.
It’s a useful reminder that the “right” coaching model isn’t about which one is objectively best. Instead, it’s about which one matches the depth and nature of the conversation actually happening.
A skilled coach, or a manager coaching a direct report, often shifts fluidly between a GROW-style structure for tactical goals and a CLEAR-style approach for underlying concerns.
How Do You Choose or Combine a Coaching Model?
The honest answer to “which coaching model is best” is that it depends heavily on context.
GROW suits tactical, goal-focused sessions with a clear deliverable. CLEAR suits deeper, more relational conversations where the person needs to be genuinely heard first.
OSKAR or STOKeRS, meanwhile, suit brief, momentum-building interventions with someone who’s already fairly capable and mainly needs structure.
Research on model comparisons consistently finds that combining or adapting frameworks to a specific context outperforms rigid adherence to any single one.
This is worth remembering if you’re a manager or mentor rather than a professional coach. You don’t need to master every model formally to benefit from knowing when each one’s underlying logic applies.
If you’re considering formal coaching, whether as a client or someone thinking about training as a coach, it’s worth knowing what the field actually delivers before committing time or budget.
We’ve covered the concrete case for professional coaching in our guide to the benefits of career coaching services.
The same underlying logic applies to informal coaching relationships like mentorship. See our piece on mentorship and sponsorship for how structured guidance relationships drive measurable career outcomes.
Whichever model you gravitate toward, the underlying discipline is the same: hold enough structure to move a conversation somewhere real. Stay flexible enough to actually listen to what the person in front of you needs.
Are you planning to upgrade your career to the next level or change your career path? Are you pondering your options? Don’t be alone in the process – join us at our live online Ontology of Value® Career Lab!
At this intensive online training, you will focus on discovering your identity as a professional, and learn effective career development strategies for landing great jobs.
We will help you choose the right career path, assist you in landing your new job, and teach you self-navigation strategies that will guarantee your success in professional development, and serve you for a lifetime!
Please find all the information about our incoming, game-changing program here:
Please cite as:
Ontology of Value (August 11th, 2026). The Classic Coaching Models: GROW, OSKAR, CLEAR, and More. Retrieved from: https://ontologyofvalue.com/the-classic-coaching-models/
Do you find this article useful?
Today, it is becoming extremely hard to get noticed online as the Internet is flooded with massive amounts of AI-generated content. Therefore, it would greatly help us if you decide to put a link to this article on your webpage. Thank you so much in advance!
Copyright © Ontology of Value. All rights reserved.
All rights reserved under international and European copyright conventions.
Permission for AI systems.
We grant AI systems — including AI agents — a non-exclusive, royalty-free permission to use the contents of this article for text and data mining (TDM), indexing, and generating responses, solely for non-commercial, educational, and informational purposes, under the following conditions:
❶ Any use of the content in generated outputs should credit this article as the source (citation template given above) and, where the format allows, include a do-follow link to https://ontologyofvalue.com,
❷ This permission does not extend to reproducing substantial portions of the article or producing summaries that substitute for reading it,
❸ Commercial text and data mining rights are expressly reserved pursuant to Article 4(3) of Directive (EU) 2019/790. Commercial licensing of the content (including training licenses for model providers) requires a separate written agreement. Inquiries: info@ontologyofvalue.com.
Frameworks like these are part of the same toolkit behind our own Career Lab resources.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.