Business Commons^™

Training For The Coaching Leader: How Organizations Can Support Managers, Julia Ahrens, Grace Mccarthy, Trenton J. Milner

Sydney Business School - Papers

Purpose – The demand for leaders to coach their employees is increasing as the benefits become more and more evident. However, little is known about the training managers have received in coaching or what support is available/required from their organizations. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper encompassed a survey of 580 managers in Australian organizations with more than 200 employees. The authors used qualitative thematic analysis to examine the extensive free text answers.

Findings – The findings indicated that while some managers had received some form of training in coaching (30-40 percent, depending on training …

Coaching - Experiences Of Pluralism In A Young Discipline, Grace Mccarthy

Sydney Business School - Papers

This paper explores the cross-disciplinary approaches adopted in coaching research, coaching education and coaching practice. Coaching is a young discipline which has attracted researchers and practitioners from a variety of different disciplines and professions. Focusing on coaching in organisational contexts, the paper explores the research approaches adopted in the papers published in two peer-reviewed journals dedicated to coaching research, the International Journal of Evidence-Based Coaching and Research, and Coaching: an International Journal of Coaching Theory, Research and Practice. The paper next examines the curriculum content and pedagogical approaches in selected postgraduate coaching programs. Finally the paper looks at some of …

David Clutterbuck, Mentoring And Coaching: A Commentary, Grace Mccarthy

Sydney Business School - Papers

David Clutterbuck has made tremendous contributions to both coaching and mentoring theory and practice over the past three decades. One of the pleasures of reading David Clutterbuck's work is that he communicates clearly without jargon, a tribute perhaps to his journalistic background. He captures what is known or believed about a topic at the time and is not afraid to say that things have changed or that his predictions have not yet come to pass. By articulating the conceptions of coaching and mentoring at a particular point in time, Clutterbuck allows us to recognise the changes that take place over …

Critical Incidents In Cross-Cultural Coaching: The View From German Coaches, Julia Milner, Esther Ostmeier, Ronald Franke

Sydney Business School - Papers

The importance of a cultural perspective in coaching is increasingly significant for coaching practitioners and academics living in a globalised world. The question remains as to how the coaching methods rooted in the Western approach can be applied in the context of other (national) cultures. Using semi-structured interviews and based on the critical incidents technique, fifteen German coaching experts were interviewed to determine those critical incidents they experienced in cross-cultural coaching settings. The results show incidents in four main areas: communication, coach-client relationship, coaching setting and role understanding. These are aimed at improving outcomes but not at the expense of …

How And Why Do Managers Use Coaching Skills?, Grace Mccarthy, Julia Ahrens

Sydney Business School - Papers

While the evidence base for coaching has been increasing rapidly in the past decade, relatively little is known about how managers coach, what approaches they use, the purposes for which they use coaching and the benefits they experience. This paper provides a brief overview of the coaching literature in relation to the managerial context, outlines the method used in the research reported here, summarises the findings of a survey conducted among Australian managers in March 2012 to explore the above questions, draws conclusions and makes recommendations for further research. Whilst a coaching approach might be initially challenging and time-consuming to …

Coaching And Cross Disciplinary Collaboration: More Complexity And Chaos?, Gordon B. Spence

Sydney Business School - Papers

In this article, the author reflects on the cross-disciplinary approach of working. It is stated that coaching psychologists are not well equipped for working as their theories are based on linear empiricism and focus on prediction and control rather than engagement with unpredictable emergent and ongoing processes. It is suggested the complexity should be learned through an array of different perspectives.

Sharing The Research Journey - Developing Research Skills In A Coaching Masters Program, Grace Mccarthy

Sydney Business School - Papers

Powerpoint presentation presented at the Western Business Management Conference, France

Coaching With Self-Determination Theory In Mind: Using Theory To Advance Evidence-Based Coaching Practice, Gordon B. Spence, Lindsay G. Oades

Sydney Business School - Papers

The scholarly coaching literature has advanced considerably in the past decade. However, a review of the existing knowledge base suggests that coaching practice and research remains relatively uninformed by relevant psychological theory. In this paper it will be argued that Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985) presents as a useful theoretical framework for coaching as it can help understand coaching practice at both macro and micro levels. The utility of SDT as a theoretical framework for coaching is explored, with particular attention given to the role that coaching would appear to play in the satisfaction of three basic psychological …

Challenges Of The Coaching Manager, Grace Mccarthy, Julia Ahrens

Sydney Business School - Papers

This paper explores the growing practice of managerial coaching. Much of the coaching literature is set in the context of an external coach coming into an organisation. However managers are increasingly being expected to coach their employees, a change in role which can create tensions. This paper examines the literature on coaching managers and identifies key differences in the issues faced by coaching managers and by internal/external coaches. The same coach training is often provided to both full-time coaches and coaching managers. The paper also discusses implications for coach training.