Search

Within the literature on coaching supervision, most studies relate to supervision for full-time coaching practitioners. This paper presents the results of an integrated literature review into coaching supervision for internal coaches who have coaching in addition to their technical role. As well as answering specific research questions, emergent data showed internal coaches using group supervision for competence, relatedness and whether they have autonomy; purposes synonymous with the psychological needs within Self-determination theory (SDT). This paper proposes SDT as an evidence-based theoretical framework for supervisors to understand these areas in group supervision with internal coaches, whilst also making suggestions for further research.

This study investigates the lived experiences of internal coaches. In-depth interviews were conducted with four practising internal coaches in a large UK Higher Education Institution and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to understand the sense that coaches make of their experience. Through reactive sense-making coaches experience self-efficacy to address work related issues, align work with personal values and impact the way others behave towards them. Through embodied sense-making coaching is seen to impact internal coaches positively via self-care and self-management skills. A personal development process, manifested through experiential sense-making appears to contribute to altruism in coaches who demonstrate concern for the wellbeing of others.

This paper explores the perceived challenges an organisation may face when planning to introduce internal coaching into a fast-paced, volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment. Using a case study methodology, the research is based on 14 semi-structured interviews and interrogation of company documents. The study revealed some surprising insights with possible implications for theory and practice and that the scope, role and format of coaching may need to be thought of differently to fit this environment.

This research focused on the coaching practices of internal coaches in a multimedia organisation. Survey questions were sent to 135 clients who had completed the ‘Coaching Programme’ since its inception. Although a pure style of coaching proved to be most effective in enabling clients to achieve their objectives, applying a blended style of coaching and mentoring achieved almost the same perception of effectiveness in achieving objectives. A blended style of coaching and counselling achieved the most highly rated blended style when applied by internal coaches; perceived to be as effective as pure coaching in terms of achieving objectives.

The purpose of this action research project is to understand how a coach’s own cultural lens impacts his/her coaching. Fourteen internal coaches from a government human resources organization in British Columbia were introduced to Rosinski’s Cultural Orientations Framework (COF) through education and self-assessment. Coaches wrote accounts on the role culture played within successful and less successful coaching sessions. Six themes were identified: culture is complex; awareness of the culture of the coaching profession; cultural awareness affects coaching outcomes; similar coachclient orientations makes for more comfortable coaching; the challenge of adapting to the client’s orientation; and leveraging possibilities through different orientations.

This paper presents the results of a case-study of an internal coaching intervention aimed at building leadership capacity in a large production company in India. The purpose of the paper is to understand the impact of internal coaching process from the coaches’ perspectives. This research is based on the results of transaction style inventory data of manager-coaches, before and after the coaching journey and a survey conducted with the certified internal coaches. Findings suggest that there are many direct and indirect benefits gained by manager when they act as coach. They reported improvement in their interpersonal skills, listening ability, confidence level, work-life balance and visioning. Empirical results show that there is also improved their effectiveness of the transactional styles. In large organizations, where technical managers reach higher levels of leadership primarily based on their technical competencies, engagement in internal coaching may also help in the development of leadership competencies.

It is recognized that combining a thorough orientation to academic life and its expectations with intensive training in conceptualising research can accelerate the careers of early career academics. Unique to the structured support programme for research productivity and publication at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, was ongoing internal coaching of participants. In the study reported here in-depth interviews of participants and coaches were used to collect data. Internal coaches are academics without being experts in the participants’ disciplines. Goal alignment linked to both individual and organisational objectives resulted in tangible outcomes for research, publication and career changes. Less tangible outcomes concern the value of coaching; coaching during career or personal critical incidents and the important shifts in thinking which occurred. The outcomes have drawn additional funding to the University, and there is ongoing wider implementation across faculties of the programme with internal coaching.

The coaching industry has reached a key important point in its maturation. This maturation is being driven by at least three interrelated forces: (1) accumulated coaching experience; (2) the increasing entry of professionals into coaching from a wide variety of prior backgrounds; and (3) the increasing sophistication of management and Human Resource professionals. There is increasing awareness among coaches of the need to ground their practice in a solid theoretical understanding and empirically tested models, rather than the standardised implementation of “one size fits all” proprietary coaching systems. Further, there is a growing disenchantment with perceived pseudo-credentialing mills. In response to these forces we are beginning to witness increased interest in coaching-related research and the theoretically grounded approaches central to evidencebased coaching practice. This paper provides an overview of the existing academic literature on coaching, and explores five key trends in coaching-related research; (a) discussion articles on internal coaching by managers; (b) academic research on internal coaching; (c) research on external coaching by a professional coaches; (d) coaching as a means of investigating psychological mechanisms and processes involved in human and organisational change, and (e) the emergence of a theoretical literature aimed at the professional coach. It is argued that an explicit movement towards the scientistpractitioner model of coach training and practice is vital for the development of the coaching industry, and that such a move is vital in a movement from a service industry, towards a respected cross-disciplinary profession with a solid research base.