Coaching as a social process (original) (raw)
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A critical analysis of the conceptualisation of ‘coaching philosophy’'
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Despite an increasing recognition of the existence of a process of coaching, and a resulting increase in research activity, there remains a lack of a clear conceptual base for sports coaching. This situation has left coaching without a clear set of concepts and principles that reflect coaching practice. Purpose: The aim of this paper is to critically examine current conceptualisations of the coaching process, principally in terms of how they have been generated and their contribution to coaching knowledge. By exploring models for (idealistic representations) and of (empirically based) the coaching process, this paper examines the model's nature and conceptual underpinnings, in an attempt to position them within a broader framework of understanding coaching and the coaching process. Conclusions: The analysis suggests that the current set of models result in a representation of the coaching process that is often reduced in complexity and scale, and the essential social and cultural elements of the process are often underplayed. This is particularly illustrated through examining in-situ models of coaching practice, which identify coaching as a complex, interrelated and inter-dependent process that is firmly embedded within specific social and cultural contexts. Contribution of Research: Because of the inherent complexity of the coaching process, it is argued that the contextual purpose, particularities, and subjectivities of coaching must be examined before guidelines of recommended practice can be made.
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The significance of this paper lies in examining how sports coaches construct and negotiate their professional sense making; what Goffman (1971) described as the practices engaged in to manage 'ugly' interpretations. Using the work of Garfinkel (1967) and Goffman (1971), the article pays attention to coaches' 'ethno-methods'; that is, the background knowledge and practical competency employed in forming and maintaining social order. In doing so, the explanatory accounts of Christian (an author who supported the co-construction of this work), a coach, collected via recorded interviews over the course of a 3-month period during a competitive season are used to explore and analyse the procedures used to 'achieve coherence' in what he did. The analysis employed Garfinkel's (1967) description of 'artful practices' and related concepts of 'self repair' to demonstrate the fundamental interactional 'work' done by Christian, not only to understand why he did what he did, but also how he would 'get things done' in future. Such analysis highlights the mundane routines of coaching in particular, and work settings in general, to reveal the backstage manufacturing individuals 'do' to maintain a sense of 'practical objectivity' to their continual inferences, judgements and justifications of practice.
Coaching- a crucible for change.doc
Coaching Education and Training falls broadly into three disciplines: psychology management and adult education. Which discipline the starting point is matters less in my opinion than a “theory to practice approach”. This paper positions coaching in organisations as an adult learning activity (rather than a ‘therapeutic’ or managerial one), that it includes the whole person-in-the-world (we don’t leave ourselves at the door when we go to work), a strength-based orientation rather than a problem orientation and embedding in a systemic framework of interdependence (or “spirituality”). These assumptions create three arenas for coaching learning: 1. The systemic landscape: a systemic model to include the coach/coachee/organisation interface shapes structure of the coaching conversation. The context of the learning is as important as the individual who learns. 2. A crucible: the heart of coaching and coaching learning is relational. With the presence of psychological safety (trust) a coach can encourage exuberant learning by using subtle microskills to shape a relationship of creative tension. 3. A toolbox: a variety of skills and tools that help broaden and deepen the learning.