A Meta-Theory of Coaching

A Meta-theory of Coaching

Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012

www.analyticnetwork.com

Dr Simon Western This presentation is extracts

from this book

http://www.analyticnetwork.com/

The rise of executive coaching

Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012www.simonwestern.com

Occurrences of Sports coaching and Executive coaching (lower and upper case) as a percentage of all words in a collection of 4.5 million books published in English, 1800-2008(Source: Google Books)

The Coaching Journey

Post-modern Transient-utilitarian friendship – facebook! New Age soul guides & positive psychologists produce the Celebrated Self The post-modern confessional appears: Oprah & Jerry public confessionals New workplace demands –bring your whole self to work- (body, mind and soul) New soul guide is required to administer to the ‘celebrated-wounded self’ Executive and Life Coaching fills this space.

Pre-modernAncient utilitarian friendship Socially sanctioned soul healers: wisdom teachers, shaman, monks, priests The confessional begins to shape the modern reflective self

ModernIntimate pairing friendshipsTalking cure: Psychoanalysis, therapist, counsellorsTherapy Culture produces and heals the Wounded SelfPerformance Coaching, sports psychology, career counsellors & 1-1 consultancy pre-empts coaching


Pastoral care and the reflective self

St Romauld’s brief monastic ruleSit in your cell as in paradise. Put the whole world behind you and forget it. Watch your thoughts like a good fisherman watching for fish. The path you must follow is in the Psalms – never leave it.


‘The Desert Fathers treasured their friends as guides and helpers on their path to virtue’ Spiritual friendship Aelred of Rievaulx 1110-1167

The Coaching Journey: Directors of Souls

Soul Directors became secularized by Freud and the psychoanalytic priesthood. The modern individual reflective-self slowly evolved. A diverse range of new experts emerged to direct our souls.

Monastic life produced a new individual through self-examination, that was generalized through the technology of the confessional that became public. Spiritual Friendship, and soul directors begin to work on the individual self


Coaching is a direct descendent of the ‘talking cure’, bridging the wounded and celebrated self. A new Soul Director is born!

The Coaching Sphinx

Today’s hybrid coach has the:

Head of a friend Body of a psychotherapist Feet of a managerTail of a consultant Face of a priest


Dominant Discourses of Coaching


Soul Guide A Mirror to the Soul: Experience


Psy ExpertTechnician of the Psyche: Performance


Managerial DiscourseRole coach: Productivity


Network CoachEmergent Strategist: Connectivity


Overview of Coaching discourses


Coaching across the discourses


Coaching is fixed as a distinct activity, at the point where the discourses meet


Coaching uniquely works across four domains- it seeks to utilize knowledge and wisdom and to address in parallel individual and social issues

Network

Managerial

Soul Guide

Psy Expert

Which discourse dominates your coaching? (or view of coaching)


Meta-theory of Coaching


The four discourses of coaching provide the map that enables coaching theory to be developed from practice and from its historical roots.

However, we also must account for the external influences on coaching as shown in the diagram in the next slide.

Together the discourses and external factors create a meta-theory of coaching.

A meta-theory is not an integrated theory but a theory of theories. It allows us to examine, critique and explain how coaching practice and theories work.

To read more see Coaching and Mentoring a critical text (Western S. 2012 Sage)

http://www.amazon.com/Coaching-Mentoring-A-Critical-Text/dp/1848601646

Meta-theory of Coaching


Application of Theory to Practice

Coaching leaders to act in ‘Good Faith,

to create the ‘Good Society’Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012

www.simonwestern.com

Analytic-Network Coaching is a company and network of coaches formed to apply theory to practice: See www.analyticnetwork.com

Contacts


Web: www.analyticnetwork.com

Blog: Leadershipandcoachingpolemic.com

Leadership and coaching lessons from world events

Follow on Twitter @simonwestern

http://www.analyticnetwork.com/

A Meta-Theory of Coaching

Documents

Transcript of A Meta-Theory of Coaching