Evidencebased Coaching

1

• Evidence-based Coaching
• What, How and Why?
• Anthony M Grant PhD
• Coaching Psychologist and Director
• Coaching Psychology Unit
• School of Psychology
• University of Sydney
• Australia
• NSW 2006
• anthonyg_at_psych.usyd.edu.au
• www.psych.usyd.edu.au/coach

2

• What, how and why of Evidence-based Coaching.
• Is coaching a fad?
• Issues for the professionalism of coaching.
• Theoretical grounding and evidenced-based
  practice.
• Options for the future.

3

• What is Coaching?
• A collaborative, solution-focused,
  results-orientated and systematic process in
  which the coach facilitates the enhancement of
  performance, life experience, self-directed
  learning and the personal growth of people from
  normal (non-clinical) populations. (1)
• Coaching is a potentially effective tool to help
  create and maintain change . It is NOT a panacea
  

4
Who are Coaching Clients?
Coaching Population
Low Psychopathology / High Functionality
5
What is Coaching?
Client-centredASKING
Solution-constructionHOW TO?
Problem-analysisWHY ?
Expert-centredTELLING
6
What is Coaching?
7
What is Coaching? Three Meta-Categories
Coaching is not a monolithic process Three main
different types of coaching Understanding
differences important for research and practice
outcome ROI
8
What is Coaching? Three Meta-Categories
S K I L L S
9
What is Coaching? Three Meta-Categories
PERFORMANCE
S K I L L S
10
What is Coaching? Three Meta-Categories
DEVELOPMENT
PERFORMANCE
S K I L L S
11
What is Coaching? Three Meta-Categories
Development
Skills
Performance
12

• Is Coaching a Fad?
• To date very little published peer-reviewed
  research on Executive and Workplace Coaching (2)
  and almost none on Life Coaching (3 4)
• Solid research needed to avoid being a fad
• University-level coach education needed to create
  a coaching profession

13

• Is Coaching a Fad?
• First mention of Workplace Coaching in academic
  press in 1937 (5)
• A long-standing fad !
• Genuine interest from business (6)
• Business looking for credibility and substance
• Coaching touted as a huge growth industry
• Driven by coach training schools
• Many claim to be qualified coaches (EMAHD Coach
  Accreditation) many are not well trained (7)
• Do they have an understanding of coaching that
  goes beyond their own personal coaching system
  and explicitly links to established theory and
  practice ?

14
Peer-reviewed Coaching Papers from PsychInfo
(1937 July 2003)
15
Peer-reviewed Coaching Papers from PsychInfo
(1937 July 2003)
16

• Evidenced-Based Coaching ?
• If there is so little coaching-specific research
  how can we have evidenced-based coaching?

17

• Evidenced-Based Coaching ?
• If there is so little coaching-specific research
  how can we have evidenced-based coaching?
• Use the broader body of coaching-related
  knowledge

18

• Evidenced-Based Coaching?
• Evidenced-based coaching involves the
  conscientious use of best current knowledge in
  making decisions about how to deliver coaching to
  coaching clients, and in designing and teaching
  coach training programs (8).
• Current knowledge is up-to-date information from
  relevant, valid research, theory and coaching
  practice.
• Evidenced-based coaching is not cook-book
  coaching. It requires rigorously evaluating the
  effectiveness of coaching theory and practice,
  and using those findings to further inform and
  develop theory and practice - and then
  disseminating that information.

19

• What is Evidenced-Based Coaching ?
• It is NOT statements like this (9)
• My theories are based on quantum physics
  which says that when enough energy is collected
  in one place, it can move other entities
  unwittingly to cause a desired reaction.

20

• The Professionalisation of Coaching
• In general professionalism involves (10)
• Significant Barriers to Entry
• Formal Entry Qualifications based on
  University-level education Bachelor's level at
  minimum
• Shared Body of Knowledge rather than
  proprietary systems
• Regulatory Bodies with power to admit and
  discipline members
• Enforceable Code of Ethics
• State-sanctioned Licensing
• Get this right and then Professionalisation will
  follow

21

• The Body of Knowledge
• 1. Philosophy
• Critical thinking skills, Socratic Method,
  Philosophical insights
• 2. Behavioral Science
• How we think, feel and act in the way we do
• 3. Adult Education Principles
• How adults best learn
• 4. Economics Business
• How business runs and economic systems function
• Personal Development Genre
• Popularized, un-verified notions of motivation
  and change

22

• Issues for Professionalisation
• The Body of Knowledge Underpinning Coaching

Coaching Profession
Fad !
Evidenced-based Coaching
Behavioural Science
Adult Education
EMAHD Credentialing (EveryManAndHisDog)
Personal Development
Philosophy
Economics Business
I read-it-somewhere -and-it-feels-right-to-me
University-level Education
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• Evidenced-Based CoachingEducation and
  Professionalism
• Need to explicitly link theory to practice
• Need critical thinking skills
• No Gurus established body of testable
  shared knowledge
• Linked knowledge base means greater credibility
  and a future

24

• Theory?

25

• Theory?
• I dont need theory.
• I just do it !

26

• Theory?

Theres nothing as practical as a good theory
! Lewin 1934
27

• Evidenced-Based Coach Education
• Explicitly drawn from all four areas
• Mental health issues Coaches need basic
  diagnostic skills
• 25 - 50 of Life Coaching clients have mental
  health issues (11)
• Basic training in psychometrics
• Some coaching assessment / development tools are
  very poor
• Little or no critical appraisal of tools
• Less focus on marketing
• More solid theory and evidenced-based education
• Less USA-influenced coaching OK for the USA
  but not for all
• More local cultural flavour

28

• Where to Next?
• For Researchers
• Theory development
• Develop frameworks that help us understand
  coaching
• Empirical research
• Applied positive psychology
• Outcome studies Individual, org. change ROI
• Mechanisms in human change

29

• Where to Next?
• For Students of Coaching
• Question, question and question your teachers
• Dont have Gurus
• Make sure your training is linked to the broader
  knowledge base
• Ensure training material is properly referenced
• Never stop learning

30

• Where to Next?
• For Coaching Practioners
• Expand and develop your knowledge base
• Be a scientist-practioner
• Help develop an evidence-base
• Remain coachable not the expert

31

• Evidenced-based Coaching
• What, How and Why?
• Draws on a wide body of knowledge
• University-level education is vital
• Focus on substance over marketing and hype
• Research and theory development is crucial
• An evidence-base will lead to professionalism
• Enjoy coaching done well it really works !

32

• Evidence-based Coaching
• What, How and Why?
• Anthony M Grant PhD
• Coaching Psychologist and Director
• Coaching Psychology Unit
• School of Psychology
• University of Sydney
• Australia
• NSW 2006
• anthonyg_at_psych.usyd.edu.au
• www.psych.usyd.edu.au/coach

33

• References
• Grant, A. M. (2001). Towards a psychology of
  coaching The impact of coaching on
  metacognition, mental health and goal attainment.
  Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Macquarie
  University, Sydney, Australia.
• Kampa-Kokesch, S., Anderson, M. Z. (2001).
  Executive coaching A comprehensive review of the
  literature. Consulting Psychology Journal
  Practice and Research, 53(4), 205-228.
• Grant, A. M. (2000). Coaching psychology comes of
  age. PsychNews, 4(4), 12-14.
• Grant, A. M. (2003). The impact of life coaching
  on goal attainment, metacognition and mental
  health. Social Behavior and Personality, 31(3),
  253-264.
• Gorby, C. B. (1937). Everyone gets a share of the
  profits. Factory Management Maintenance, 95,
  82-83.
• Wales, S. (2003). Why coaching? Journal of Change
  Management, 3(3), 275-282.
• Brotman, L. E., Liberi, W. P., Wasylyshyn, K.
  M. (1998). Executive coaching The need for
  standards of competence. Consulting Psychology
  Journal Practice and Research, 50(1), 40 - 46.
• Sackett, D. L., Haynes, R. B., Guyatt, G. H.,
  Tugwell, P. (1996). Evidenced based medicine
  What it is and what is isn't. British Medical
  Journal, 13, 71-72.
• Fortgang, L. B. (Sept 26th, 2002) Ask Laura QA
  Archive www.laurabermanfortgang.com
• Bullock, A., Stallybrass, Trombley, S. (Eds.).
  (1988). The Fontana dictionary of modern thought.
  London Fontana Press.
• Green, L. S., Oades, L. G., Grant, A. M.
  (2002). An evaluation of a life coaching group
  program Preliminary findings from a wait-list
  control study. Paper presented at the 3rd Annual
  Conference of the Illawarra Institute for Mental
  Health, Wollongong, NSW.

34

• Evidence-based Coaching What, How and Why?
• First Australian Conference on Evidenced-based
  Coaching
• University of Sydney
• Australia
• July 7th 8th 2003
• Dr Anthony M Grant
• Abstract
• Evidenced-based coaching involves the informed
  use of best current knowledge in making decisions
  about how to deliver coaching to coaching
  clients, and in designing and teaching coach
  training programs. An evidence-based approach to
  coaching is important as professional coaching
  has the potential to be a effective methodology
  for enhancing human performance, work/life
  experience and personal development. This paper
  addresses the what, how and why of evidence-based
  coaching. Executive and Personal (or Life)
  coaching has become increasingly popular, and
  coaching is an emerging professional discipline.
  There are a large number of individuals who are
  positioning themselves as coaches and claiming
  ownership of the field, but the knowledge base
  for coaching is not yet defined. Although there
  is little empirical research which is
  specifically about coaching, there is a large
  existing knowledge base which can inform
  Executive and Personal coaching. Professional
  coaches need to tap into this broader knowledge
  base. It is argued that there are four key areas
  which form a foundation for professional
  evidence-based coaching the behavioural
  sciences adult learning principles philosophy,
  and economics and business. It is further argued
  that the establishment of a discipline of
  professional coaching is essentially and
  inescapably linked to rigorous empirical research
  and coherent theoretical development.