Matching: what matters to the coachee, and when

Charles JonesD.CAM 2009-2014

My journey to coaching

Marcel Proust “The real voyage of discovery consists not in

seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes”

Why research

Matching critical to the success of a coaching relationship (Wycherley & Cox 2007)

Meta-analysis of coaching, therapy and counselling indicate relationship fundamental to any outcome success (more so than approach or training) (Wamplod 2001)

Research into matching typically focused on coach perspective, expert perspective or focus on model to predict how to match (Gray 2010)

Indication that as humans we make decision based on combination of social psychology and what organisation leads us to believe is important in the match (i.e. Similarity; industry experience etc.) not what really really matters (Boyce, Jackson, Neal 2010)

What is the issue

Phenomenological research’s aim is to understand a phenomenon by allowing the data to speak for themselves, and by attempting to put aside one’s preconceptions as best one can. The method provides us with descriptions of experience which are then interpreted by the researcher form a particular theoretical perspective. (Osbourne 1990)

The focus of such an approach is the understanding of a person’s experience of their world(s) and not the generation of explanatory laws (Giorgi, 1970)

Epistemology, ontology etc

IPA approach to provide a voice to coachees real life lived experience of matching – semi structured/thematic interviews Interview 1 – what are you looking for in a

coach Interview 2 – why have you chosen your

particular coach Interview 3 – now you are being coached, what

matters most

DATA COLLECTION

8 coachees in the following organisations

Participants

Hycner Explicitation (1999)

1.Bracketing  and phenomenological reduction. 2.Delineating units of meaning. 3.Clustering of units of meaning to form themes. 4.Summarizing each interview, validating it and

where necessary modifying it. 5.Extracting general and unique themes from all

the interviews and making a composite

Data Analysis

Edmund Husserl“back to the things themselves”

Themes from the start Themes from the shift Themes of choice

What I discovered

Previous ‘experience’ impacts – so tune in Expecting Mentoring or Coaching? Language –

Wittgenstein “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world”

Potential criteria – Knowledge, Experience, Gender Actual criteria – Touch, Trust, Relationship Chemistry should be tested Choice is important and should provoke Constraint issue Individual differences = choice is systemic Objective vs Subjective Matching Empowerment is the key

What I discovered

Practical Issues More open questions Therapist door handle Technical distractions

Methodological Issues Not seeing the themes – the gestalt

A reflective researcher

Follow on work could conclude:

What aspects of chemistry meetings are most helpful and why?Look at the issue from a Quantitative perspective – WAI?Effectiveness of coaching at different points in the relationshipMisunderstanding of definitions of coaching and mentoring (Moaching)Power and matchingStakeholder input to matching

Further research

Short booklet to help coachee’s think about both what they want from coaching and from a coach – including tips and traps to avoid

Advice/opinion to organisation to prevent them making overly simple or overly complex matching decision – relationships matter

Thoughts to coaches that may inform most critically how they run chemistry meetings and how they market themselves

Provoke a debate on what we really want from coaching "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It

takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction” Albert Einstein.

Pragmatic application

The benefit of dual supervision Writing and expressing your voice is a skill Doing something deep is rewarding Contribution to professional & academic

practice is important Where you start is subtly different from where

you end up (Matching ++ Coaching relationships)

The Viva is not what I was expecting!

A personal reflection