coachsuperv-100128054521-phpapp02

8/12/2019 coachsuperv-100128054521-phpapp02

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/coachsuperv-100128054521-phpapp02 1/24

Changeagenda

COACHING

SUPERVISIONMAXIMISINGTHEPOTENTIALOF

COACHING





Introduction

Theuseofcoachinghasgrownexponentiallyinthelast

tenyears.TheCIPD’s2006learninganddevelopment

surveyshowedthatnearly80%ofallrespondentswere

inorganisationsthatwereinvestinginoneormore

formsofcoaching.

Asinvestmentincoachinghasgrown,sotoohasthe

needtofindwaysofqualityassuringtheservicesbeing

provided,todevelopandsustainthecoacheswho

aredeliveringthem,andtofindwaysofdrawingout

theorganisationallearningfromthemanycoaching

conversationstakingplaceintheorganisation.

Coachingsupervisionhasapivotalroleinaddressing

theseneeds,butit’sstillataveryearlystageof

developmentandisn’tyetusedbymostcoachesand

organisersofcoaching.ThisChangeAgendareports

onresearchintogoodpracticeincoachingsupervision

carriedoutbyBathConsultancyGroupfortheCIPD.Its

aimistoprovideguidanceonmakingthebestuseof

coachingsupervision.It’salsointendedthattheresearch

willcontributetodiscussiononhowthisareaofwork

shoulddevelop.

Itshowstoohowsupervisionisbeginningtoplaya

keyroleinthecontinuingprofessionaldevelopment

ofbothinternalandexternalcoachesandhow

someorganisationsareusingsupervisiontocreatea

sustainablecoachingculture.

YoucanreadthedifferentpartsofthisChangeAgenda

inanyorder.Thefirstgivesanoverviewofwhat

coachingsupervisionisandwhyitmatters,thesecond

givesasummaryofthecurrentstateofsupervisionin

theUK,andthethirdgivesguidanceongoodpractice.

Thetextisillustratedbycasestudiesshowinghowvery

differentorganisationsareusingcoachingsupervisionto

supporttheircoachingservices.

Coachingsupervision 1



Whatiscoachingsupervisionandwhydoesitmatter?

Coachingsupervisionisarelativelynewactivityandlittle

hasbeenwrittenaboutit.Inthelasttwoyears,however,

definitionshavebeguntoemerge.Theseinclude:

‘Supervisionsessionsareaplaceforthecoachto

reflectontheworktheyareundertaking,withanother

moreexperiencedcoach.Ithasthedualpurposeof

supportingthecontinuedlearninganddevelopmentof

thecoach,aswellasgivingadegreeofprotectionto

thepersonbeingcoached’(Bluckert2004).

‘Coachingsupervisionisaformalprocessofprofessional

support,whichensurescontinuingdevelopmentofthe

coachandeffectivenessofhis/hercoachingpractice

throughinteractivereflection,interpretativeevaluation

andthesharingofexpertise’(Bachkirova,Stevensand

Willis2005).

‘Theprocessbywhichacoach,withthehelpofa

supervisor,canattendtounderstandingbetterboththe

clientsystemandthemselvesaspartoftheclient–coach

system,andbysodoingtransformtheirworkand

developtheircraft’(HawkinsandSmith2006).

Thesedefinitionsagreethat:

• Supervisionisaformalprocess.

• Itisinterpersonal,andcanbeundertakenoneto-one,ingroupsorinpeergroups.

• Reflectiononclientworkiscentraltosupervision.

• Itsgoalsincludedevelopinggreatercoaching

competence.

Butthisresearchprojecthasalsoshownthatsupervision

hasotherfunctionsthatareimportanttothosewho

areorganisingcoachingservices.Wenowsuggest,

therefore,thisbroaderdefinition:

... a structured formal process for coaches, with

the help of a coaching supervisor, to attend to

improving the quality of their coaching, grow their

coaching capacity and support themselves and

their practice. Supervision should also be a source

of organisational learning.

Thereis,todate,onlylimitedpublishedworkonthe

modelsandtheoriesusedincoachingsupervision.

Thisispartlybecausecoachingsupervisorsareoften

drawnfrompsychology,psychotherapyorcounselling

backgrounds,wheresupervisionhasbeenestablished

longer.But,untilthecoachingcommunitydevelopsits

owndefinitions,modelsandtheoriesofsupervision,the

practicewillbelimitedandcoachingsupervisionwill

remain‘dressedinborrowedclothes’.

These‘borrowedclothes’havecreatedthreerather

limitedcoachingsupervisionapproaches:

• psychologicalcasework–focusingon

understandingthepsychologyofthecoachingclient

andhowtoworkwithit

• ‘coachingthecoach’–focusingonthecoachrather

thanontheircoaching

• managerialsupervision–focusingonfixing

problemsandresolvingdifficulties.

Coachingsupervisionnowneedstodevelopitsown

modelsinorderto:

• betterunderstandthecoach’sclientsandtheir

organisationalcontext

• explorecoachingrelationships

• developwaysofimprovingcoachingandcoaching

interventions

• contributetothecoach’scontinuingprofessional

development

• attendtothe‘live’relationshipbetweencoachand

supervisorandthewaysthismightbeparalleling

thecoachingsessiondynamics

• ensurethecoachissupportedandresourcedto

managecoachingworkwithintheircapability.

2 Coachingsupervision



Should it be called ‘supervision’?

Thisresearchshowsthatsomeindividualsand

organisationsdisliketheterm‘supervision’sinceit

cancreateanoldfashionedimageofoverseeing,monitoring,controllingandpolicing.

Whilethemostcommonlyusedtermsare‘coach

supervisor’and‘coachingsupervision’,some

organisationshaveoptedfordifferentwaysof

describingthepersonandthepractice,suchas

‘coachingthecoach’,‘leadcoach’,‘coachmentor’,

‘metacoaching’or‘reflectivepractice’.Buttheterm

‘coachingsupervision’isgraduallybecomingmore

widelyacceptedasthethinkingbehindthistermisnow

betterunderstoodandmorewidelypractised.

Why does it matter?

Supervisioniswellestablishedinmany‘people

professions’suchaspsychology,socialwork,nursing,

psychotherapyandcounselling–andisnowbeing

establishedinthenewerdisciplineofcoaching.

Drawingonthehistoryandevolutionofsupervisionin

otherprofessions,HawkinsandSmith(2006)define

threemainfunctionsofeffectivecoachingsupervision

asqualitative,developmentalandresourcing.

Thequalitative function providesqualitycontrol

inworkingwithpeople.Allcoaches,nomatterhow

experienced,haveissuestheydon’tsee,communication

theyhaven’theardandchallengesthey’renot

communicating.Consequently,highqualitycoaching

can’tbemaintainedbyacoachactinginisolation.

Supervisorshavearesponsibilitytoensuretheir

supervisee’sworkisappropriateandfallswithindefined

ethicalstandards.

Incaseswheretheorganisationsponsorssupervision,

thequalitativefunctionmayalsominimisetheriskof

unprofessionalpracticebyensuringtheorganisation’s

standardsareupheldandtheboundariesofthecoach’scompetencearen’toverstepped.Supervision

isalsoawaytoensurethecoachingisalignedwith

organisationalobjectives.

Thedevelopmental function addressestheskills,

understandingandcapabilitiesofthesupervisee

throughthereflectionandexplorationofthe

supervisee’sworkwiththeirclients.Inthisexploration,

thesupervisorhelpsthecoachto:

• understandtheclientbetter

• becomemoreawareoftheirownreactionsand

responsestotheclient

• understandthedynamicsofcoach–client

interaction

• examinehowtheyintervenedandthe

consequences

• exploreotherwaysofworkingwiththisandother

similarclientsituations.

Theresourcing function providesemotionalsupport

enablingthecoachtodealwiththeintensityof

workingwithclients.Inevitably,coacheswillbeaffected

emotionallybybeingpresentandempathicwiththeir

coachingclients.Toremaineffective,coachesneedto

attendtothemselvessotheyavoidoveridentifyingwith

theirclientsordefendingagainstbeingfurtheraffected.




Currentpracticeincoachingsupervision

ThispartoftheChangeAgendaisdrawnfrom

researchcarriedoutduringthesummerof2006.

It’sderivedfromwebbasedquestionnaireresponses

from525coachesand128organisersofcoaching

services,feedbackfromfocusgroupsattendedby

31practitioners,andindepthinterviewswithsix

organisationsusingcoachingsupervisiontosupport

theircoachingservices.

How widely is supervision practised?

Coachingsupervisionisincreasinglyrecognisedas

valuablebycoachesandorganisersofcoachingbut

it’sstillnotpractisedbymostcoaches.While86%of

coachesrespondingtooursurveybelievethatcoaches

shouldhavecoachingsupervision,only44%actually

doso.Coacheswhoaremembersofacoaching

professionalbodyaremorelikelytohavesupervision,

with75%reportingthattheydoso.Theuseofcoaching

supervisionisgrowingrapidly,withthemajorityof

coachesstartingsupervisioninthelasttwoyears.

Thosewhodon’tpractisesupervisiongiveanumber

ofreasonsforthis,including:

• Supervisionisn’trequiredbymyorganisation.(42%)

• Supervisionistooexpensive.(17%)

• Ican’tfindasupervisor.(17%).

Thegapisevengreaterforthosewhoorganise

coachingservices.Inall,88%saytheybelieve

coachesshouldhavesupervision,butonly23%

reportthattheyprovideit.Someofthereasons

theygivefornotprovidingsupervisionarethatit’s

tooexpensive(19%),theycan’tfindasupervisor

(13%),ortheirorganisation’scoachesdon’tneed

supervision(10%).

0

External coach Internal coach Manager coach

20

40

60

80

100

Believe coachesshould have regularongoing supervision

Receive regularongoing supervision

Had supervision formore than two years

Figure1:Beliefinanduseofsupervision




Thequestionnaireresponsesalsoshowasignificant

gapbetweenthe‘haves’and‘havenots’.Itseemsthat

thosewhodostarttoreceivecoachingsupervision

soonwantmore.Morethanhalfthecoachessaidtheyhavenosupervision,whereasthecoacheswhoare

supervisedhavemorethanonesupervisionformat,

withanaverageof2.4typesofsupervisionperperson.

Thisincludes87%whouseonetoonefacetoface

sessions,52%whohavepeergroupsupervision,45%

whohaveonetoonetelephonesessions,and39%

whousefacilitatorledgroups.

Internal coaches (employees of the organisation

who coach staff who do not report to them)

Manyorganisationsusemorethanoneformatof

coachingsupervision.Amongthoseprovidingsupervision

forinternalcoaches,75%useindividualfacetoface

sessions,55%usegroupswithadesignatedsupervisor,

30%useindividualtelephonebasedsupervisionand

15%usepeergroupswithoutafacilitator.

Organisationsuseamixofexternalandinternal

resourcestoprovideindividualandgroupsupervision.

Frequently,theorganisationprovidingcoachtraining

alsoprovidessupervision.Inothercases,anexternal

coach/supervisoristypicallyrecruitedthroughanetwork

recommendation.

External coaches (coaches who are contracted

into the organisation to provide coaching

services)

Mostorganisationsexpecttheirexternalcoachesto

maintaintheirownsupervisionarrangementsaspart

oftheirprofessionalstandards.Only10%ofcoaching

organisersrespondingtooursurveyprovidesupervision

forexternalcoaches,with60%ofthoseonlyhavingstartedtodosowithinthelastyear.

Afewnotableexceptionsinclude:

• PaulineDixon,NationalSchoolofGovernment,

providesindividualfacetofaceorphonesessions

foranetworkof35associatecoachesoffering

coachingforseniorcivilservants.The‘reflective

conversations’areheldatkeypointsinthe

coachingcycle:abriefingbeforethefirstsession,

afterthefirstsession,afterthemidpointsession

andattheendofthecoachingcontract.

Themeetingsarenormallyfacetofacebutcanalso

beconductedbyphone.Typically,thesessionstructure

exploresseveralkeyquestions:

How’sthecoachingforthisclientgoing?

What’sgonewell?

Whatcouldhavebeenbetter?

Whathaveyoulearned?

What’stransferabletoothersituations?

Dixonnotes:‘It’sanimportantelementofmanaging

thequalityandeffectivenessofthecoaching.Allofthe

coachesarequitekeentoparticipate.Ihaveneverhad

anyonesayno.’

• SandraHenson,AscentiaCorporateCoaching,

haslinkedcoachingsupervisiontoISO9001:2000

QualityAssuranceprocesses.Allcoachesmust

‘undertake2hoursofsupervisiononceamonthor

everysixweeksorforevery35hoursofcoaching,

whicheveristhesoonest.’Bothcoachesandthe

supervisorkeeplogbookstodemonstrateregular

supervision.Coachessaysupervisionhasevolved

frombeinga‘mustdo’requirement.Inthewords

ofone:‘Ireallylookforwardtomysupervision

sessions.IcontinuesupervisionbecauseIwantto

andnotbecauseI’vebeentoldto.’

• SamHumphrey,ofHumphreyandCo.,hasexperienceof

groupphonesupervisionofexternalcoachesworkingon

leadershipdevelopmentprogrammes.Shereportsthatit:

acceleratesthecoach’steameffectivenessand

providesprofessionaldevelopment

givesfocustothemeasurementoftheircoaching

outcomes givesanopportunitytogetfeedbackandideason

theirwork

helpscoachesunderstandthewidercontextthey

workinandinformstheirquestionsinonetoone

coachingsessions

identifiesthemesandpatternstofeedbackintothe

organisationandleadershipdevelopment.

Commentingontheimportanceofsupervisionfor

coachesgenerally,shesays:‘Supervisionprovidessafety

forclientsandsafetyforcoaches.Ithelpsthecoachto

beawareofpersonallimitsandcapabilities.’




• OneleadingUKbank,whichrequirestheirexternal

coachestomaintaintheirownsupervision,invites

thecoachestoattendaconferencetwoorthree

timesayear.Thehalfdaystartswithabusinessupdate,includingstrategy,newbusiness,leadership

changesandrestructuring.Itprogresseswith

discussionandfeedbackfromthecoachesontheir

insightsandperceptionsabouttheorganisation.

Theprimaryoutputisfeedbackonthemesand

commonissuesoftheleadershipculture.Italso

providesfeedbackonthecoachingpolicyand

processeffectiveness.

Structure of coaching supervision

Whileeverycoachingsupervisorhastheirownunique

methodologyandstyle,thereisoftenasimilarityof

structureforsupervisorysessions.Atypicalstructurefor

aonetoonesession,whetherconductedfacetoface

orbytelephone,couldbe:

• checkin(sharingrecentexperiencesandfeelings)

• establishingthesessionfocusanddesiredoutcome

• supervisorydiscussiononacurrentcoachingclient’s

situationorissue–thiscouldincludetapesofcoaching

• exploringthecoach’spersonalissuesandskill

developmentneeds

• discussingconcernsthecoachmayhave

• establishinglearningandcommitmenttofuture

action.

Groupsupervisionwithadesignatedsupervisorand

peersupervisionoftenhavesimilarformats.Typically,

thismayinclude:

• groupcheckin(whereparticipantssharerecent

experiencesandfeelings)• agreeingwhowantsto‘presentaclient’

Table1:Supervisortrainingandqualifications

Requirement

• supervisorfacilitatedonetoonesupervisionwitha

groupmemberonacurrentcoachingclientsituation

orissue–thiscouldincludetapesofcoaching

• onetooneortriopeersupervisiononacurrentcoachingclientsituationorissue–thiscould

includetapesofcoaching

• anactionlearningformat,whereoneparticipant

sharesacurrentcoachingclientsituationorissue

withothermembersaskingquestionsorsharing

theirperspectives

• feedbackonorganisationalandculturalthemes.

Supervisor training and qualifications

Coachingsupervisortrainingandqualificationsarevery

diverse.Somesupervisorshave:

• extensivecoachingexperience

• coachingsupervisorytraining(aminority)

• experienceofcounsellingorpsychotherapy

supervision

• acoachingMastersdegree(aminority).

Internalcoachsupervisorsappeartohavelessrobust

trainingandqualifications.Manyhavecompleted

acoachingdiplomaandhavesomeexperienceof

beingsupervised,whileonlyasmallminorityhavehad

coachingsupervisiontraining.

Table1summariseswhattrainingandqualifications

respondentstothequestionnairessaidtheywould

requirefromasupervisor.

Coachesplacemoreemphasisontrainingin

supervision,whilethosewhoorganisecoachingservices

tendtogivemoreweighttobusinessexperience.Only

aminorityinbothgroupslookforqualificationsinpsychologyorpsychotherapy.

Organisersofcoaching Coaches

Business/organisationalexperience 85% 69%

Traininginsupervision 60% 72%

Supervisionqualification 20% 37%

Psychotherapy/psychologyqualification 20% 34%




Inthefocusgroups,participantsemphasisedthatit

wasimportantthatsupervisorsofcoachinghadbroad

experienceofcoachingthemselves.Theyalsosaidthat

thematchbetweensupervisorandcoachesandwiththeorganisationwasmoreimportantthantrainingor

qualifications.Thesupervisor’sauthenticityandability

tocreatea‘shift’inthecoachisperceivedascritically

important.Inpractice,mostorganisationsselect

supervisorsfollowingarecommendationorreferral.

The benefits of coaching supervision

Responsestothequestionnairesshowedthatcoaches

andorganisershavedifferentviewsaboutthebenefits

ofcoachingsupervision.Coachesareinterestedin

makingthemselvesmoreeffective,whilethosewho

organisecoachingservicesputmoreemphasison

qualityassurance.

Coachesseethemainbenefitsofsupervisionas

developingcoachingcapability(88%)andassuringthe

qualityoftheircoaching(86%).Only25%indicatethey

havesupervisionbecausetheirprofessionalbodyrequires

itorbecausetheclientorganisationrequiresit(9%).

Thosewhoorganisecoaching,ontheotherhand,use

supervisiontomonitorcoachingquality.Thisincludes

protectingtheclientandminimisingtheorganisational

riskofunethicalorunprofessionalpractice.Supervision

helpstoensurethatcoachingisfocusedonwork

objectivesandwithintheboundariesofthecoach’s

capability.Theyalsoseecoachingsupervisionasraising

coachingstandardsbycontinuallyimprovingqualityandeffectiveness.

Thoseorganisingsupervisionforexternalcoachessaid

thatbroadeningacoach’sunderstandingoftheclient

andtheirorganisationalissuesformsanimportant

reasonforimplementingcoachsupervision.Inthe

caseofinternalcoaches,benefitsincludebringing

geographicallydispersedcoachestogethertoshare

goodpractice,improvingcollaborativeworkingand

identifyingorganisationthemesandissues.




Goodpracticeincoachingsupervision

Thisresearchhasidentifiedimportantelementsofgood

practiceincoachingsupervision.Thesearedescribed

belowandareillustratedbyourwheelofgoodpractice

(Figure2).ThispartoftheChangeAgendaalsogives

guidanceonhowtoassesswhetherexternalcoaches

aremakingeffectivesupervisionarrangements,howto

getstartedincoachingsupervision,andhowsupervision

canhelptoincreasethereturnonyourinvestmentin

coaching.

Goodpracticeincoachingsupervisionmeansthat:

It takes place regularly

Supervisionneedstohappenregularlytoallowcoaches

toattendadequatelytothebreadthanddepthof

theircoachingwork.Asexamplesofgoodpractice,

boththeBBCandPricewaterhouseCoopers(PwC)

providemonthlysupervisionsessionstotheircoaches.

BBCcoachesmustattendaminimumofsixindividual

sessionsandfourgroupsessionsperyeartocontinue

onthecoachregister.PwCoffersmonthlygroup

supervisionwithanexternalsupervisor,andcoaches

supplementthiswithonetoonesupervisionsessions.

TheOxfordSchoolofCoachingandMentoringrequires

traineecoachestohaveonehourofsupervisionforevery

20hoursofcoaching,andfullytrainedcoacheshaveone

hourofsupervisionforevery35hoursofcoaching.

Factorstoconsiderwhendeterminingsupervision

frequency:

• Role.Ifcoachesare‘volunteers’whohaveotherday

jobs,therewillbea limittohowmuchoffthejob

timeisacceptable.

• Type.Ifcoachesareprimarilyskillsorperformance

coaches,theywillnormallyrequirelesssupervision

thancoachesworkingwithclientstoachieve

fundamentalchange.

• Sustainability.Coachingsupervisionshouldbe

providedthrougharelationshipbasedonmeetings

atleastbimonthly.

Focuses on client,organisation and

coach needs

Takes placeregularly

Quality assurescoaching provision

Provides supportfor the coach

Balances individual,group and peer

supervision

Provides continuingprofessional

development tothe coach

Generatesorganisationallearning

Managesethical and

confidentialityboundaries

Figure2:Coachingsupervision:wheelofgoodpractice




Veryfeworganisationshavedevelopedacoherentlyplannedstructureforprovidingcoaching

supervisiontotheirinternalcoaches.OneofthefewistheBBC,whichprovidescoachingforsenior

andexecutivemanagersthroughanetworkof60trainedvolunteerinternalcoaches,andwhere

coachingsupervisionwasfirstintroducedin2001.

Supervisionwasseenasawayofclosingthegapbetweenthecapabilityoftheinternalcoaches,who

hadreceivedsixdays’training,andexperiencedexternalcoachesalsobeingusedbytheBBC.

‘Iwasconcernedthatthecoacheswouldn’tbeabletorememberallthattheylearntonthecoach

training.Wewantedtoensurethatourcoacheswereprovidingaconsistentlyhighlevelofcoaching

comparabletoexternalcoachproviders.’

TheexperienceofestablishingcoachingsupervisionattheBBChasledLizMacann,Headof

Executive,LeadershipandManagementCoaching,toseetheimportanceoffivekeyaspectsof

theprocess:

1 Be clear about your purpose

MacannurgesHRorcoachingmanagerstoconsiderwhattheywantfromsupervision.‘Isit

primarilyforembeddinglearning?Isitforoffloading?Isittodeveloptoolsandtechniques?Oris

itforreflectionandthinkingaboutoneself,theclientandhowtoimproveyourcoachingpractice?

Supervisioncanbeallofthese.Itwillevolve,butithelpstobeclearaboutyourpurpose.’

2 Design a framework that provides consistency and flexibility suited to your context

BBCcoachesmusthaveaminimumofsixindividualsupervisionsessionsandparticipateinatleast

fourgroupsessionsayeartomaintaintheir‘righttopractise’andcontributetotheBBC’scoach

accreditationprocess.

Coacheshavetwotypesofsupervision.Eachcoachhasanhourofindividualsupervisionwiththeir

leadcoachattwomonthlyintervals.Individualsessionsareusuallyfacetoface,buttheycanbeover

thephone.Normally,thesessionwillfocusononeortwocoachingclients.

Onalternatemonths,coachesparticipateinahalfdayofgroupsupervisionwith10–12coachesin

eachcoachingset.Bydesign,thegroupsupervisorisnotthesamepersonastheindividualsupervisor.

Thisensuresallcoacheshavetwoindependentsourcesofongoingsupervision.Inadditiontothe

individualandgroupsupervision,coachesmaycontactanyleadcoach/supervisorforparticularneeds

arisingbetweensessions.

3 Develop trained supervisors

Withthewisdomofhindsight,Macannobserves:‘Iwouldintroducesupervisiontrainingearlierif

Iweretodoitagain.’Severalleadcoacheswentoncoachingsupervisiontrainingin2004.‘The

traininghelpsthesupervisortohelpthecoachshiftsothecoachingbecomesmoretransformational.’

(continued)

Building internal coaching capability at the BBC




4 Maximise continued learning and development in the supervision processTypically,thegroupsupervisionsessionsattheBBCinclude:

• checkinregardingtheircoachingwork

• sharingnewtoolsandtechniqueslearnedfrombooksand/orattendingcourses

• cosupervisioninthrees

• coaching‘bookclub’recommendationsfromgroupmembers.

5 Maximise organisational learning while protecting individual confidentiality

Groupsupervisionsessionsfrequentlyraiseorganisationalissuesortrendsworthnoting.Occasionally,

theyusea‘talkingwall’techniquetoidentifyorganisationalthemesdiscussedincoaching.

Inthisway,groupsessionsprovidean‘emotionalandbehaviouralmonitorfortheorganisation’.Themes

arefedintotheLeadershipTeamoftheLeadershipandDevelopmentfunctionandmayalsobeusedas

feedbacktotheLeadershipBoard.

Clientconfidentialityisprotectedinbothindividualandgroupsupervision.Peopleworkwitha‘no

namesorgrades’rule.Ifthereisthepossibilityaclientcouldberecognised,thecoachcamouflagesthe

details.Byusingtheseguidelines,theyhaven’texperiencedanyconfidentialitydifficulties.

Macannnotesanumberofpositiveoutcomesfromcoachingsupervision,including:

• asenseofcommunityandconnectednesswithothercoaches

• abeliefinthecoachingprocessbeingstimulated

• ongoingpersonaldevelopmentthatinformscoachingpractice

• moreeffectiveworkingwith‘sticky’clients

• confidentcoacheswhoarebetterequippedtodeliverhighcalibre,timeeffectivecoaching

• anorganisationsafetynettohelpcoachesmaintainboundariesandminimiseanyorganisationalrisk.

However,Macannisquicktomentionthattheiruseofcoachingsupervisionismoreaboutthe

developmentalaspectsandbeingmoreeffectivethanabouttheavoidanceofrisk.

Building internal coaching capability at the BBC (continued)

It focuses on client, organisation and coach needs

Supervisioninvolvesatleastthreeclients:thecoach,

thecoachingclient,andtheclient’sorganisation.

Oneofthekeyoutcomesofsupervisionistodevelop

‘supervision’,whichenablesacoachtohaveabroader

understandingofthecoach–clientsystemandthe

client–organisationsystem.Whenselectingasupervisor,

it’simportantthattheyhavetrainingandexperiencein

thesystemdynamicsinvolvedincoachinganddon’tjust

focusonthepsychologyoftheclients.

It provides continuing professional development

to the coach

Supervisionshouldalsobeakeypartofthecontinuing

professionaldevelopmentofthecoach,helpingthem

connecttheorywithpracticeanddevelopreflective

practiceasacoreelementoftheirwork.

Someorganisationsuseprofessionaldevelopment

tocomplementtheirsupervisionpractice.Standard

CharteredBank,forexample,providesperiodic










Confidentialityisanobviousconsideration,butgroupsupervisionatPricewaterhouseCoopersisbasedonveryclearcontractingaroundthisanditisrevisitedquiteregularly.Thereisalsoastrongethosofrelianceon

thepersonalintegrityandethicsofcoaches.

Thereareanumberofcomplementarysupervisionactivities.Personalsupervisionorindividualcoachingisused

toexploreareasofconcernthatcropupbetweengroupsessionsforcaseswhereconfidentialityisaparticular

concernandasawayofexploringindividuallearningneeds,suchasfindingoutmoreaboutaparticular

approachormodel.Therehavealsobeenlearningforums,seminarsandworkshopsinrelevantareasofinterest.

Externalcoachesarerequiredtomaketheirownarrangementsforsupervision.However,theyareinvited

everyfourmonthsorsotoearlyeveningsessions,whichfocusonbriefingsaboutorganisationalissues

includingchangesintheenvironment.It’slikelythatcoachselectioninthefuturewillincludequestionsaboutpersonalsupervisionandperhapsevidenceofhoweffectivelyitisused.

Reflectingonthevalueofcoachingsupervision,PichetaandRaymondagreethatit’sanimportantsupportive

andeducativepracticeandthatbothclientsandcoachesbenefitfromimprovementsincoaches’skilllevels

andconfidence.Butjustasimportantly,ithelpstoensurecoachingisdeliveredethically,thatthequalityis

rightandthatanypotentialrisktobothclientsandcoachesismanaged.AsPichetaobserves:‘Toopenone’s

worktoscrutinyisimportantbestpracticeinanyhelpingactivity.Ifyouaregoingtoinvestincoachesinthe

workplace,thisisanessentialpartofit–it’snotanoptionalexercise.’

Coaching supervision at PricewaterhouseCoopers(continued)

It generates organisational learning

Agreatdealofinformationabouttheorganisation

cancomeoutofcoaching.Themes,common

issues,descriptionsofleadershiporculturewill

inevitablyemergefromthecoachingconversations

–alongwithfeedbackaboutthecoachingprocess

andcoachingpolicy.Ifharvested,itcanresultin

significantorganisationallearning.

Someorganisationshavetimeattheendofeach

supervisorysessiontoidentifyorganisationthemesandtrendsthatcanbecapturedasorganisationallearning.

Othershavespecialfeedbacksessionsonaperiodicbasis.

Thefrequencyofthefeedbackmeetingsrangesfrom

fortnightlytosixmonthly,withthenormbeingquarterly.

Organisationallearningcanbefedbackintothe

organisationsoaneffectiveresponsecanbemade.

Thismayinformpolicyorleadershipororganisational

developmentprocesses.

Normally,themesarecapturedinwritingand

agreedwithcoachesbeforebeingsubmittedtothe

organisation.Dependingontheorganisation,the

submissionoffeedbackisgenerallydonebythe

coachingsupervisororcoachingmanager.

Thisinformationmustbehandledethically.Itshould

neverbeusedinmakingdecisionsaboutcoaching

clientsortheircareers.Closeattentionshouldalsobe

paidtoconfidentialityissues(seeboxopposite).

It manages ethical and confidentiality

boundariesEthicalpracticecan’tbemaintainedbyrulesand

regulations.Manyethicalsituationsarefraught

withcomplexityrequiringcarefulexplorationrather

thansimpleanswers.Supervisionprovidesaforum

forallpartiestoincreasetheirethicalmaturity.On

thesurface,thismayseemtocontradictcoaching

confidentialitysincethecoachdiscussestheirclient

withthesupervisororsupervisorygroup.Certainly,

supervisionmayplacepressureontheboundaries

ofconfidentiality,especiallyingroupsofinternal

coacheswhereclientsmaybeknowntogroup

members.




It balances individual, group and peer supervision

Organisationsshouldcreatetheirownwelldesigned

mixofindividual,groupandpeersupervisiontomatch

thenatureofthecoachingprovisionoffered.

How to manage confidentiality

• Discussandagreegroundrulesabout

confidentialityatthestartofthe

supervisoryrelationship.

• Recognisethatconfidentialitycan’tbe

absolute.Thesupervisorreservestheright

totakeactioniflawbreakingorpotential

selfharmareinvolved.Thedutiesof

confidentialityandcarecoexist.

• Makesurethatanywrittenrecordofthe

supervisionprotectstheconfidentialityof

boththecoachingclientandcoach.

• Ingroupsessions,avoidusingnamesor

gradesandchangedetailsincaseswhere

thereisthepossibilitytheclientcouldbe

identified.

Allsupervisionhaslimitations:

• Individualsupervisionwithaseniorpractitionercan

leadtodependency.

• Groupsupervisioncanbeovertakenbythe

dynamicsofthegroupandleaveinsufficienttime

foreachindividual.

• Peersupervisioncanbecomecollusive.

Usingbothindividualandgroupsessionsoptimises

thebenefits.Individualsupervisiongivescoaches

uninterruptedtimetoreflectontheircoaching

andexploretheirdevelopmentneeds.Personalised

supervisionletsthecoachexplorethedynamicsof

thecoach–clientrelationshipandthewaytheyare

workingwiththeclient.

Groupsessionsaremoreeconomicalandassure

aconsistentapproachforallcoaches.Inaddition,

groupparticipantscanlearnbypresentingtheir

clientsorparticipatingwhensomeoneelseis

presenting.JanetCampbellSmithofGreater

ManchesterPolicesays:‘Groupsupervisioncanbe

developmentalforthosewhoarejustlistening.

Hearingothers’ideascanbehelpfulandit’san

opportunitytoaffirmone’sownskillsandthose

ofothers.’

MikeMunroTurneroftheSchoolofCoachingand

JerichoPartnerssays:‘Groupsupervisiongivesnew

insightaboutmyownwork,aboutwhatcolleagues

doandwhatImightusefromthat.’

TheCentreforExcellenceinLeadership(CEL)wasformedin2003byAshridgeBusinessSchool,

LancasterUniversityManagementSchoolandtheLearningSkillsandDevelopmentAgency,withthe

primarypurposeofpromotingleadershipanddiversityinthelearningandskillssector.Italsoworksin

othersectors,includingthepoliceandprisonservices.

Inearly2005,GreaterManchesterPolice(GMP)contractedCELtoassistinaleadershipdevelopment

programmetosupportaculturechangeinitiativeacrossthe12,000policeofficersandstaff.Since

then,CELhasdelivereditsLeadersasCoachesprogrammetoarangeofHRpractitionersandpolice

officersfrominspectortochiefsuperintendent.Thesixmonthprogrammeincludesaninitialtwoday

coachingworkshop,twohalfdaysupervisionandtrainingsessionsandafinalonedayreviewworkshop.

Participantsareexpectedtocomplete18hoursofcoachingpracticeoverthesixmonthsandhavesixand

ahalfhoursofbeingcoached.

(continued)

Building supervision into coach training; the Centre for Excellence inLeadership and Greater Manchester Police




ShaunLincoln,CELDirectorofCoachingandMentoring,said:‘WeprovidesupervisionatcostsoImakeitasaffordableaspossible.JustasIwouldn’tuseacoachwithoutsupervision,itwouldbean

issueforusifthecoacheswetrainarenotsupervised.’JanetCampbellSmith,LeadershipProgramme

ManagerinGMP,observed:‘Wewantourcoachingtobethebestandwerecognisethatsupervisionis

aprofessionalrequirement.’

Supervisionofcoachingisbuiltintotheinitialprogrammeandcontinuesafterthecoaches‘graduate’

fromthetraining.Groupsupervisionisofferedonaquarterlybasisandcoachesareexpectedtoattend

twoineachyear.Thesessionsarethreehourswithaboutsixparticipants.Thegroupsusea‘reflecting

teams’technique,inwhichgroupmembersaskquestionsaboutanissueraisedbyacoachseeking

feedback.Thisaffirmingprocessincludesgroupmembersidentifyingwhathasimpressedthemabout

thecoach’sapproachsofar.Whiletheindividualraisingtheissueavoidseyecontact,thegroupdiscuss

whatisgoingthroughtheirminds,whattheeventtriggersandhowitsitswiththeirownpractice.

Althoughgroupsusethesametechniqueseachtimetheycometogether,groupmembershipvaries.The

groupmaybeledbyaCELfacilitatororitmaybeapeergroupofcoachesmeetingwithoutaleader

butusingtheapproachtaughtbyCEL.

Atthestartofthetraining,groundrulesweresetaboutconfidentialityandthiscontractisrenewed

atthestartofeachsupervisiongroupsession.ThisisreinforcedbyguidanceinGMP’scoachingpolicy

andbythefactthatnocoachwouldknowwhoothersarecoaching.Lincolnsaidtheimportanceof

confidentialityisalwaysaddressedanditisrecognisedasa‘dealbreaker’.‘Ifyouwanttoputanendto

coachingintheorganisation–thenbreakconfidentiality,’hesaid.

TopupskillsworkshopsorganisedbyCELcomplementsupervisiontohelpcoachescontinuouslydevelop.

CampbellSmithalsoarrangesregularemailbriefingstoallcoacheseverysixtoeightweekstokeepin

touch.Additionally,allcoachingrelationshipsaremonitored.Thecontractatthestartoftherelationship

includesa‘nofaultoptout’clauseforeitherpartyatanypoint.Thereisamidpointreviewafterthree

months,whenformsaresenttothecoachandcoacheeaskingforfeedbackonhowsatisfiedtheyare

withtheprocess.Thereisanothersimilarreviewattheendofthecoachingrelationship.

Therehavebeensomepowerfulbenefitsfromgroupsessions,includingsharedunderstandingabout

coachingpractice.Coacheshavealsolearnedthatsometimestheanswersareintheirowngroupof

peers,notwiththeexternalnetwork.Reflectivepracticehasalsohelpedcoachestoseehowpowerfula

‘solutionsfocused’approachcanbeoutsideacoachingcontext,withallthisimpliesforculturalchange.

Therehasalsobeenanunexpectedbenefit.Workingtogetheringroupsupervisionhasimproved

understandingbetweenpoliceofficersandpolicestaff.

CampbellSmithsaid:‘Groupsupervisioncanbedevelopmentalforthosewhoarejustlistening.

Hearingothers’ideascanbehelpfulandit’sanopportunitytoaffirmone’sownskillsaswellasthose

ofothers.Thisdoesn’talwayscomeeasilyanditcanbeveryimportanttoworkonwhathasgone

wellforthecoach.’

Building supervision into coach training; the Centre for Excellence inLeadership and Greater Manchester Police (continued)








Conclusionsandthewayforward

Forcoaches,coachingsupervisionisanessentialpartof

theircontinuousprofessionaldevelopment.It’sthepivotal

linkbetweentheoryandcoachingpractice.Forthosewho

organisecoachingservices,it’sthekeytoeffectivequality

assurance,tomanagingtherisksthatcanbeinherent

incoaching,andtodrawinglearningfromthecoaching

conversationsthattakeplaceintheorganisation.Itcan

helptoincreasethereturnonaninvestmentincoaching

andcanevenhelptoprovideevidenceofthatreturn.

Coachingsupervisionis,asyet,though,ataveryearly

stageofdevelopment.Itwillbecomemorefirmly

establishedaspractitionersandpurchasersofcoaching

becomebetterinformedandmoreconfidentabout

usingit.Itwillalsobecomemorefirmlyestablished

ascoachingdevelopsitsownsupervisionmodelsand

practicesthatmeettheneedsoftheclient,thecoach

andtheclientorganisation.

Thosewhoarenowinvolvedincoachingsupervisionas

coachesandorganisersofcoachingarethepioneers,

butthisresearchhasshownthatthey’reoftenconvinced

ofthevalueofthesupervisionthey’vereceivedandare

developingnewandofteninnovativepractices.

Inanycase,theriskofnotsupervisingcoaching

issignificant.Withoutit,it’shardtobesurethat

coachingstandardsaregoodandthatcoaches

areproperlytrainedandsupportedintheirroles.

Ontheotherhand,thepotentialbenefitsare

easilyidentified.Theyincludeimprovedcoaching

quality,increasedcoachingcapabilityandgreater

organisationalvalue.Thesebenefitsapplynotonly

tothosebeingcoachedbuttothosetheywork

withinthewiderorganisation.InthisChange

Agenda,we’vehighlightedhowprocessescanbe

builtintosupervisionsothatitalsoprovidesuseful

organisationallearningbasedonthekeythemes

andpatternsemergingacrossthemanycoaching

conversations.

Coachingsupervisioncanalsoplayakeyroleinthe

futuredevelopmentofthecoachingprofession,

wheresupervisionisnotonlyprovidinglearningand

developmenttothosebeingsupervised,butwherethe

learningisalsoflowingbackthroughsupervisionfromthe

experienceattheclientinterfacetotheprofessionitself

learninganddeveloping.

Thechallengenowistodevelopandembedmodelsand

practicesincoachingsupervisionsothatitcanprovidethe

maximumsupportandbenefitforcoachesandcoaching

services.WehopethisChangeAgendahasmadea

contributiontothatend.

Acknowledgements

TheCIPDisverygratefultothoseorganisationsand

individualswhogavetheirtimetotakepartintheonline

surveys,focusgroupsandcasestudieswhichinformed

thisChangeAgenda.




Furtherreading

BACHKIROVA,T.,STEVENS,P.andWILLIS,P.(2005)

Coaching supervision [online].Oxford:OxfordBrookes.

Availableat:http://www.brookes.ac.uk/schools/

education/macoachmentpgcert.html

BLUCKERT,P.(2004)Coaching supervision [online].

Bingley:PeterBluckertCoaching.

Availableat:http://www.pbcoaching.com/article-

coachingsupervision.php

CHARTEREDINSTITUTEFORPERSONNELAND

DEVELOPMENT.(2006)Learning and development 2006

[online].London:CIPD.

Availableat:http://www.cipd.co.uk/surveys

CLUTTERBUCK,D.andMEGGINSON,D.(2005) Making

coaching work: creating a coaching culture. London:

CharteredInstituteforPersonnelandDevelopment.

DOWNEY,M.(2003).Effective coaching: lessons from

the coaches’ coach. NewYork:TexereThomson.

GOLDSMITH,M.,LYONS,L.andFREAS,A.(2000)

Coaching for leadership: how the world’s greatest

coaches help.SanFrancisco,CA:JosseyBass.

HAWKINS,P.(2006)Coachingsupervision.

In:PASSMORE,J.(ed.).Excellence in coaching: theindustry guide. London:KoganPage.p203–216.

HAWKINS,P.andSHOHET,R.(2006)Supervision in

the helping profession. 2nded.Maidenhead:Open

UniversityPress.

HAWKINS,P.andSMITH,N.(2006) Coaching,

mentoring and organizational consultancy: supervision

and development. Maidenhead:OpenUniversityPress.

JARVIS,J.(2004)Coaching and buying coaching

services. London:CharteredInstituteforPersonneland

Development.Availableat: http://www.cipd.co.uk/

subjects/lrnanddev/coachmntor/coachbuyservs.htm

JARVIS,J.,LANE,D.andFILLERYTRAVIS,A.(2006)

The case for coaching: making evidence-based

decisions. London:CharteredInstituteofPersonneland

Development.

O’NEILL,M.B.(2000)Executive coaching with backbone

and heart: a systems approach to engaging leaders with

their challenges. SanFrancisco:JosseyBass.


http://www.brookes.ac.uk/schools/

http://www.pbcoaching.com/article-

http://www.cipd.co.uk/surveys

http://www.cipd.co.uk/

http://www.cipd.co.uk/

http://www.cipd.co.uk/surveys

http://www.pbcoaching.com/article-

http://www.brookes.ac.uk/schools/





Weexploreleadingedgepeoplemanagementanddevelopmentissuesthroughourresearch.

Ouraimistoshareknowledge,increaselearningandunderstanding,andhelpourmembers

makeinformeddecisionsaboutimprovingpracticeintheirorganisations.

Weproducemanyresourcesonpeoplemanagementanddevelopmentissuesincludingguides,

books,practicaltools,surveysandresearchreports.Wealsoorganiseanumberofconferences,

eventsandtrainingcourses.Pleasevisitwww.cipd.co.uktofindoutmore.

WrittenbyDrPeterHawkinsandGilSchwenk,BathConsultancyGroup

CharteredInstituteofPersonnelandDevelopment

151TheBroadway London SW191JQ

Tel: 020 8612 6200 Fax: 020 8612 6201 e r 2 0 0 6

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