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Changeagenda
COACHING
SUPERVISIONMAXIMISINGTHEPOTENTIALOF
COACHING
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.’
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• 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%
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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)
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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)
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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.
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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.
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Weexploreleadingedgepeoplemanagementanddevelopmentissuesthroughourresearch.
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makeinformeddecisionsaboutimprovingpracticeintheirorganisations.
Weproducemanyresourcesonpeoplemanagementanddevelopmentissuesincludingguides,
books,practicaltools,surveysandresearchreports.Wealsoorganiseanumberofconferences,
eventsandtrainingcourses.Pleasevisitwww.cipd.co.uktofindoutmore.
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