The expanding complexity of coaching

The scope of coaching – in terms of the scale and scope of what it addresses – continues to expand. At the turn of the century, almost all coaching was aimed at individuals and involved mostly linear processes of client > problem > coaching > solution. Since then, there has been greater recognition that client issues are grounded in the systems, in which the client is nested, and that presented problems are often merely symptoms of more complex issues. In the past five years, team coaching has expanded dramatically, with the number of accredited team coaches globally rising from a few hundred to an estimated 4,000 in 2022.

Gradually, mature coaches are acquiring the skills and tools to think beyond the team and engage with increasing levels of systems complexity. The table below describes some of the characteristics of these expanding horizons.

Level of coaching complexity Characteristics
10. Coaching the meta-system Resolving the big challenges for society requires a level of cooperation well beyond the norm. It demands that competing interests put aside selfish agendas to create solutions that benefit everyone in the system. (For example, water management between countries.) At this level, coaching blends with mediation, bringing to mediation a much wider toolkit to generate self-awareness and “big picture” understanding.
9. Coaching the organization For large organizations, the complexity of coordinating hundreds of teams in dozens of silos involves a level of complexity that even Artificial Intelligence cannot manage. Coaching the organization is primarily about developing coaching capability that can be directed towards cross-functional issues. An important focus is effectiveness, as opposed to efficiency. It reveals patterns of functionality and dysfunctionality that can be addressed collaboratively across silos and hierarchical layers.
8. Coaching massive projects The bigger the project, the greater the potential for cost overruns and inefficiency. Coaching at this level integrates the activity between teams of teams.
7. Coaching teams of teams Just as a poorly functioning team may be composed of high performing individuals, a function within an organization may be composed of multiple teams delivering well in their own terms, yet the aggregate results are below par. At this level, coaching aims to help multiple teams integrate what they do and how they do it, for higher overall efficacy. The team of coaches may also be larger.
6. Coaching teams to influence the systems, in which they are nested Helping the team understand its position and role as part of a larger complex, adaptive system. A key consideration here is the interrelationship between stakeholders and the capacity of the team to influence the wider system.
5. Coaching teams for process and relational improvement Coaching the team and the leader together, raising their awareness of the dynamics that underlie good and mediocre performance and of the interdependencies between the team and its stakeholders. Role modelling (as a team coach pair) teaming behaviours so that the team gradually learns to coach itself. This is often called systemic team coaching.
4. Coaching team leaders to create coaching cultures in their teams Helping the leader improve their own performance and the performance of the team by creating a safe learning environment. The coach does not engage with the team directly, but helps the leader become aware of the changes needed for them to become the leader the team needs.
3. Coaching individuals within their systems Raising the client’s awareness of the systems around them – how they influence and are influenced by these and how personal and systems change are interdependent.
2. Coaching individuals for transformation Raising the client’s awareness of their emerging identity; focusing on becoming rather than doing.
1. Skills and performance coaching for individuals Mostly linear approaches, focused on goal clarity and helping the individual find the inner resources for short term change.

© David Clutterbuck 2023

 

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