A Meta-theory of Coaching
Dr Simon Western
This presentation is extracts from this book
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text
Western, S. Sage 2012
www.analyticnetwork.com
The rise of executive coaching
Occurrences of Sports coaching and Executive coaching (lower and upper case)
as a percentage of all words in a collection of 4.5 million books published in English, 1800-2008
(Source: Google Books)
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
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The Coaching Journey
Pre-modern
Ancient utilitarian friendship
Socially sanctioned soul healers: wisdom teachers, shaman, monks, priests
The confessional begins to shape the modern reflective self
Modern
Intimate pairing friendships
Talking cure: Psychoanalysis, therapist, counsellors
Therapy Culture produces and heals the Wounded Self
Performance Coaching, sports psychology, career counsellors & 1-1 consultancy pre-empts coaching
Post-modern
Transient-utilitarian friendship – facebook!
New Age soul guides & positive psychologists produce the Celebrated Self
The post-modern confessional appears: Oprah & Jerry public confessionals
New workplace demands –bring your whole self to work- (body, mind and soul)
New soul guide is required to administer to the ‘celebrated-wounded self’
Executive and Life Coaching fills this space.
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
www.simonwestern.com
Pastoral care and the reflective self
St Romauld’s brief monastic rule
Sit in your cell as in paradise.
Put the whole world behind you and forget it.
Watch your thoughts like a good fisherman
watching for fish.
The path you must follow is in the Psalms
– never leave it.
‘The Desert Fathers treasured their friends as
guides and helpers on their path to virtue’
Spiritual friendship Aelred of Rievaulx 1110-1167
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
www.simonwestern.com
The Coaching Journey: Directors of Souls
Monastic life produced a new individual through selfexamination, that was generalized through the technology
of the confessional that became public. Spiritual Friendship,
and soul directors begin to work on the individual self
Soul Directors became secularized by Freud and the
psychoanalytic priesthood. The modern individual
reflective-self slowly evolved. A diverse range of new
experts emerged to direct our souls.
Coaching is a direct descendent of the ‘talking cure’,
bridging the wounded and celebrated self. A new
Soul Director is born!
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
www.simonwestern.com
The Coaching Sphinx
Today’s hybrid coach has the:
Head of a friend
Body of a psychotherapist
Feet of a manager
Tail of a consultant
Face of a priest
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
www.simonwestern.com
Dominant Discourses of Coaching
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
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Soul Guide
A Mirror to the Soul: Experience
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
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Psy Expert
Technician of the Psyche: Performance
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
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Managerial Discourse
Role coach: Productivity
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
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Network Coach
Emergent Strategist: Connectivity
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
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Overview of Coaching discourses
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
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Coaching across the discourses
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
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Coaching across the discourses
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
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Coaching is fixed as a distinct activity,
at the point where the discourses meet
Coaching uniquely works across four domains- it seeks to utilize knowledge and wisdom and
to address in parallel individual and social issues
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
www.simonwestern.com
Which discourse dominates your coaching? (or view of coaching)
Soul Guide
Network
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text
Western, S. Sage 2012
www.simonwestern.com
Psy Expert
Managerial
Meta-theory of Coaching
The four discourses of coaching provide the map that enables coaching theory to be
developed from practice and from its historical roots.
However, we also must account for the external influences on coaching as shown in
the diagram in the next slide.
Together the discourses and external factors create a meta-theory of coaching.
A meta-theory is not an integrated theory but a theory of theories. It allows us to
examine, critique and explain how coaching practice and theories work.
To read more see Coaching and Mentoring a critical text (Western S. 2012 Sage)
http://www.amazon.com/Coaching-Mentoring-A-Critical-Text/dp/1848601646
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
www.simonwestern.com
Meta-theory of Coaching
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
www.simonwestern.com
Application of Theory to Practice
Analytic-Network Coaching is a company and network of coaches
formed to apply theory to practice: See www.analyticnetwork.com
Coaching leaders to act in ‘Good Faith,
to create the ‘Good Society’
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
www.simonwestern.com
Contacts
Web: www.analyticnetwork.com
Blog: Leadershipandcoachingpolemic.com
Leadership and coaching lessons from world events
Follow on Twitter @simonwestern
Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text Western, S. Sage 2012
www.simonwestern.com