How coaching supervisees help
and hinder their supervision: A
Grounded Theory study
13th OBU Coaching and Mentoring Research
Conference
Louise Sheppard
January 2017
Interest in this topic
 My early experience of supervision
 Curiosity about supervisee and supervisor anxiety
 Lack of guidelines from Professional bodies about role
of supervisee in supervision
 Little empirical evidence or literature about supervisee
perspective
 Tendency to focus on the role of the supervisor
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Aims and objectives of the study
Main aim: To explore how coaching supervisees help and
hinder their supervision.
Objectives:
1. Critically analyse the literature
2. Explore the lived-in experiences of supervisees and the
role they play in helping and hindering their coaching
supervision.
3. Use grounded theory to analyse the findings
4. Generate a theoretical framework
3
Literature review and gaps
1.Coaching Supervision
Models used in coaching supervision
Functions, formats, roles and responsibilities
Formats of coaching supervision
Supervisory relationship
Supervisees’ use of supervision and needs
Supervisee perceived benefits, value and outcomes
Supervisee expectations
Supervisee lived-in experiences
Supervisee negative experiences
Gap 1.Empirical
research on the livedin experiences of
coaching supervisees
at all levels of
professional
development
What can we learn about
supervisees in general?
2.Supervisees in the
helping professions
Key models used in supervision
Supervisee rights + responsibilities
Supervisory relationship
Supervisee expectations
Power differentials
Supervisee anxiety
Supervisees willingness to self-disclose
Supervisee attributes
Conflicts, ruptures and repairs
How can
supervisees
enhance and
hinder their
coaching
supervision?
Gap 3. An empirically
informed framework
with guidelines for
how supervisees can
hinder and enhance
their learning from
coaching supervision
What aspects and models of
learning theory are
recommended for use by
supervisees in coaching
supervision?
What aspects and
models of learning
theory are
recommended for
use with supervisees
in the helping
professions?
Gap 2. Evidence based data relating
to coaching supervisees on the
important themes explored in the
literature on supervisees in the
helping professions
3. Adult learning and
reflective practice
Adult learning
Experiential learning
Reflective practice
Professional knowledge
Relevant models and
frameworks for reflection
4
Methodology
 Critical realist theoretical perspective
 Grounded Theory
 19 Semi structured interviews
5
Data gathering process
Initial
Focus
Group
Data analysis
Time lapse of
12 months
Data
gathering
phase 6
months
Theoretical
sampling and
sensitivity
Pilot self
Pilot - supervisee
Interviews
with 5
supervisees
6 further
interviews with
supervisees
Pilot with supervisor
Interviews
with 3
supervisors
3 further
interviews
with
supervisors
6
Emergent categories
The benefits of coaching
supervision
Supervisee Enablers
Supervisee Inhibitors
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Supervisee inhibitors and enablers
Supervisee inhibitors
Anxiety,
fear of
judgment
and
shame
I’m
blocking
myself
Lack of
agency in
supervisees
Not seeing
myself as
an equal
partner
Enhanced
Coaching
Supervision
- Learning
through
supervision
- Valuing
supervision
Adopting
a positive
mindset
Co-creating
the
relationship
Participating
actively in the
process
Undertaking
supervisor
training
Supervisee enablers
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Supervisees’ positive emotions
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Supervisees’ negative emotions
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Interpretation of the data
 Supervisee develop over time – new stages of maturity
of supervisees
 Underlying mechanisms – our natural tendency to
learn, fear and power relations in supervision
 Supervision needs to be supervisee-led and
supervisees can choose to step into their authority – a
framework for supervisee-led supervision
 New definition of a supervisee
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A framework for superviseeled supervision
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Implications
 Supervisees
 Supervisors
 Professional bodies
 Coach training providers
 Coach providers
 Learning and development professionals and their
organisations
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Personal learning
 Experiencing the underlying mechanisms during the
study
 The challenge of having a critical realist theoretical
perspective
 Facing my assumptions
 The impact on my practice as a supervisee and
supervisor
 Have learnt how to be a researcher and value research
more as a result
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