This issue of the International Journal of Coaching in Organizations (ICJO) was published in 2005 and focuses on research about professional coaching. A variety of perspectives are offered in this issue of IJCO, with particular attention being paid to accessing return-on-investment. As noted by the co-editors, Mary Wayne Bush and John Lazar, “the research perspectives offered in this issue help shift our way of looking at the profession and practice of coaching in organizations. They help us look backward and forward by looking at examples of what has been done and calling for what is yet needed.” As one of the first publications to extensively explore coaching research, IJCO offers us an invaluable glimpse into the world of professional coaching only nine years ago—a short time ago in terms of years but a long time ago in terms of the changing landscape of professional coaching over the past decade. Many of the issues addressed in this issue of IJCO remain important (and unresolved) today and many of the opportunities and promises of professional coaching and research about professional coaching remain unrealized.
