This issue of The Future of Coaching focuses on a somewhat elusive but critical theme operating in our world: the institutionalization of knowledge. Building on concepts coming from the sub-discipline called “the sociology of knowledge”, our theme this quarter concerns ways in which knowledge is framed in the various societies in our contemporary coaching world and the even more specific ways in which knowledge is framed in subsets of each society.
We are considering several fundamental epistemological (knowledge-based) questions. First, is there an objective “reality” that we can all agree exists and that can be measured with increasing accuracy, given the proper tools and technologies? To a certain extent, the core of this question is whether there can even be objective knowledge. (It’s a bad joke, true—and more importantly, a funny truism: We think there is an objective knowledge—it’s just that we don’t all share the same set of objectives.)
Second, are there important and influential ways in which we screen, interpret, and make use of knowledge we have acquired that tend to confirm and reinforce the world view we already hold? In other words, are we frequently participating in actions that produce “self-fulfilling prophecies” and consequently wind up creating silos of “true believers?”
We propose that these big questions are particularly for each of us to address not just with our clients, but also with ourselves and with our colleagues in the field and multi-discipline of professional coaching. In this issue of The Future of Coaching, we’ve got some really interesting people and perspectives to weigh in.
We find, in general, that the sociology of knowledge focuses on two topics that should be of particular interest to professional coaches. First, there are the Ghosts that linger in our field. These are the perspectives and biases embraced by the men and women who founded the field of professional coaching or, at the very least, set the stage for our field to emerge as a viable domain of human service. The past creates or at least influences or limits the future—unless we take it into account as we consider where we are going.
Second, there is Money. The field of professional coaching provides the opportunity for some talented people to make a very good living providing valuable (and highly valued) services to C-Suite executives who are willing to pay quite a bit (or work in organizations that are willing to pay quite a bit) for these services. Does the opportunity for lucrative business bias the kind of work that coaches do? Are we willing, in any sense, to sell a small part of our soul in order to generate and retain high-paying contracts? Do we very often collude with our clients, reframe a question in order to please our client, and provide reassurances that their world-view is correct or at least aligned with the dominant perspectives and values of their organization (or society in which they live)? Does money in the system create the opportunity for coaching to exist, incentivizing more and better approaches to helping humans in their work and lives? We’re asking about what money (and other incentives, of course) does to the ideas and ideals of coaching.
In applying the sociology of knowledge to our field, we are confronted with these provocative questions, among many others — and the answers to these questions can help us to be even better stewards of professional coaching–a human service endeavor that should be based on a solid foundation of ethics and critical reflection. As we’ve mentioned before, there’s more of this world of coaching that bears exploring…
We begin this issue of The Future of Coaching with a rich and provocative account of professional coaching, prepared by Vikki Brock, a noted and widely-respected coach historian. Dr. Brock offers us an important perspective regarding the origins of the coaching profession and the forces that helped to mold this field:
Professional Challenges Facing the Coaching Field from an Historical Perspective
We turn next to two interviews that provides first-hand accounts of two different sources of contemporary coaching. The first account is offered by John Lazar, who describes the events, institutions and individual thought leaders that have helped shape his own perspective on coaching. He focuses, in part, on the early work and ideas offered by Werner Erhard, Fernando Flores and Julio Olalla. As an influential member of the coaching community, John not only exemplifies a particular point of view, he has been one of the leaders who helped to forge and reinforce this first point of view regarding professional coaching thoughts and practices:
An Interview with John Lazar: Institutions and Influences
The second account is offered by Edie Seashore, a legendary organization development (OD) practitioner. Seashore reflects on the way she frames her own work as a coach from the perspective of OD- a second point of view regarding professional coaching thoughts and practices:
A valuable contrast is provided by Lazar and Seashore, though they also share many values and strategies. The sociology of knowledge comes alive as we listen to the narratives offered by these two leaders.
Our third article is written by one of us [WB] in collaboration with two colleagues — one from Singapore (Simon) and one from Norway (Eggen). They make use of ideas offered by Julio Olalla (one of the major influences on Lazar’s work), as well as ideas derived from the contemporary sociology of knowledge and the much older allegory of the cave first offered by Plato:
Professional Coaching, Plato’s Cave and the Sociology of Knowledge
We conclude this issue of The Future of Coaching with one of our regular features, the Book Shelf. In keeping with the theme of this issue, the book review centers on the work of Karl Mannheim (a founder of the sociology of knowledge sub-discipline):
The Book Shelf: Karl Mannheim and the Sociology of Knowledge