Coaching Research in Practice – Group Coaching – Are you really doing it?
Posted with permission from ReciproCoach.
While the title of this month’s Coaching Research in Practice, From GROW to GROUP: theoretical issues and a practical model for group coaching in organisations, suggests that its biggest contribution is a new acronym based model for group coaching, even more useful is the review of the research that it provides on the topic of group coaching. Literature reviews appear at the beginning of every academic paper, but some are more useful than others. This one, written by Saul Brown and Anthony Grant (2010), is certainly worth the read if you just want to get an overview of the research, theory and practice of group coaching.
COACHING RESEARCH:
Brown and Grant highlight the distinction between team coaching and group coaching, explaining that while coachees in team coaching are working towards a mutually accountable goal, coachees in group coaching may be working towards different goals. In addition, Brown and Grant make the important point that “group coaches need a strong understanding of group dynamics or group-based dialogue processes” (p.32). They also provide an excellent overview of the various approaches to group coaching that have been documented in the literature to date.
Especially valuable is Brown and Grant’s description of the challenges that coaches need to be aware of if they are engaging in group coaching. In particular, they describe the discomfort members of a group experience when they begin to make disclosures about issues that would normally be avoided by the group. Brown and Grant point out that coaches need to be skilled in handling the anxiety that arises both at an individual and group level and that a judicious combination of individual and group coaching promotes “real change” (p.34).
The paper also provides a useful overview of the difference between group coaching and group facilitation. This is something I’ve debated with coaching colleagues myself. However, Brown and Grant highlight Clutterbuck’s work which explains that while a “facilitator manages the dialogue for the team and focuses them on decision making”, “the coach empowers the team to manage the dialogue themselves and focuses on goal achievement” (p.37).
In case you’re also curious about the new acronym based model for group coaching, it’s just like the GROW model, only with two differences. The GRO are the same, but instead of making your Way forward the group model Understands others and then Performs… so the new coaching acronym model is, quite simply, GROUP!
IN PRACTICE:
So how is this useful to you in practice? First of all, if you’re already coaching groups, or if you’re thinking about doing it in the future, you may like to:
- Be clear as to whether you’re coaching a team (with a shared goal) or a group (with different goals).
- Assess your understanding of group dynamics or group-based dialogue processes and if you find your understanding is lacking, get some more.
- Be aware of the anxiety generated by new disclosures within groups/teams and pay attention to your efficiency in handling it.
- Consider coupling group/team coaching with individual coaching for optimum results.
- Know when you’re facilitating and when your coaching and adjust your focus as necessary.
- Try the GROUP model!
If you’d like to read the full text of this paper, then you can find it in the most recent issue of Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice (Volume 3, Issue 1, March 2010). Coaching Research in Practice is delivered free to all ReciproCoaches (including free members) once a month. As a ReciproCoach, you can access all past issues of Coaching Research in Practice via the members area. To see the titles of our issues to date, visit our public website: http://www.reciprocoach.com/coachingresearch.php
Translating coaching research into coaching practice,
Kerryn
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Dr Kerryn Griffiths
ReciproCoach Global Coordinator
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