Evidence for the existence of a knowledge base for coaching in general and organizational coaching in particular can be of several types. The first type is external validation achieved by comparing standards for a coaching profession with those expected of other internationally-recognized professional credentials. For coaching in general, the International Coach Federation (www. coachfederation.org) is presently engaged in a process guided by the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) 17024 Standard for credentialing persons. Meeting this standard requires evaluating potential coaching practitioners on their familiarity with a knowledge base, in addition to their practical competencies. As a comparison, physicians must develop requisite knowledge in “hard” sciences such as biology and chemistry as well as the practical ability to diagnose and to apply techniques. Likewise, coaches must draw on knowledge from a number of fields to complement their practical abilities such as listening and questioning.
GSAEC provides an example of how this first type of evidence for a body of knowledge applies specifically to organizational coaching. GSAEC conducted an international research project supported by the Foundation of Coaching (www.foundationofcoaching.org) to identify coaching offerings in graduate schools (see http:// pennsurveys.org/coaching). Although the research was limited to English-speaking institutions, over 200 universities were identified in 2008 that offered degrees, for-credit certificates, not-for-credit certificates, courses, or coaching services at the graduate level. Sixty-three master’s or doctoral degrees were identified, including l 7 that included coaching in the name of the degree. A discipline is defined as a body of knowledge taught in academic institutions. GSAEC has since its inception sought to identify the elements of that knowledge base that are being or may become relied upon by these graduate programs. A preliminary result was presented in August, 2009, at the Academy of Management in Chicago: “Curriculum for an Academic Coaching Program” (Starr, Maltbia, Orenstein, Page, & Brock, 2009). Thus, in the worlds of credentialing and academic settings, there is growing evidence that coaching is indeed based on a body of knowledge that meets international and scholarly standards.
A second type of evidence for the existence of a body of knowledge involves research. Theoretical knowledge requires research to test its validity and applicability to the questions arising from practice. Research is surely a necessary sign of the existence of a body of knowledge. Each of the above degree programs can be expected to require its students to engage in various forms of research to supported theses and dissertations. Coaching research has been promoted by the Research Symposia, Research Repository, and Research Special Interest Group of the International Coach Federation. The Foundation of Coaching sponsored an International Research Forum and Coaching Commons, and its successor, the Institute of Coaching (www.instituteofcoaching.org/) at Harvard University Medical School and McLean Hospital is dedicated to “building the scientific foundation of coaching.” Peer-reviewed journals that publish research articles are included in a listing at the end of this paper. Therefore, evidence exists that research supporting the development of coaching theory is in progress.
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