Goal-focused coaching : theoretical foundations and practical implications

• Main Author: Ives, Yossi
• Published: Oxford Brookes University 2010
• Subjects: 347.1154
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.579508

Motivated by a desire to explore the potential for goal-focused coaching to raise performance and motivation, I conducted a research study in an adult education setting. Coaching in general and goal-focused coaching in particular are severely lacking in theoretical development and empirical research. The research was conducted by a qualified rabbi and life coach with a group of eight students at a small rabbinic training centre in Europe. Working within a critical realist paradigm and following a traditional action research methodology along with grounded theory methods of analysis, the study explores the findings of three cycles of coaching and research. The coaching intervention was a weekly coaching session, mostly involving individual coaching provided by the researcher. However, to address interdependent goals, the intervention was extended to involve several weeks of group coaching, and an attempt was also made at peer coaching. The study found that goal-focused coaching helps to raise performance and motivation, can lead to enhanced self-efficacy, and is an effective self-regulatory mechanism. However, it also found that goal-focused coaching cannot function without first addressing key barriers to coaching, such as resistance, suspicion, resentment, dependence and indifference. Additionally, the study concluded that the coaching relationship remains a significant factor, even for the non- therapeutic, goal-focused approach. The study explores the strengths and weaknesses of group and peer coaching formats, drawing some important lessons about their effectiveness, and in particular in relation to GFC. Significantly, the study seeks to develop a comprehensive theory of goal-focused coaching, drawing of goal, self-regulation, social-cognitive and self-determination theories. It presents goal-focused coaching as a self-regulation tool that operates in the intersection between antecedent influences, such as attributions and expectancies, and the goal choices that lead to actions. By facilitating more effective goals, goal-focused coaching leads to raised performance that in turn enhance self-efficacy.