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Coaching: an Essential Ingredient in Professional Development of Academic Staff

By: Evelyn Bos

In professional development programmes the intention is always to provide the participants with personal and professional growth and establish a long-lasting form of learning.

Involving them with a meaningful learning experience, where action and reflection are important ingredients, is therefore crucial (Petty, 2007; Slepkov, 2008; Maeda, 2001).

Many of the more conventional forms of professional development, such as conferences, workshops, lectures and mass staff-institute days, are unpopular as they are often led by outside experts who tell staff what to do then are never heard from again (Salpeter, 2003).

These staff development efforts usually focus on specific skill development; the importance of mastering this particular skill being determined by others (Slepkov, 2008).

These initiatives tend to ignore the actual context in which academic staff operate and, therefore, become 'just in case' training events that seldom bring about visible change (Turner & Rimanoczy, 2008).

Learning occurs best in context or in experience, in real-life environments (Beard & Wilson, 2006, as cited in Petty, 2007; Slepkov, 2008; Turner & Rimanoczy, 2008).

To be effective, professional development must be ongoing, deeply embedded in our daily work and involve (self) reflection (Salpeter, 2003; Russo, 2004; Slepkov, 2008; Allan, 2007).

Professional development can be directed towards individuals or groups of individuals, but also towards teams. Teams are the work horses of today's organisations, and educational organisations are no exception.

Teams of academic staff are responsible for curriculum development, teaching, assessment, the development of learning materials, and more. Still, a large amount of academic staff work in relative isolation, a barrier that must be broken in order to allow them to support each other, enhance collegiality, learn from each other and improve organisation-wide performance (Slepkov, 2008; Maeda, 2001).

Teams have their own dynamics, from sabotage on one end of the spectrum to resolute conflict avoidance on the other. And even teams that generally are productive can be improved. The focus of professional development for teams is on interactions more than individual development, but also with meaningful, realistic and ongoing work challenges as a basis (Field, 2007).

The learner must initiate and be personally committed to the learning experience (Petty, 2007); not as someone else defines it, but as they themselves perceive their needs to be (Slepkov, 2008).

When staff are actively engaged in learning and development opportunities, results can be seen in the form of profitability, employee satisfaction, innovation, retention, and customer satisfaction. Organisational outcomes are always and only achieved through the strength of their staff, thereby making staff engagement and learning a top organisational priority (Locke, 2008).

In summary, key to effective professional development is an ongoing, meaningful form of learning, based on authentic work situations, involving (self) reflection, and situated within the real-life work environment, where the learner (an individual or a team) defines their own learning needs.

Coaching

There are tremendous variations in what people call 'coaching'. Educators should be clear about their goals and expectations before making an investment in any type of coaching initiative (Russo, 2004).

For the purpose of this article, the interpretation of 'coaching' follows the definition of the International Coach Federation (ICF).

The ICF decribes coaching as:
"Coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.

Professional coaches provide an ongoing partnership designed to help clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Coaches help people improve their performances and enhance the quality of their lives.

Coaches are trained to listen, to observe and to customize their approach to individual client needs. They seek to elicit solutions and strategies from the client; they believe the client is naturally creative and resourceful. The coach's job is to provide support to enhance the skills, resources, and creativity that the client already has."(ICF web site)

Coaching at its best is focused on authentic aspects of one's personal or professional life that require attention (in the eyes of the beholder), takes place on a continuous basis and provides accountability, which supports the translation of the newly developed insights into action and successful implementation.

Professional development initiatives must be followed up to help participants translate what they learn into actual practice. This is exactly the piece that is usually missing in most professional development programmes (Salpeter, 2003; Maeda, 2001; Russo, 2004; Locke, 2008).

Furthermore, coaches not only support in developing staff knowledge and skills but, if successful, also assist in developing professional cultures within learning organisations (Neufeld & Roper, 2003).

Benefits and Impacts of Coaching

Perceived benefits and impacts of coaching incorporated in staff development programmes according to Allan (2007), Maeda (2001), and Thornton (2007) are (a) greater reflectivity and professional growth,
(b) development of techniques for constructively challenging unhelpful behaviours, including negativity and limiting beliefs,
(c) enhanced energy and job satisfaction,
(d) opening of creative thinking pathways and improvement of problem solving skills,
(e) enhanced personal effectiveness (work smarter, not harder), and
(f) enhanced awareness of the setting of realistic goals.

Coaching fosters relationships, feedback, care, conversation, collaboration, answers, and bonding between veterans, experts and novices. Productivity and satisfaction are most affected by coaching (Rossett & Merino, 2005). Apathy disappears and is replaced by energy and enthusiasm (Thornton, 2007).

With regards to teams, coaching usually improves performance, helps constructively manage conflict, encourages team members to speak up, and deepens the group's understanding of the dynamics that may be limiting its effectiveness.

With this understanding comes greater trust and cohesiveness, which allows group members to interact with each other more empathetically and productively (Field, 2007).

Out of respect for individuals, improved relationships and the success that accompanies coaching, the atmosphere at work will change for the better. Where coaching is the norm, staff can expect to be treated with respect, to have their ideas and opinions sought, and to be thanked occasionally (Thornton, 2007).

In summary, coaching has exactly those elements that are usually lacking in professional development initiatives. The perceived benefits and impacts seem interesting enough to consider coaching an essential ingredient in academic staff development.

References

Allan, P. (2007). The benefits and impacts of a coaching and mentoring programme for teaching staff in secondary school. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 5 (2), 12-21.

Field, A. (2007). Coaching Your Team's Performance to the Next Level. Harvard Management Update, 12(11), 3-5. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from MasterFILE Premier database.

Flynn, G., & Nolan, B. (2008). The Rise and Fall of a Successful Mentor Program: What Lessons Can Be Learned? Clearing House, 81(4), 173-179. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from MasterFILE Premier database.

Locke, A. (2008). Developmental Coaching: Bridge to Organizational Success. Creative Nursing, 14(3), 102-110. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from MasterFILE Premier database.

Maeda, J. (2001). Teacher Coaching in Physical Education: A Review. Physical Educator, 58(3), 140. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from MasterFILE Premier database.

Neufeld, B., & Roper, D. (2003). How are coaches prepared? Retrieved April 25, 2008, from the National Staff Development Council web site.

Petty, M.L. (2007). Experiential learning: a best practice handbook for educators and trainers (book review). The Bulletin of the Association for Coaching, 12, 12-14.

Rossett, A., & Marino, G. (2005). If Coaching is Good, then E-Coaching is. T+D, 59(11), 46-49. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from MasterFILE Premier database.

Russo, A. (2004). School-based coaching. A revolution in professional development or just the latest fad? Retrieved April 25, 2008, from the Harvard Education Letter web site.

Salpeter, J. (2003). Professional development: 21st century models. Retrieved April 25, 2008, from the TechLEARNING web site.

Slepkov, H. (2008). Teacher Professional Growth in an Authentic Learning Environment. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(1), 85-111. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from MasterFILE Premier database.

Thornton, G. (2007). Coaching At Work: powering your team with awareness, responsibility and trust. Credit Control, 28(4/5), 102-104. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from MasterFILE Premier database.

Turner, E., & Rimanoczy, I. (2008). Developing High-Impact Teams. T+D, 62(8), 30-33. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from MasterFILE Premier database.

Article Source: http://www.articlepantry.com

Evelyn Bos works as a Career & Life Coach, and has a background in Educational Science and Technology. She delivers coaching services as well as staff development concepts for organisations. To find out how you could benefit from coaching, please go to www.nzcoachingretreats.com.

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