Coaching to develop
research leadership
(skills) for the changing
higher education sector
Dr Annette Fillery-Travis, International Centre for the
Study of Coaching, iWBL, Middlesex University
In our time together....
•Context for coaching
•Evidence base for the practice
•What is the practice?
•Potential application for research leaders
•Hints and tips for bringing coaching into the
L&D strategy
Coaching for Research Leadership
The Context
• Global estimated spend of $1.5 billion (USD).
• ICF has 16,000 members; 53% have achieved Masters or Doctorate
level education
Training
Learning
Top-down instructor-led
intervention by an organisation
to make desired changes in
employees behaviour and
knowledge
A self-directed process by which
an individual constructs new
knowledge, skills and capabilities
leading to increased
adaptive capacity
Coaching for Research Leadership
Coaching for Research Leadership
The Good News
• Nine out of ten organisations use
coaching by line managers
(trained)
• Two out of three organisations
use external coaches (29%
expect to increase)
• 84% regard coaching by line
managers as ‘effective’ or ‘very
effective’
• 92% judge coaching by external
practitioners to be effective.
A high level of usage
and belief in the
power of coaching
CIPD Annual Survey of Private, Public and Voluntary Organisations
Coaching for Research Leadership
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The good news (2)
% who indicated
effective or very
effective
On-the-job training
Instructor-led training off the job
Perceived
effectiveness
of different
development
activities
Formal education courses
96
94
Coaching by external practitioners
93
92
Job rotation, secondment etc
87
Mentoring (Internal senior
colleagues)
85
Action learning sets
77
Coaching for Research Leadership
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Coaching
‘a learning relationship which
helps people to take charge of
their own development, to
release their potential and to
achieve results that they value’
Connor and Pakora (2007)
Coaching for Research Leadership
A maturing practice – a meta
profession?
Adult learning
Process
consultancy
Positive
psychology
Coaching
Change theory
Systems theory
Leadership
Coaching for Research Leadership
Organisational
development
A Coaching Process
Formal
Contracting
Planning
Application of
Plan
Relationship
Building
Goal Setting
Monitoring
Progress
Assessment
Getting
Feedback and
Reflecting
Review and
Adjust
Coaching for Research Leadership
Coaching as Reflective
Dialogue
Time Out!
Coaching for Research Leadership
Reflection-with-another
to challenge
‘assumptions, beliefs,
perspectives and ways of
construing and acting
upon experience’ (Weil
&McGill (1989)
‘The significant problems we face cannot be
solved at the same level of thinking we were at
when we created them.’ Albert Einstein
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Evidence Base?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Team coaching (Mathieu et al 2008)
Process (Dingman 2004)
Perspective underpinning
(Feldman&Cronshaw 2004)
Coach behaviour (Jarvis 2006)
Client behaviour(Dawdy 2004)
Coach-Client (de Haan 2008)
ROI – outputs (Various)
Olivero et al (1997) – 22% increase in productivity after management training but
88% increase after internal coaching
NHS Leadership Centre (Woolnough et al 2004) - 41% of coachees were promoted
compared to 15% of the non-coached group, & leadership skills and job satisfaction
improved
Coaching for Research Leadership
Meta analysis of ROI studies
De Meuse and Dai (2009)
•Drew on six studies (four used)
•ROI =1.27
•Range from 1.98 -0.02 for self
rating
•Range from 1.83-0.06 for
others ratings
Coaching for Research Leadership
Coach/mentor as professional?
International Coach
Federation - 16000
members over 50
countries
•
Skill based on theoretical knowledge:
•
Defined body of knowledge
•
Established community of practitioners
•
Extensive period of education:
•
Testing of competence:
•
Institutional training:
•
Licensed practitioners:
•
Work autonomy:
•
Code of professional conduct or ethics:
•
Self-regulation through formalised organisation:
•
Public service and altruism:
Coaching for Research Leadership
European Mentoring and
Coaching Council – 17
years and 14 countries
Worldwide Association
of Business Coaching –
~800 members but elite
professional forum
Bennett 2006 and others
So how does this relate to Research Leadership?
Coaching for Research Leadership
Application within Research
Leadership
Research into R&D teams within a variety of contexts identifies:
• Time-lagged, sporadic and nonmarket nature of their outputs
• Consist of professionals (highly educated and creative) with
distinct characteristics in terms of goal orientation, value
systems, need structure and behavioural patterns
• Undertaking tasks with a high level of risk of failure, and who
experience disruptions, delays and setbacks
A unique challenge to leadership
W.Zheng et al 2010
Coaching for Research Leadership
Leadership
• Leadership is embedded in its context
• A person’s ability to innovate and create is
dependent upon
– Individual characteristics
– Work environment
• The influential role of the leader (although in R&D
teams more likely to be technically proficient then
management trained)
• The fit between the leadership characteristics and
key contextual factors maximises effectiveness of
the leader
Coaching for Research Leadership
Context and Model of R&D Leadership
Funding
Model
Task –
uncertainty
and
external
input
Team
Structure
Coaching for Research Leadership
Internal
External
Steering
not
managing
Rain
making
Hands off
Buffering
Individual
Focus
Zeng,W et al 2010
Research
leader/super(wo)man ?
•Negotiation/influencing
•Communication
•Strategy development
•Interpersonal skills
•Holding your nerve
•Visioning.............
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Coaching is..
‘facilitating client growth through stages of
development towards more advanced stages
of thinking that can accommodate increasing complexity’
Just-in-time
One-to-one
To the coachees own agenda!
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Taking coaching onboard..
Is all in the contract!
•External or internal or manager (trained)
•Coaches have particular strengths and weaknesses
–(s)he should know when to refer
•Look at the coach’s professional accreditation
•Be clear about your purpose (with/without training)
•Contract hard with your coach (psychological as well
as operational)
•Make sure there is an exit plan
•Evaluate (not just happy sheets)
Coaching for Research Leadership
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS?
Coaching for Research Leadership
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Coaching Styles
Directive
Assessor
Tutor
External
Observation
Intrinsic
Observation
Demonstrator
Stimulator
Non-Directive
Coaching for Research Leadership
Clutterbuck & Megginson (200
Client
understandingself
Enabling tools –
self and others
Qualified coaches adhering to
code of ethics; Knowledge of
public sector
Self awareness and
emotional intelligence
focus
Line of sight to own
business performance
plan
MBTI, etc
Understanding own
resilience strategies Activation control
Establish rapport, listen, hear
and understand
180 or 360 process;
Meeting with manager or
Shadowing; Performance
agreement
Reflection through intake form
and discussion
Agreed activities and
strategies - observing self
Establish goals and objectives
using SMART and GROW etc
Reporting back and
measuring progress
Positive habits for keen mind
and body
Career Reviewing CV and
selection criteria
Building capability of
others
Coaching and
mentoring self and
others
Managing upwards
effectively
Working to own
integrity and
organisational values
Peak performance –
self and organisation
Client readiness and energy + coach skill and understanding = successful coaching and ROI
Coaching for Research Leadership