COACHING AS A SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLE (A)

REINHARD STELTER

Institute of Exercise and Sport Science University of Copenhagen

Key word: concept, coach, coaching, learning

Definition: coach

Comes from "coach"or "coachman"

1. In the last century-a person at the anglo-american universities who supports the students in their preparation for the exams and sport competition

• 2. Has its roots in the world of sport
• 3. In business introduced as the "Trojan horse" to make psychology and personal consultation more acceptable
• 4. In business a kind of "clown" or " social mirror " who can tell things to the boss which normal staff members are not able and allowed to say
• 5. A coach is a person who supports learning processes both on the professional and personal level.This happens on the basis of relevant education and personal competencies of the coach.

Definition : coaching

Coaching means to unlock the potential of the person in order to maximize his/her performance. It means to help the person in the learning process rather than to teach him/her.

(Whitmore, 1996, translated from Danish)

The intention with coaching (re-)establish and/or improve the client`s ability in relation to self-regulation and thereby finally free the client from the coach. (Rauen, 1999)

Coaching is a situated leadership style where the coach participates in the learning process of the athlete, student, staff member etc.

Coaching- comparable concepts

• · Traditional consultation
• · Supervision
• · Psychotherapy
• · Mentoring
• · Preparation in relation to a specific task

Basic assumptions for coaching

• · Personal experience is the best teacher
• · Personal responsibility for the learning process
• · The concrete relation between person and environment is central
• · The personal meaning in relation to the situation is central

 Coaching should be defined as the participation in this personal learning process

Situational leadership model

Hersey&Blanchard (1993)

Situational leadership is based on an interplay among

• 1. The amount of guidance and direction a leader gives

• 2. The amount of socio-emotional support a leader provides

• 3. The readiness level that followers exhibit in performing the specific task

Criticism of the model

• · The mysterious is quadrant 3 (able / unwilling)

• · High relationship / high task as leadership behavior would fit more to R 1 (unable / unwilling)

• · The progression "tell – consult – participate – delegate" should not be linked to the quadrants but should correspond to a sequence of styles with steadily decreasing concern for task and increasing concern for relationship

Coaching attitude

• > patient

• > attentive

• > supportive

• > good listener

 sensitive

• > imaginative

"Inner Game" approach

"the breakthrough occurs when you stop thinking"

(Kriegel & Gallwey)

Two experential levels in the learning proces

Self 1     Self 2

----------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------

    enervating    free

tense     animated

unsure     light

nervous    flying

fighting    unburdened

thinking    strong

    expectation    calm

anger     soft

heavy     surprising

unstable    magic

anticipating something specific   flow

timid     rhythmic

confused    gliding

Oh, God!    Ecstatic

Attitude to the learning situation

Self 1

 tries to control the situation

 is critical

 tries to find an answer about right or wrong

 analyses the performance

 gets annoyed

 develops anxiety

 works in digital and sequential way

Self 2

 relaxed alertness

 works in the here and now

 accepting

 works partly pre-reflective

 releases own resources

 works in an analog and holistic way

The aim of coaching is to

 stimulate Self 1`s potential

 control Self 2

Two perspectives on learning

Learning of products   Learning as a proces

(movement ideals)   (via experiences)

-------------------------------------  ----------------------------------------

Explicit knowledge   Implicit knowledge

The body is not accepted as a  The body itself is understood as a

 Resource for knowledge   resource for knowledge

     (body schema)

Knowledge via reflective thinking  Knowlwdge is generated by doing

 Scholastic paradigm   Apprenticeship / situated learning

 Rule based skills   Pattern based skills

Learning via instruction    Learning via coaching

 (telling)   (participating) or delegating

Experience based learning

Via coaching

 Experience based learning builds on stimulating the performers ownresources in relation to concrete situation

> Pre-reflective intentionality should emerge in relation to the situation

• Ø Development of tacit and implicit knowledger referring to the habits and experience of the person

• Ø Getting involved in the situation and thereby develop action strategies

• Ø Learning should be an experiential and sensuous process

• Ø Learning should be based on the confidence that the learner has personal resources and developmental potential

Abstract

It is well known the fact that coaching means to unlock the potential of a person in order to increase the performance. The coach, on the basis of relevant educations, participates in the learning process of the athlete, student etc.