GROUNDED THEORY OF THE ROOTS AND EMERGENCE OF COACHING by Vikki G. Brock A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in Coaching and Human Development International University of Professional Studies Maui, 2008 © 2008 Vikki G. Brock ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The Dissertation of Vikki G. Brock is approved and is acceptable in quality and form: Academic Dean Committee Chairperson International University of Professional Studies Maui, 2008 This dissertation is dedicated to past, present, and future coaches. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank my parents for being my friends and for providing me with the love, support and inspiration to live an authentic life. I am blessed with a multitude of friends and colleagues (you know who you are) who have loved me and stood by me when I had little time to share. I thank Francine Campone, my dissertation coach, and Lisa Aldisert, my coach, who walked this journey by my side. I am indebted to Ruth Ann Harnisch as my patron, friend, role model, and champion for the difference that coaching makes and can make in the world. And I thank the 170 interviewees who so freely shared their time and wisdom with me. v Abstract of Dissertation Presented to International University of Professional Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy GROUNDED THEORY OF THE ROOTS AND EMERGENCE OF COACHING By Vikki G. Brock May, 2008 Chair: Patrick Williams Major Department: Coaching and Human Development Coaching is an emerging and evolving field, complex and dynamic, integrating the substance of many fields and the innovative thinking of great pioneers. Over the course of the study, the inquiry shifted from documenting the roots of coaching for the purpose of reducing confusion of what constitutes coaching to: identifying the influences each of the relevant root disciplines have on coaching; documenting the impact the backgrounds of influencers had on the discipline and its practices; looking at what coaching can learn from the evolution of root disciplines that may be relevant to the evolution of coaching; and what supporting factors contributed to the emergence of coaching as a distinct discipline in the late 20th century. Factors explored include: the distinction between practice/tools and theories/models, the multidisciplinary influences on coaching’ root disciplines, the evolutionary nature of socioeconomic influences, the impact of connections between influencers, the concept of postmodernism as a backdrop to coaching’s emergence, and what the future holds for coaching. vi Five points summarize my observations about the emergence of coaching: 1) coaching sprang from several independent sources at the same time and spread through relationships; 2) coaching has a broad intellectual framework that draws on the synergy, cross-fertilization, and practices of many disciplines; 3) modern patterns and practices of coaching are dynamic and contextual; 4) coaching came into existence to fill an unmet need in an interactive, fluid world of rapid change and complexity; and 5) coaching came into being in an open integral social network from a perspective of diversity and inclusion. The grounded theory I offer contains several provocative propositions: a) coaching is an open, fluid social movement that spreads virally through human relationships and interactions, and will become woven into the fabric of life as the process and style of communication in which people interact with each other; b) modern patterns and practices of coaching are dynamic and contextual, awareness- and choice- focused, and delivered across a continuum of attributes customized to the person being coached, the coach, the context, and the specific situation; and c) coaching is a social phenomenon and multidisciplinary field that, to be sustainable, must continue rapid innovation encompassing diversity and inclusion while maintaining an integral balance within a loose open social network. vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 2-1 Major influences on personal development goals in behavioral coaching.…...…...38 2-2 Philosophical Assumptions.…..…..….….....….……..….…...…..…..….…...…..102 3-1 Survey Demographic Questions..…..….….....…...…..….…....….…....................126 3-2 Core Survey Questions………...…..….….....…...…..….…....…..…....................127 3-3 Survey Professional Coaching Associations/Service Organizations......................129 3-4 Survey-Related Professional Organizations...........................................................131 3-5 Survey Influencer Questions…………………………………………..................132 3-6 Core Interview Questions and Prompts…………………………………..............134 3-7 Survey Distribution Channels…………….………………………………...........137 3-8 General Coach Niches and Specialty Areas……………………………………...146 4-1 Survey Data by Geographical Regions Compared with ICF and IAC Membership Data…………………………………………………………………………........154 4-2 Professions Most Influencing Coaching (Survey Data)…………………......158 4-3 Survey-Related Professional Organization Membership …………………....159 4-4 Coaching Framework from Humanistic Psychology ………………….........176 4-5 Coach Definition Continuum Attributes………………….............................215 viii 4-6 Professional Coach Associations Ethical Code Comparison as of February 18, 2008………………………………………………………......228 4-7 Professional Coach Associations Credentialing Standards…………….......251 4-8 Influential Coach-training Schools from Survey Data…………………......257 4-9 Influential Professional Coaching Organizations from Survey Data ….......265 4-10 Coaching Niches and Specializations …………………...............................271 4-11 Examples of Influence on and Influence by Coaching………………….....275 4-12 Key Influencers from All Data Sources…………………............................284 4-13 Emerging Key Influencers from Survey Data…………………..................287 4-14 Key Influencers on Coaching from Originator Generation………………..289 4-15 Key Influencers on Coaching from Transmitter Generation …………......308 4-16 Key Influencers on Coaching from Second and Later Generations ……..323 4-17 Influencer Summaries by Generation and Background…………………....339 4-18 Summary of Shifts from Modern to Postmodern Period…………………..346 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1-1. The field of Coaching Studies draws from many ‘roots’ and supports many ‘branches’.…..…..….…......…..….…...…..……………………………..….…...…..5 2-1. Peer-reviewed Articles Compared with Empirical Studies Over Time…..………30 2-2. Coaching Profession Components.…....…..….…......…..….…...…..….…...…..118 4-1. Coaching Literature 1970 through 2002...............................................................239 4-2. Coach Specific Books Published in English Annually 1970 through 2007..........242 4-3. Survey Responses per Identified Influencer..........................................................286 5-1. Influencers by Generation and Decade Influence Began....…...…..........….........459 5-2. Grouped Emergence of Root Disciplines....….…............…….…...........….........466 5-3. Evolutionary Timeframe Social Network of Influencers and Disciplines….........471 5-4. Social Network of Influencers and Disciplines....…........…....….….......….........472 5-5. Key Influencers Social Network……….....….…............…....…...…......….........474 5-6. Root Disciplines Representative Social Network…..…..…..….....…..….…....…475 5-7. Postmodern Social Network of Mega, Root, and Subroot Nodes...……….….....478 5-8. Diffusion of Innovation Curve………………….…..…..….…..........….….....…481 5-9. Emergence Curve for Coaching………………...…..….…..........…..…..…....…481 5-10. Coaching Innovation Curves…...…..…..….…...…..….…...…..…..…..…....…483 5-11. Social Network of Coaching in 21st Century…..…..….…...….….…...…...…..485 x TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................ v ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES.......................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ...............................................................................................…....... ix CHAPTER 1 PROBLEM FORMULATION…...............................................................................1 Introduction……………….....................................................................…...............1 Background of the Study…………….....................................................…...............3 Root Disciplines Parallel Struggles……..........................................…................6 Sociology………….......................................................…….........................8 Education………….......................................................….....…....................8 Adult education..………….................................... ................…....................9 Human resource management (HRM)…............................ .........................10 Communication...………..……................................................…................10 Consulting (management)..….................................................…..................11 Organization development (consulting – organization)....... …....................12 Training………..…………….....................................................…..............12 Coaching Definition Contradictions..................................................….............13