The Integral Role of Research in Coaching Practice

As coaches, our primary goal is to provide the best possible service for our clients. For most professions, the gold standard for achieving this is a robust knowledge base that offers evidence for what works, and for whom. This ensures that practitioners can deliver excellent, sustainable, and individually tailored services to their clients and organizations. Such a knowledge base is established through research—reliable evidence that we can trust, not merely opinion.

However, there is a common perception that coaching practice often surpasses coaching research. How, then, do we advance our field? Over the last thirty years, there has been a significant tradition of practitioner research in coaching. This research is conducted by coaching practitioners within their own practice and is intended for direct application in practice. The pioneering papers on ROI, team coaching, supervision practice, and ethics for internal coaches, to name just a few, were all authored by practitioners. In our field, practitioner research is the norm, not the exception.

So, what might be holding you back from contributing to this wealth of knowledge? When you think of research, what comes to mind? Perhaps obscure terminology, impartial and neutral researchers, or outcomes seemingly disconnected from real-world practice? This perception is not uncommon.

I recall a particularly enlightening afternoon spent with one of my best coaching students. Passionate about her clients and eager to enhance her practice, she argued vehemently that research was unnecessary for her professional growth. Despite my efforts to convey the usual benefits, nothing seemed to resonate with her—until a sudden realisation struck. "Oh, I get it," she exclaimed, "it's about the sustainability of practice, ensuring you are always doing the best for your clients and staying at the top of your game!"

This epiphany transformed her approach to research. Under the supervision of an experienced researcher, she developed a new offer for her clients and earn several professional awards. She could now confidently tell her colleagues, "You can trust my research so much that you can confidently change your own practice to include it." Such a statement is not trivial.

This transformative journey is common among practitioners embarking on their research endeavours, whether as part of an academic program or independently with a Research Coach/supervisor. I recall supporting a group of experienced coaches in South Africa back in 2011. They sought to explore their clients' specific needs in a country still reeling from the legacy of racial segregation. Their research efforts underscored the profound impact of contextual and culturally aware coaching practices.

So, how can we, as researchers, ensure our enquiries contribute to our growth, practice, clients, and profession? One of my current supervisees articulated this challenge succinctly: "How do I make my research meaningful?"

Reflecting on this question, I believe the answer lies not in immediately diving into research questions, instruments, or methodologies. Instead, we must first examine the underlying perspectives and purpose of our research. Once this foundational clarity is achieved, selecting appropriate methodologies and data collection techniques becomes straightforward.

To illustrate this approach, I have developed five basic criteria to guide the design of meaningful research A few examples may help illustrate their use:

What is the Purpose and Relevance of your Research -what do you want to find out and why?

Purpose and relevance may seem obvious but often we don’t dig deep enough into what is core to the work. Clearly you want to find something out – this is the essence of all research. For example, you might explore what your clients find most beneficial in your sessions together or you want to look at the ethical issues faced by the internal coaches you are training? A good initial statement but further reflection is needed to identify why this topic is important to you or your organisation, what need does this fulfill for you. ?Are there others for whom your enquiry will be relevant and how are you going to take them into account or collaborate with them. This will provide you with your research aims objectives and questions.

What is the Impact you want? Not just for you but what about others and who are they?

Impact is an intriguing criterion. At first glance it seems straightforward - you want to use the information you gather in service to your clients, but this requires deeper exploration specifically on what type of information you plan to collect. Research only comes alive when shared. It is improved with use and feedback from others and can lead to tangible benefits for all. Consider how to engage others through workshops, conferences or articles/publications. This will influence the format of your research outputs. ?Is your audience interested in hard numbers such as ‘30% of internal coaches identified alcohol misuse at work as an issue raised by clients’ or do they prefer richer descriptions of the lived experience of clients in their own words? You now have some idea as to whether your enquiry is quantitative or qualitative and what data collection tools you will need.

How can you be authentic as the enquirer? We all bring ourselves to our practice and will do so to our research so how does that contribute or hinder the work and in what ways?

Being authentic involves the congruence of your beliefs, values, and feelings with your actions. As a researcher, you are personally and deeply involved with the information you collect, influencing the amount, type, and analysis of data. Bias, assumptions, and 'taken for granteds' can hinder your research, leading you to inadvertently set out to 'prove' something rather than engage in genuine inquiry. If these elements take over, the rigor and trustworthiness of your research will diminish. It is crucial to remain aware of these potential pitfalls and strive for rigor and transparency throughout your research process. ?One way to work with this is to maintain a sense of ‘wonder’ similar to that employed in coaching. Allowing the uncertain to emerge and the unusual to be seen. Embracing this mindset allows researchers to remain open and unbiased, fostering genuine inquiry rather than preconceived conclusions.

A Research Coach or Critical Friend can be invaluable in this process. Serving as a thinking partner, they can help maintain this sense of wonder and openness, ensuring that the research remains authentic, rigorous, and impactful.

Depth and transcendence? Research is a chance to transcend the mundane -so what assumptions do you want to challenge?

In addition to personal biases, it's essential to scrutinize the assumptions held within specific cultural, social, and economic contexts. For example, we often take for granted that education is universally beneficial. However, the same education system may not serve everyone equally well. Individual needs vary based on learning preferences, social capital, and access to resources. Our favoured system aims to provide the best available education for the majority within tight economic constraints not the most appropriate and tailored for each individual.

Practitioner research, by its very nature, seeks to subvert such assumptions. As the Taoist text Tao Te Ching advises, "A good scientist (researcher) has freed herself of concepts and keeps her mind open to what is." A practitioner is well placed to see the impact of such bias at first hand and be able to identify where change is needed. I often ask practitioner researchers ‘what assumptions about your practice do you want to blow out of the water?’ and the answers are usually thrilling and surprising. This sense of adventure can sustain a researcher through the more difficult and tedious phases of their work, when it's normal to question why you started in the first place.

Continuity and Significance to Self? Does your research have potential to endure and hence is it worth the effort?

Finally, we come to a question rarely asked but one which I believe is essential. Is your research worth the effort? Regardless of the inquiry, learning is inevitable. Even today 40 years after my first research publication I learn something every time I engage in Research Coaching or my own research projects. But this is only part of what research effort can bring to you as a practitioner. To ensure that your research is worth the effort, it should possess appropriate depth, strong purpose for you, and continuity. Consider whether your research has the potential to endure and make a lasting impact on your practice and your field.

This has been a brief introduction to these criteria but hopefully one that has whetted your appetite to start your own enquires. It is probable that you have already developed new and effective practice as you move from novice to master. It is through practitioner research that you can elevate your new practices from opinion generated to evidenced base and achieve the appropriate professional impact. By using these criteria and maintaining authenticity and a sense of wonder, research can become a powerful tool for personal and professional development, ultimately leading to more effective and sustainable coaching practices.

Join us on October 9th at 11 AM EST for a webinar on Practitioner Research presented by Prof Annette Fillery-Travis.

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85249591931

Research Box is a podcast for all researchers with Prof Annette Fillery-Travis (an academic research) and Dr Russell Thackeray (a practitioner researcher). Together they discuss these criteria and some other useful frameworks

Written by: Prof Annette Fillery-Travis