The expected increased technological innovation, workplace transformation, and ecological change call for universal action. As we build this collection, we will share major patterns evolving within the future of coaching, including: coaching supervision, team coaching, technology and artificial intelligence, social return on investment and measuring impact, managers and leaders using coaching skills, coaching cultures, positive psychology, neuroscience, and niche coaching. Potential issues to consider are coach complacency, coaching redundancy, coach pricing, and coaching regulation.
Transdisciplinary thinking bridges the gap between coaching practice and research
Our Wisdom Weavers argue that coaching practice has outpaced research. Pooling resources to examine coaching through multiple disciplines provides a unique opportunity to better understand coaching and human development.
To Go Where No One Has Gone Before, But Where We All Will Be Going
Wisdom Weaver Richard Boyatzis reflects on the history of coaching research and how global thinkers are preparing for the future of coaching.
Coaching outcomes are nuanced and difficult to quantify
The outcomes of coaching are multifaceted and difficult to measure. This subtlety can conflict with standard workplace norms that prioritize objective return on investment and quick, measurable change.
Angela Passarelli maps the iceberg of brain activity in coaching research
Coaching research has historically relied on asking questions about the coaching experience as observed by coaches, their clients, and researchers. Angela Passarelli dives deeper to explore what happens in the brain on an unconscious level.
Racial and cultural barriers in the coaching profession
To understand the evolution of coaching as a profession, it’s important to examine the role of race. In this discussion, Jonathan Passmore and Morel Fourman explore areas where Black coaches are underrepresented and reflect on the long history of coaching, which is rooted in cultural practices that span the globe.
Jonathan Passmore illuminates aspects of coaching in need of further research
While celebrating significant breakthroughs in the field of coaching, Jonathan Passmore offers five emerging topics for coaches to examine in the future.
Enhancing clients’ self-awareness as a catalyst for change and growth
As Wisdom Weaver Ellen Van Oosten explains, “the central premise [of] coaching is fundamentally about change.” The coaching relationship offers unique tools to guide clients through self-reflection and define personalized growth.
Michael Cavanagh explores opportunities for coaching measurement, competencies, and frameworks
Learning, developing, and implementing coaching competencies has become essential within the coaching profession. In this talk, Michael Cavanagh dives deeper into the world of coaching competencies and frameworks and discusses benefits, drawbacks, and opportunities for future research.
The ‘Glass Cliff’ and other workplace issues minorities face
In the workplace, women and minorities face distinct challenges that hamper career growth and undermine their confidence. Our experts highlight three of these perils: the glass cliff, risk taxes, and microaggressions.
Ellen Van Oosten considers ways to measure coaching effectiveness through outcomes for the workplace
Wisdom Weaver Ellen Van Oosten zeroes in on coaching outcomes for coach and client. By defining the outcomes of coaching, she illustrates how to measure coaching effectiveness for individual clients as well as companies investing in professional development.
Culturally competent coaching meets clients in their context: Christian van Nieuwerburgh
An experienced coach adapts to meet the contextual needs of their client. In his presentation on coaching in Islamic countries, Christian van Nieuwerburgh describes how changing the language, process, and goals of coaching allowed him to better serve Muslim clients in the Middle East.
Wisdom Weavers envision coaches as agents for systemic change
Coaches work in nearly every area of human experience, but this intervention type is primarily limited to individual or organizational change. Throughout the 2021 Future of Coaching Convening, Wisdom Weavers explored new frontiers to expand coaching to a systemic level.
Melvin Smith connects coaching mechanisms to long-term change
Melvin Smith offers insight into what motivates people to achieve lasting change. In his talk, Smith describes various strategies that coaches can apply to help their clients reach their desired outcomes.
Identifying the lasting outcomes of coaching
Coaching outcomes are not always straightforward. Wisdom Weavers navigate ways to measure client satisfaction, perception change, and enhanced performance.
Addressing inequality through a coaching approach
Coaching is shown to facilitate personal growth and development, additionally, it has the power to address inequality, according to our Wisdom Weavers.
International coaching will look to new voices and models
Western institutions produce the bulk of coaching research. As the field grows globally, international scholars will lead the way in shaping contextually relevant coaching practices.
Outside perspectives inform coaching practice
Non-traditional fields and areas of practice, such as the helping professions and behavior change research offer valuable insights for coaching practitioners. Our experts Margaret Moore, Melvin Smith, and Angela Passarelli, discuss how healthcare coaching and Intentional Change Theory, and other lines of research illuminate aspects of human development relevant to coaching.
Gender and coaching, Andromachi Athanasopoulou explores opportunities for growth
Professional women pursue leadership and career development in stages. Andromachi Athanasopoulou examines in her talk how gender and coaching research intertwine, with implications for coaches…
Understanding the role of trauma in the client’s journey
Amidst a global pandemic and climate crisis Jonathan Passmore suggests that humanity is facing an “existential crisis,” and that individuals may one day ask “what role in particular coaching has to play in the existential crisis we faced as humanity?”
Exploring the coach-client relationship
Almost every field has well-worn traditions and behavioral norms. In order for growth to occur, people need to become aware of their current patterns and then nurture their natural curiosity for new and better ways of accomplishing goals. Ellen Van Oosten encourages such questioning by posing the question “How do we move beyond the establishment of coaching work?”
Overcoming biases to connect authentically with clients
Coaching from a place of humble inquiry gives clients the space to define how identity and experiences shape their goals. Using this same tool, coaches can examine how their own implicit biases influence the coaching relationship.
Process research reveals divergent experiences for coach and client: Erik de Haan
When Dr. Erik De Haan mapped the critical moments of a coaching session, he found a surprising disconnect; coaches often underestimate the positive impact of coaching for their clients.
Margaret Moore highlights barriers to women’s workplace progress and how coaching offers hope
In 2020, one in three mothers considered leaving the workforce, according to McKinsey & Company’s annual Women in the Workplace study. In this talk, Margaret Moore illuminates both progress and setbacks women faced in recent years, and the positive role coaching plays in reducing burnout.
Research needs on coaching competencies
To advance the quality of coaching, training organizations and accreditation associations seek to base their efforts on competency models. To date, none of the existing competency models are based on research validating the competencies that predict client change or effective coaching. For the profession to advance, researchers must empirically establish what makes a coach distinct and which skills are essential for effective practice.
“Critical Moments” research informs the coaching practice
‘Critical Moments’ research explores the limits and potentials of human attention and memory. Comparing the memories that coaches and clients share, reveals how the coaching relationship generates personal discovery and satisfaction for both parties.
ICF Research Portal
The ICF Research Portal is an online resource for researchers and academics to see streams of research on coaching. The portal contains entries for more than 4,000 articles, case studies and reports about coaching and related topics. The interface includes a stream view that allows users to view references and citations both backward and forward in time.