A comparison of mentor and coach approaches across disciplines Coaching and Mentoring Research Conference at Oxford Brookes University: January 2014 TINA SALTER DCAM STUDENT

Diversification of the field has contributed to definitional confusion: – Personally – Professional bodies and training providers varying in focus – Literature definitions inconclusive and often limited to the author’s experience Clarification of mentoring and coaching needed: – Instil greater confidence in the profession as it becomes more established – Appreciate the complexities, specific client needs and practitioner approaches within and across disciplines THE PROBLEM

MENTORING Membership Organisations: COACHING Membership Organisations: MENTORING AND COACHING Membership Organisations: Mentoring and Befriending Foundation ( Association for Coaching ( European Mentoring and Coaching Council ( International Mentoring Network Organization ( The Worldwide Association of Business Coaches ( The Coaching and Mentoring Network ( International Association of Coaching ( International Coach Federation ( Coaching Supervision Academy ( The Association for Professional Executive Coaching and Supervision ( MENTORING AND COACHING MEMBERSHIP ORGANISATIONS

A comparative case study using a social constructivist approach Six mentoring and coaching disciplines were selected in order to explore how practitioner approaches might be similar or different RESEARCH APPROACH

Mentors Of young people Of leaders Of newly qualified teachers RATIONALE FOR SIX DISCIPLINES Coaches Sports Psycholo -gist Executive Criteria: Established disciplines where existing research can be found Disciplines where practitioners can specialise or work full-time Disciplines which offer elements for comparison

Semi-structured interviews Three participants representative of each discipline (18 in total) Thematic analysis was used to analyse interview transcripts Each discipline was analysed separately before comparisons were made between all mentors and all coaches; and then comparisons were made across all disciplines METHODOLOGY

Discipline-specific approaches – nature or nurture? Mentors of Young People  Understand the needs of young people  Normally adopt a non-directive approach  Do not usually need to have any specialist knowledge  Understand safeguarding, child protection and boundary-setting  Normally work with the mentee long term Mentors of Leaders  Understand the needs of leaders and senior managers  Normally adopt a directive approach when focusing on skills  Require specialist sector and leadership knowledge  Understand organisational culture  Normally work with the mentee long term Mentors of Newly Qualified Teachers  Understand the needs of teachers  Normally adopt a directive approach  Require specialist teaching knowledge  Understand school culture  Normally work with the mentee long term

With child protection and safeguarding there are limits to what can be kept back (mentor of young people) Sponsorship mentoring which is very cleverly about the mentor being somebody very senior in the profession doing things on behalf of the mentee… somebody who is very protective (mentor of leaders) It will be somebody in their faculty because they can discuss very specific lesson planning or very specific syllabus type stuff (mentor of newly qualified teachers) EXAMPLES OF DISCIPLINE- SPECIFIC MENTORING KNOWLEDGE

Discipline-specific approaches – nature or nurture? Executive Coaches  Understand the needs of executives  Normally adopt a non-directive approach  Do not normally require specialist knowledge about coachees’ skill-set  Understand aspects of organisational culture  Normally work with coachee short term Coaching Psychologists  Understand the internal needs of humans  Normally adopt a non-directive approach  Require training in psychology  Normally understand aspects of organisational culture  Normally work with coachee short term Sports Coaches  Understand the physical needs of humans  Normally adopt an instructional approach  Require training in sports coaching  Understand technicalities of sport  Normally work with coachee long term

When I am working with my clients today who are often running a section, or sitting on a board, I have credibility immediately because I understand and I have been there (executive coach) I am equipped therefore to go into domains that other coaches might not be because I have that psychology and psychotherapy training. But only if the individual wants to do that. It is very client-led (coaching psychologist) You have to understand the role of the player in that position. And for me, to look at the technical, tactical, psychological, biomechanical and social side of the development of the individual and within a team (sports coach). EXAMPLES OF DISCIPLINE- SPECIFIC COACHING KNOWLEDGE

INTER- DISCIPLINARY SHARED PHILOSOPHIES

INTER- DISCIPLINARY SHARED APPROACHES

A greater acknowledgement of where and how mentor and coach approaches adapt according to the discipline they are situated within Coaching young people, mentoring athletes and coaching NQTs need greater theoretical attention DEVELOPMENT OF THEORY

The need for practitioners, purchasers and referrers to understand how mentoring and coaching disciplines are shaped; and where alternative approaches might better fit the need of the client Offer mentors and coaches the opportunity to receive training so that any specialist knowledge required of a new discipline can be learned For practitioners to grow and become more equipped and supported to mentor and coach competently in range of settings; or be clear about the reasons why they have chosen to specialise DEVELOPMENT OF PRACTICE

Due to the limitations of this study, further research is needed which appreciates alternative angles and experiences: Additional perspectives from other disciplines The mentee-coachee perspective Views and experiences from other stakeholders THE NEED FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

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