1. What are the main features of Late Career Reinvention Coaching?
Laura Walker

2. Today … 20 mins informing 20 mins discussing
Research context & choice
Terms (briefly)
Methodology
Ethics & limitations
Findings
Conclusions and implications
20 mins informing
20 mins discussing
Feel free to ask questions

3. Same categories for clients and coaches – but orientation varied
WHAT ARE THE MAIN FEATURES OF LATE CAREER REINVENTION COACHING – A GTM STUDY TO INFORM DEVELOPMENT OF COACHING PRACTICE
1. RESEARCH CONTEXT AND CHOICE
We are living & working longer (100 year life already upon us)
Some argue there are unique career and psychosocial issues for late career
Growing literature in related disciplines – especially careers policy, economics, developmental psychology, and of course the popular press
But … extremely limited literature for coaching and no empirical research
Let’s not forget my own personal interest and professional curiosity!
2. TERMS – informed by the literature
Career: “The evolving sequence of a person’s work experiences over time” (Arthur, Hall and Lawrence, 1989 p421)
Late career: When individuals believe they are moving into the final chapter(s) of their working lives. Likely to be after years of age.
Reinvention: Significant occupation change & psychological transition
Coaching: Potentially a range of approaches, not limited to career coaching
3. METHODOLOGY
Interpretivist-constructionist + Critical realism. Qualitative & inductive. GTM - Corbin and Strauss, 2015.
14 participants (7 clients + 7 coaches), semi-structured phone interviews
4. ETHICS & LIMITATIONS
Ethical considerations (OBU guidelines)
Risk of influence from the literature
Voluntary, data confidentiality, option to withdraw
Reflexivity
Challenge from others, journal, GTM rigour, process of writing up!
Limitations
Professional network
Size, gender mix (5 female, 2 male)
What rather than why at this stage
5. FINDINGS – 3 main features (categories and sub-categories)
Discovering – journeying to become more of me
It’s all about me – and all of me; Non-linear navigating; Unbiased, challenging supporter
Systemic readiness
Sufficient dissatisfaction; Basic needs ok; Everyone ready enough?
Dancing with fear and self-confidence
Dynamic and changing; Gearing affect and effect; I’ll be OK.
Same categories for clients and coaches – but orientation varied
6. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS
Takes time (between 3 and 8 years), non-linear, brings big questions as well as practical challenges, only recognised as reinvention in hindsight
More coaching during late career reinvention – late career is only part
Key implications for coaching practice
Discovering – more than exploring or deciding, and not someone else
Unbiased, challenging supporter – can be tricky
Navigating wide ranging conversations (and approaches) without narrowing
Position and proximity to the ‘dancing with fear and confidence’

4. A mini quiz to get us started ….
Which career theories / models are familiar?
Career anchors
Career stage
Lifespan-life space
Life designing / career construction
Protean career
Portfolio career
What % of 20 year olds will live to 100?
What % of over 50s would continue to engage in ‘work’ even if they didn’t need to financially?
In late career, do men or women change work more frequently?
How long did it take my participants to reinvent?
A mini quiz to get us started ….

5. 1. Research context & choice

6. Career: “The evolving sequence of a person’s work experiences over time” (Arthur, Hall and Lawrence, 1989 p421) Late career: When individuals believe they are moving into the final chapter(s) of their working lives. Likely to be after years of age Reinvention: Significant occupation change & psychological transition Coaching: Potentially a range of approaches, not limited to career coaching
2. Terms

7. 3. Methodology INTERPRETIVIST-CONSTRUCTIONIST + CRITICAL REALISM
QUALITATIVE & INDUCTIVE
GTM – CORBIN AND STRAUSS (2015) - CREDIBILITY

9. 4. Ethics & limitations

10. 5. Findings

11. Journeying to be more of me
THE MAIN FEATURES OF COACHING DURING LATE CAREER REINVENTION
DISCOVERING
Journeying to be more of me
A ‘COMPASS’ TO SUPPORT THE NON-LINEAR AND MULTI-LEVEL NATURE OF THIS COACHING
Sufficient
dissatisfaction
Vulnerability
Liberated
INNER
PRACTICAL
OUTER
DEEPER
UNBIASED
SUPPORTING
CHALLENGING
SELF
Systemic alignment
Systemic alignment
Fear
Confidence
Confidence
Fear

12. 6. Conclusions – overall

13. 6. Conclusions - implications for coaching practice