THE SHIFT IN COACHING DYNAMICS DURING LONG-TERM BUSINESS COACHING ...

180 Pages·2011·1.28 MB·English

by  Rebecca Hosmer

THE SHIFT IN COACHING DYNAMICS
DURING LONG-TERM BUSINESS COACHING RELATIONSHIPS

AXEL E. MEIERHOEFER

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to the Ph.D. in Leadership & Change Program
of Antioch University
in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

May, 2011
This is to certify that the dissertation entitled:

THE SHIFT IN COACHING DYNAMICS DURING LONG-TERM BUSINESS COACHING
RELATIONSHIPS

prepared by

Axel E. Meierhoefer

is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in
Leadership & Change.

Approved by:

_______________________________________________________________
Mitchell Kusy, Ph.D., Committee Chair date

_______________________________________________________________
Carolyn Kenny, Ph.D., Committee Member date

_______________________________________________________________
Louellen Essex, Ph.D., Committee Member date

_______________________________________________________________
Cynthia Roman, Ph.D., External Reader date
Copyright 2010 Axel E. Meierhoefer
All rights reserved
Acknowledgements
My thanks go out to my committee chair, Dr. Mitch Kusy, who took me under his wings
when it looked like I could not read fast enough, well enough, or ever finish a literature review as
part of learning how to perform on a scholarly level. We have not always spoken the exact same
language, which might appear logical for a non-native speaker and a native speaker, but our
conversations were always in the spirit of success and support. Mitch, thanks for that from the
bottom of my heart.
I could not have done this work without Dr. Carolyn Kenny, who often encouraged me
when I was frustrated, gently introduced me to phenomenology—the method she made me
love—and who pushed me when there was more to gain from one more layer of inquiry. I thank
Dr. Louellen Essex and Dr. Cynthia Roman for giving me examples of excellent work and for
being very fast when the finish line drew near. All of you allowed me to expand my horizons
and abilities beyond what I could have ever imagined possible, and you did it with a gentle,
while persistent touch.
Finally, the greatest amount of gratitude goes to my family, my daughter, and especially
my wife, Heidi, who loved me when I was grumpy, who allowed me to stay in “the cave” for
hours and days on end, and who always encouraged me when thought I could not do it. I love
you and know our love has allowed us to overcome every hurdle in the last quarter century and
will be the foundation that will carry us to new successes in the next quarter century.
Many more people in my company team, my business partners, and in my cohort helped
and supported me and I am very thankful to them for letting me be who I am and develop slowly.
This journey has taken 7 years to complete and now feels more like passing through a starting
gate than reaching the finish line.
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Abstract
The focus of this dissertation was on the changes in long-term external business coaching
relationships (defined as more than 4 months). The current study intended to answer two
questions: (a) how does the relationship between a coach and a coachee change in long-term
coaching engagements? and (b) how do these changes impact the coaching process dynamics and
results? The phenomenon that was discovered through this research is called the shift moment.
It exemplifies the transition from skill or problem oriented issues, which often represent the
original cause of the coaching relationship, to the holistic transformation of the coachee. A
qualitative study using a phenomenological approach and semi-structured interviews of 8
participants was conducted. Multiple rounds of interviews were performed to allow increasing
depth. The interview plan was developed based on a previous pilot study. The semi-structured
interviews lasted 55 to 75 minutes, were conducted via phone or digital meeting software, and
were recorded and transcribed. Detailed findings centered around 4 themes: trust and depth;
shifting dynamics; the new, post shift moment coachee; and the impact for leadership and
coaching. First, a significant level of in-depth trust between the coach and the coachee was
fundamental to a successful long-term coaching relationship. Second, the indications in shifts
from short-term to long-term relationships were diverse and, to be able to recognize them, the
coach needed to be very sensitive and experienced. Third, while the coachee was initially
interested in business-related issues, over the long-term coaching relationship, the shift moment
opened the focus to the whole person. The various behaviors that identified the coachees in
relationships with employees, bosses, and the organization as a whole, involved the way they
expressed themselves when they encountered others, and often evolved into new behaviors.
Fourth, the shift moment experience and resulting long-term coaching relationship had impact on
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the coachee’s new behaviors for business, leadership, and for the coachee as a person in all
aspects of life. The confirmation of a shift in dynamics, the discovery of the shift moment, and a
limited set of indicators that signified the occurrence of this moment were important results of
this study. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center,
www.ohiolink.edu/etd

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements i

Abstract ii

Table of Contents iv

List of Tables vi

List of Figures vii

Chapter I: Introduction 1

Situating the Researcher 6

Purpose of Study and Formal Research Question 10

Literature Disparity 14

Scope, Limitations, Delimitations, and Criteria for Evaluation 15

Contents of This Dissertation 18

Chapter II: Literature Review 21

Need for Coaches and Benefits of Coaching 22

What Clients Need From Coaching 23

Definition of Coaching 25

Advantages and Disadvantages of Internal and External Business Coaches 29

Models of Coaching 33

Effective Coaching 36

Leadership is Part of Being an Effective Coach 38

Leadership Qualities 38

Leadership Styles 40

Overview of Mentoring 41

Coaching Versus Mentoring 42

Long-term Coaching 45

Choosing a Coach 46

Research Data About Background of External Business Coaches 48

Chapter III: Methodology 51

Positioning the Researcher 51

Qualitative Methods in General 52

Phenomenology 54

History of Phenomenology 55

Husserl’s Ideas on a Pure Phenomenology and on a Phenomenological Philosophy 56

Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception 58

Phenomenology as a Discipline 59

How is Conscious Experience Studied? 59

Seven Widely Accepted Features of the Phenomenological Approach 60

Specific Method in Phenomenology 63

Instruments: In-depth, Semi-structured Interviewing 66

Procedures 69

How was the Interview Plan Developed? 70

Participants 73

Analysis 74

Ethical Issues 75

Chapter IV: Results 78

Karen 82

The Early Stages 83

The Shift/Transition 84

Working in the Deep Relationship 86

Coachee Feedback/Reflection 86

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The Role of the Coach/Name 86

Uwe 87

The Early Stages 88

The Shift/Transition 89

Working in the Deep Relationship 90

Coachee Feedback/Reflection 91

The Role of the Coach/Name 91

Jacqueline 92

The Early Stages 93

Working in the Deep Relationship 94

Coachee Feedback/Reflection 95

The Role of the Coach/Name 96

Chris 97

The Early Stages 98

The Shift/Transition 99

Working in the Deep Relationship 100

Coachee Feedback/Reflection 101

The Role of the Coach/Name 102

Harry 102

The Early Stages 103

The Shift/Transition 104

Working in the Deep Relationship 105

The Role of the Coach/Name 106

Mike 107

The Early Stages 107

The Shift/Transition 108

Working in the Deep Relationship 111

The Role of the Coach/Name 112

Kristin 113

The Early Stages 113

The Shift/Transition 115

Working in the Deep Relationship 115

Feedback/Reflection/Role 116

HeideMarie 117

The Early Stages 118

The Shift/Transition 119

Working in the Deep Relationship 119

Coachee Feedback/Reflection 121

Chapter V: Conclusion 122

Relationships 126

Trust and Depth 132

Shifting Dynamics 135

The New Coachee—Post Shift Moment 137

Impact for Leadership and Business 140

Summary 142

Chapter VI: Impact on Leadership, Change, and Coaching 145

Leadership and Leadership Behaviors 147

Implications for Coaching 150

Opportunities for Future Research 152

References 155

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List of Tables
Table 2.1 Common Terms Related to Coaching 25

Table 2.2 Advantages and Disadvantages of Internal and External Business Coaches 30

Table 2.3 Leadership Attributes (Frank, 2005) 38

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List of Figures
Figure 2.1 Background of External Business Coaches (Pennington, 2009) 48

Figure 2.2 Experience of External Business Coaches (Pennington, 2009) 49

Figure 3.1 Interview Rounds Increasing Depth and Decreasing Quantity 69

Figure 4.1 Sequential Procedures of Study 82

Figure 4.2 Structure Used to Organize Interview Results 82

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