What are the ethical challenges involved in being g an internal coach?
Katharine St John-Brooks EMCC UK Research & Ethics Community of Practice
Genesis of the research
• 2007 EMCC UK survey involving i l i 147 coaches h • Successful Ethics Awareness workshops o op • Trend in UK towards developing internal coaching provision (CIPD annual surveys surveys, 2007 & 2008) • Not a lot of research around internal coaching g and ethics
Relevant literature Frisch (2001)
• Role of external coach is “cleaner”
Hunt & Weintraub (2006)
• ‘Limited Limited confidentiality confidentiality’, conflicts of interest, interest boundaries
Frost (2007)
• Confidentiality issues, need for a contract
Rock & Donde (2008)
• Credibility, trust, confidentiality, conflict of interest, boundaries
Gillie (2005)
• Twelve scenarios posing ethical dilemmas
Wilson (2008)
• Organisations should develop their own tailored Codes of Ethics
Aquilina (2005)
• Need for framework, set of rules, protocol to ensure internal coaches remain detached
What was the research seeking to explore?
There were two key questions to examine:
What are the key ethical dil dilemmas that th t arise i for f internal coaches?
How can organisations H i ti best support their internal coaches to equip them to deal with such dilemmas in the thi l way? ? mostt ethical
Participants in the survey
• 123 internal i t l coaches h participated ti i t d in i the th research h from f the th following sectors
Type of clients coached
What were the “TOP TOP 10” 10 dilemmas?
1
Third parties wanting information/feedback about client
2
Role conflict i.e. where the coach’s ‘day job’ impinges on the coaching relationship
3
Client wanting to discuss an issue involving someone whom the coach knows well
4
Being told by client about inappropriate behaviour by someone but coach not being able to act on the information
5
Client’s personal issues affecting their performance (but client not wanting anyone to know)
6
Where relationships between coaching clients set up difficulties
7
Knowing something about the client’s client s future that they don don’tt know (and you can can’tt tell them)
8
Being unable to use information that could benefit the organisation
9
Client attempting to use sessions to further own agenda through influencing coach
10
Client wanting to discuss leaving the organisation
1
Thi d parties Third ti wanting ti information/feedback i f ti /f db k about b t client li t
• “Put under pressure to share some of the client's progress with his/her line manager. Never have, and when explained why, the line manager accepts that.” • “Being asked by the line manager how someone is doing. I said "great" in response and encouraged him to have the discussion with their direct report (my coachee), reminding him of the contract discussion and expectation laid out re progress updates they had agreed between the two of them. He accepted this and was very keen to do just that in order to demonstrate his continued interest and support of the individual.” • “Regularly “R l l asked k d by b the h sponsor to provide id information i f i on how h the coaching is going to a level of detail that we cannot provide but we do have clear boundaries around this.”
2
Role conflict i.e. where the coach coach’s s ‘day day job job’ impinges on the coaching relationship
• “Some conflict of interest when I have been involved in coaching internal clients through to Partnership, as I am also (one of many ( yp people) p ) involved in the sign g off p process for them becoming a Partner.” • “I have had to declare that as a result of potential confidentiality issues I was unable to take part in a personnel selection process.” • “I have been involved in coaching individuals around their performance and then subsequently p q y been asked to p provide HR support to a disciplinary process or grievance involving the same individual.”
3
Client wanting to discuss an issue involving someone whom the coach knows well
• “I was coaching a client who had a difficult stakeholder relationship with another member of staff within HR. Following a restructure,, I then took on line management g responsibility p y for the member of staff in HR. At that point, my client and I agreed that it would not be appropriate to continue.” • “Having knowledge or personal friendships with individuals that the coachee is talking about or having difficulty with, which was unknown when the coaching contract was agreed.” agreed ” • “Client discussing g negative g impact p a colleague’s g behaviour is having on them - colleague is a personal friend of coach.”
4
Being told by client about inappropriate behaviour by someone but coach not being able to act on the information
• “Where a client was referred and it turned out she had been bullied and was clearly suffering emotionally and confidence wise. I encouraged her to speak to her boss about it and took it to p I kept p asking g the q question about whether I could g get supervision. involved in blowing the whistle on the bully but in the end had to accept the person's choice not to take it further. I did also encourage her to get some external counselling.” • “Client told me that she knew a colleague was being bullied, and she had known for 2 years. Colleague did not want to tell anyone. Client was breaching bullying and harassment policy by not taking any action ” action. • “A junior person being bullied and feeling intimidated but not wanting to take it any further or talk to HR. Also here I had a concern around what h iis the h d duty off care as an iinternall coach h and d did the h person, b by telling me about their situation, feel they had told someone in 'authority'.”
5
Client s personal issues affecting their performance (but client not Client’s wanting anyone to know)
• “Someone who had issues in their personal life that were impacting their performance but they did not want to let people know what was going on in their life (it was long term illness of a parentt and d subsequent b t death d th off parent).” t) ” • “Recently I've been coaching someone who has been diagnosed with depression. Her partner is also having a nervous breakdown, and she has three children. The sponsor wanted more details as to why she was not performing at work. It was not my duty to disclose any information but suggested to the coachee that we set up a meeting with HR and her sponsor to discuss reduced workload for a short term.” • “Client divulging details of her being violently abused by her husband.”
6
Wh Where relationships l ti hi between b t coaching hi clients li t sett up difficulties diffi lti
• “Where I ended up coaching both a member of staff and their line manager (due to one of them changing roles). I asked each of them whether it was a problem for them to continue being coached by me, they both said it wasn't - but I found it difficult as a coach, as working with both of them at times compromised my objectivity.” • “Where I'm coaching two different people who use examples of interactions with the other person as part of their development focus (e.g. around style or influencing perhaps). I have to keep the two very separate in my mind and not link the two people in my sessions.” • “Where someone was referred and it turned out I was already working with one of their team so I didn't proceed and referred them to a colleague.”
7
Knowing something about the client’s client s future that they don don’tt know (and you can’t tell them)
• “A sponsor informs me that a client is not going to be promoted but has not yet told the client.” • “Where the client has shared they are going for a promotion or intending to leave the organisation and I have knowledge regarding the situation which may influence their decision.” decision ” • “Knowing g that an individual I was coaching g was g going g to be made redundant further to organisational review.” • “I I have been told about a coachee's coachee s lack of suitability for a senior position, but the coachee has not been told and I am then unable to tell them.”
8
B i Being unable bl to t use information i f ti that th t could ld benefit b fit the th organisation i ti
• “I was requested by a very senior manager to share information that would benefit the organisation.” • “Being aware of emerging organisational themes and not knowing what to do with them.” • “I have been informed that clients (regarded as potential high performers) p ) are p planning g to leave the organisation. g This information might be useful to the organisation, but as the information is 'content' I have not shared it.”
9
Client attempting to use sessions to further own agenda through influencing coach
• “One instance where I was asked to coach someone who had received feedback that he had been behaving inappropriately negative comments about colleagues and excessive criticism about b t th their i organisation. i ti He H tried t i d to t use the th coaching hi relationship to build a case for his defence.” • Coachee divulges information about close colleagues inviting coach to collude.” • “Clients sharing views regarding colleagues and expecting me to share my own view.” • “Client ‘used’ coaching to complain about his experience of line manager.”
10
Cli t wanting Client ti to t discuss di leaving l i the th organisation i ti
• “Coaching client raises the possibility of leaving the organisation. As an internal coach (and with responsibility for managing g g the coaching gp programme) g ) - does this raise a "return on investment" dilemma.” • “One of my coaching sessions contributed to my coachee deciding to leave the organisation. In my capacity of their coach, this information did not leave our coaching sessions until my coachee was ready to share with their LM.” LM ”
Reflecting on your initial training, to what extent do you feel it equipped you to deal with the ethical dilemmas you have encountered during your coaching?
Reflecting on support you get from your organisation to what extent do you feel it organisation, equips you, on an ongoing basis, to deal with the ethical dilemmas you encounter during your coaching? So around a sixth would have liked better training around ethics and a quarter would welcome more support e.g., support, e g CPD and/or supervision
Support provided by employers
Reflection on support provided by employers
• Very V mixed i d picture i t • Top op end: “They y have funded my y attendance at Academy y of o Executive Coaching Masterclasses, NLP diploma, Gestalt workshops” • Some organisations make attendance at supervision groups a requirement of continuing to coach • Bottom end: 8% indicated that they had access to no support at all “There is no p provision for internal coaches but I have my y own supervision arrangements and my own CPD which I fund myself as it is a disgrace that none is provided.”
The quotations that made the blood, sweat and d tears t worthwhile th hil • Some S responses tto “What “Wh t aspects t off your role l h has this thi questionnaire helped you to reflect upon?”
I've taken a note that we need to draft a contract between our organisation and the coach
It really has encouraged me to continue to support the supervision groups, particularly with members from other health systems to protect confidentiality and manage boundaries - thanks!
II've ve noticed that there are some challenging dilemmas that I would not necessarily know how to deal with (such as individuals doing things against the organisational code but may not be specifically a harm to self and others). I may amend the details on breaching confidentiality f in our contracting process
It has helped me to reflect on some aspects of the g strategy gy that need coaching to be clear - limits of confidentiality, coaching agreements and how the organisation deals with complaints about coaches
It's made me realise some of the gaps we have in our internal coaching provision for example around group supervision
The quotations that made the blood, sweat and d tears t worthwhile th hil • Some S responses tto “What “Wh t aspects t off your role l h has this thi questionnaire helped you to reflect upon?”
Complete lack of organisational support for coaching (training (training, guidelines, advice, supervision etc) This questionnaire has made me reflect on both the need for a 1:1 coaching supervisor and group g supervision p coaching
My lack of information on who to refer clients to with needs greater than coaching
It has made me think of the problems p that can be faced by the mentors in respect in respect of clients e.g. alcohol, mental health, bereavement
Need to review coaching strategy - include ethics
The quotations that made the blood, sweat and d tears t worthwhile th hil • Some S responses tto “What “Wh t aspects t off your role l h has this thi questionnaire helped you to reflect upon?”
The type of issues we can expect to encounter. It has also reinforced the need for the team to discuss the ethical issues we face
Very in reflecting y helpful p g on my own ethical practice
We are in the process of looking at what we need to make this work in our organisation. i ti The Th questions ti have challenged me to think about the structures that could be in place to support the process/Client/Coaches
I have found this questionnaire very thought provoking and helpful particularly around the areas of contracting between the i ti d the th coach h in i organisation and terms of what is expected of us
I need to think more deeply about my ethics and ensure they are clear. I need to write them down.
It's made me realise some of the gaps we have in our internal coaching provision for example around written contracts
Conclusions (1)
Internal coaches do experience a wide range of ethical dilemmas in their client work Those coaches who received appropriate training and support seemed to work. navigate these ethical waters without much difficulty Some employers need to provide more CPD opportunities and support or supervision to their coaches
Some employers need to give greater attention to ensuring that coach training includes a greater focus on ethics
Some employers need to focus more on the content of coaches’ contracts with their clients
Conclusions (2)
Some coaches need more clarity around whether they are bound by a Code of g has a p procedure for dealing g with complaints p about Ethics;; if their organisation coaches; if they hold a recognised coaching qualification; whether there is a set period after which they have to destroy any written records etc Only 62% of the coaches in the sample were bound by any kind of Code of Ethics. That’s not enough!
EMCC could be doing more to help internal coaches and their employers with these issues. Watch this space p …
Organisations who participated in the research
