Conceptualizing the distinctiveness of team coaching

Abstract

Purpose Team coaching (TC) is a popular new addition to the team learning and development toolkit. However, the conceptualization of TC and the distinction between TC, team training, team development and team building interventions remains unclear. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The authors address this significant gap by abductively exploring how TC is conceptualised in practice (n=410). The authors survey practitioners engaged in delivering TC to ask how they would define TC and distinguish it from other team interventions. Findings A thematic analysis of the data reveals eight themes, which can be used to define TC and illustrate areas of overlap and distinctiveness with other team interventions. Research limitations/implications The absence of a clearly defined construct is hindering the development of a rigorous theory of TC. The contribution of the paper is, therefore, a clear and comprehensive definition of TC, which can be used by researchers and practitioners alike when working within the domain of TC. Originality/value The paper provides the first systematic exploration of a definition of TC in relation to alternative team interventions. By utilising an abductive approach in the research, the authors are able to capitalise on practitioner experience in this practice-led field.

The Emergence of Shared Leadership in Innovation Labs

“…Building on the previous shared leadership research that emphasizes interactions with vertical leader influences, it could be presumed that team coaching can also shape the emergence or effectiveness of shared leadership. Still, the concept of team coaching is highly specific to the respective empirical context and has been understood in distinct ways ( Jones et al, 2019 ).…”

Understanding the factors that determine workplace coaching effectiveness: a systematic literature review

“…Likewise, team coaching contains many unique challenges for the coach not present in one-to-one coaching that could influence the validity of conclusions drawn when studies exploring one-to-one coaching are combined with studies exploring team coaching. For example, Jones, Napiersky, Lyubovnikova and Chretien (2017) demonstrate that team coaching requires the coach to demonstrate coaching skills not necessarily required in one-to-one coaching. Such as, simultaneously managing multiple perspectives and facilitating the building of trusting relationships between the numerous coachees present in the same team coaching intervention.…”

Entrepreneurial Coaching: A Two‐Dimensional Framework in Context

“…We indeed found a similarly enlarged scope. In contrast to WPC (Jones et al, 2019; Kotte, 2019), interviewees reported more outcomes of EC on the venture‐related than the individually focused results level and substantial business‐related learning outcomes in addition to self‐related learning. Four of the seven coach functions of EC target the venture, either exclusively (as in coach as business development assistant ) or in combination with addressing entrepreneurs’ tasks and responsibilities (e.g.…”

“…Jones et al, 2016;Schreyögg, 2010). Therefore, WPC is generally considered to be a primarily process-oriented type of consultation (Jones, Napiersky, & Lyubovnikova, 2019;Schreyögg, 2010). The specification "workplace" delimits WPC from other types of coaching that are not focused on professional issues (e.g.…”

“…These can partly be related to established mentor functions of EM and to emerging attempts to categorize coach roles and common factors of WPC and executive coaching (e.g. Behrendt & Greif, 2018;Berman, 2019;Jones et al, 2019;Segers, Vloeberghs, Henderickx, & Inceoglu, 2011). Still, in EC, coach behaviors and their impact upon outcomes remain largely unexplored.…”