Old Wine in New Bottles: Exploring Pragmatism as a Philosophical Framework for the Discipline of Coaching

Abstract

The practice and industry of organizational coaching are now well-established, but how it is understood theoretically continues to lag behind. Here, we analyze possible reasons for this state of affairs and argue that the development of coaching as an academic discipline will benefit from adopting philosophical pragmatism as an overarching theoretical framework. This move will enable coaching academics to utilize the contributions to knowledge that different paradigms generate. Positioning pragmatism as a theory of action, we argue that organizational coaching is by default a pragmatic enterprise and provide three examples of the considerable benefits to be gained by conceptualizing it this way: (1) Drawing from the pragmatists' ideas, particularly those of John Dewey, we demonstrate how the theoretical understanding of organizational coaching can be enhanced by considering its nature as a joint inquiry; (2) Pragmatism suggests development as an ultimate purpose for organizational coaching, which also helps to resolve fundamental conceptual debates; and (3) In light of the complexity and diversity involved in the way that organizational coaching is practiced, pragmatism offers coaches a useful framework for developing the flexibility required for navigating the multiplicity of influences on their practice.

Giving a voice to patient experiences through the insights of pragmatism

“…Moreover, care resonates with pragmatic notions surrounding self-cultivation whereby self-determination is developed, owing to synchronizing care to what is meaningful to the patient, notably in what constitutes helpfulness (Bachkirova & Borrington, 2019).…”

“…In this way, it furthers interconnection amongst things rather than dualism, as pragmatists see continuity between personal growth and a flourishing society (Uffelman, 2011). Moreover, care resonates with pragmatic notions surrounding self‐cultivation whereby self‐determination is developed, owing to synchronizing care to what is meaningful to the patient, notably in what constitutes helpfulness (Bachkirova & Borrington, 2019).…”

Understanding the Rise of Faculty–Student Coaching: An Academic Capitalism Perspective

“…This variation in the use of the term 'coaching' across the HE literature is representative of the wider academic and practice-based coaching literature where the use of Faculty-Student Coaching the term 'coaching' varies widely, with a wide range of labels often utilized with little or no differentiation (Bachkirova & Borrington, 2018). A further complication is that in practice the term 'coach' is so loosely used (Rogers, 2016) and that the term 'coaching' has become a generic signifier for terms such as 'soft skills' and 'people skills' (Western, 2012).…”

The Effects of Coachee Personality and Goal Orientation on Performance Improvement Following Coaching: A Controlled Field Experiment

“…Our study contributes to our understanding of the factors influencing the effectiveness of coaching, by utilizing a rigorous research design to test whether coachee characteristics interact with coaching and subsequently impact performance change. In doing so, we respond to calls for coaching researchers to extend our theoretical understanding of coaching practice supported by empirical research (Bachkirova & Borrington, 2018; Jones & Bozer, 2018). In focusing on the ATIs for coachee characteristics and coaching, we can further our understanding of who benefits most from coaching and theorize why these effects are observed.…”