DESPITE DRAMATIC growth in the use of coaching in organisations in recent years, very few organisations are using coaching supervision to support their coaches and to get the best value from their coaching services
DESPITE DRAMATIC growth in the use of coaching in organisations in recent years, very few organisations are using coaching supervision to support their coaches and to get the best value from their coaching services.
A recent UK survey found that less than half (44 per cent) of coaches say they are receiving regular supervision, and less than a quarter (23 per cent) of organisations who use coaching are providing coaching supervision.
Despite this limited use of coaching supervision, the picture has improved significantly in recent years, with 58 per cent of those coaches receiving supervision having begun the process in the last two years.
“Supervision is really only beginning to be established in the coaching profession. We know that it can yield enormous benefits for coaches, for their clients and for the organisations which employ them,” said Eileen Arney, coaching advisor for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), which conducted the study.
“There is a growing minority of coaches and organisers of coaching who are committed to developing models of supervision which meet the needs of the coaching profession.”
The report highlighted elements of good practice in coaching supervision, such as ensuring it takes place regularly – gaps of more than six weeks between sessions are not recommended, and a ratio of approximately one hour supervision to 35 hours coaching (or 20 hours coaching for a trainee) is recommended.
Furthermore, coaching supervision provides support and professional development for the coach, using reflective learning to constantly improve practice and performance.
The report was based on responses from 525 coaches and 128 managers and purchasers of coaching.
