This paper explores the beliefs and assumptions that executive coaches hold about their coachees’ identities and how they perceive that this impacts on their coaching practice. The research explored how coaches approach the construction of personal identities through the life narrative. The methodology adopted was Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, Flowers, Larkin, 2009). The findings indicate that coaches recognise that their coachees hold multiple and shifting identities including professional, social and personal identities. Coaches tended to see identity as a "subtext" to their coaching practice.
CreswellJ. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design. London: Sage.
8.
Czarniawska-JoergesB. (1994). Narratives of individual and organizational identities, in DeetzS. (Eds), Communication Yearbook, 17, 193–221. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
9.
DamasioA. (2010). Self comes to mind: Constructing the conscious brain: The evolution of consciousness, New York: Pantheon Books.
10.
DennettD. (1991). Consciousness explained. New York: Back Bay Books.
11.
DiamondM. & AllcornS. (2009). Private selves in public organisation: The psychodynamics of organisational diagnosis. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
12.
DuBrinA.J. (2010). Impression management in the workplace: Research theory and practice. London: Routledge.
13.
FeinbergT.E. (2009). From axons to identity. Neurological explorations of the nature of the self, New York: Norton & Co.
McAdamsD.P. (1993). The stories we live by. Personal myths and the making of the self. New York: The Guilford Press.
24.
Moss KanterR. (1993). Men and women of the corporation. New York: Basic Books.
25.
ParkerM. (2000). Organisational culture and identity: Unity and division at work. London: Sage.
26.
ReedyP. (2009). The manager's tale; Stories of managerial identity. Surrey: Ashgate.
27.
RicoeurP. (1984). Time and narrative. Chicago. Chicago University Press.
28.
RogersJ. (2004) Coaching skills: A handbook. Buckingham: Open University Press.
29.
RossiterM (Ed.) (2007) Possible selves and adult learning: Perspectives and potential. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. No. 114. Summer 2007.
SmithJ. A. & OsbornM. (2008.) Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In SmithJ.A (Ed) Qualitative research: A practical guide to research methods. London: Sage.
SwannW. B.Jr. (1987). Identity negotiation: Where two roads meet. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 1038–1051.
34.
SynderM. (1974). Self-monitoring of expressive behaviour, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 30(4), 526–537.
35.
TajfelH. & TurnerJ. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In AustinW. G. & WorchelS. (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations. Monterey, CA: Brooks-Cole.
36.
Ting-ToomeyS. (1993). Communication resourcefulness: An identity-negotiation perspective. In WisemanR. & KoesterJ. (Eds.), Intercultural communication competence (pp. 72–111). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
37.
van DeurzenE. & AdamsM (2010). Skills in existential counselling and psychotherapy, London: Sage.
38.
WeickK.E. (1995). Sensemaking in organizations. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
