A New Sense of Self: Exploring the Experience of Coaching during a Full Time Master of Business Administration Programme

Abstract

This study used the interpretative phenomenological analysis approach to explore how five full time Master of Business Administration (FTMBA) students experienced coaching during their studies. Life stage transition was apparent for all five students and coaching was found to help the participants to deepen their self-awareness and develop a more empowered sense of self. The safe holding space provided by coaching was a key source of support which enabled them to deal with the psychological adjustments inherent in transition and to develop new strategies to realise their future vision. Implications and recommendations for coaching theory and practice are discussed.

Keywords

interpretative phenomenological analysis transition life stage MBA coaching

References

Arthur

M. B.

(1994) ‘The boundaryless career: a new perspective for organizational inquiry’, Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15(4), pp. 295–306.

Arthur

M. B.

, Claman

P. H.

and DeFillippi

R. J.

(1995) ‘Intelligent enterprise, intelligent careers’, Academy of Management Executive, 9(4), pp. 7–20. doi: 10.5465/AME.1995.9512032185.

Bluckert

(2005) ‘The foundations of a psychological approach to executive coaching’, Industrial & Commercial Training, 37(4), pp. 171–178. doi: 10.1108/00197850510602060.

Bridges

(2004) Transitions Making Sense of Life's Changes. 2nd edn. United States of America: Da Capo Press.

Bryman

(2016) Social research methods, Fifth edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Dubouloy

(2004) ‘The transitional space and self-recovery: A psychoanalytical approach to high-potential managers’ training’, Human Relations, 57(4), pp. 467–496. doi: 10.177/0018726704043896.

Dunn

T. R.

and Merriam

S. B.

(1995) ‘Levinson's Age Thirty Transition: Does it Exist?’, Journal of Adult Development, 2(2), pp. 113–124.

Eby

L. T.

, Butts

and Lockwood

(2003) ‘Predictors of success in the era of the boundaryless career’, Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24(6), pp. 689–708. doi: 10.1002/job.214.

Florent-Treacy

(2009) ‘Behind the scenes in the identity laboratory: Participants’ narratives of identity transition through group coaching in a leadership development programme’, International Coaching Psychology Review, 4(1), pp. 71–86.

10.

Gramling

L. F.

(2007) ‘Women in young and mid-adulthood: Theory advancement and retroduction’, Advances in Nursing Science, 30(2), pp. 95–107. doi: 10.1097/01.ANS.0000271101.49667.0c.

11.

Harper

(2002) ‘Talking about pictures: A case for photo elicitation’, Visual Studies, 17(1), pp. 13–26. doi: 10.1080/14725860220137345.

12.

Ibarra

(2003) Working identity: unconventional strategies for reinventing your career. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press.

13.

Ibarra

and Obodaru

(2016) ‘Betwixt and between identities: Liminal experience in contemporary careers’, Research in Organizational Behavior, 36, pp. 47–64. doi: 10.1016/j.riob.2016.11.003.

14.

Kegan

and Lahey

L. L.

(2009) Immunity to change: how to overcome it and unlock potential in yourself and your organization. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School.

15.

Lawrence

(2017) ‘Coaching and Adult Development’, in Drake

D.B.

, Bachkirova

& Spence

(eds.) The Sage Handbook of Coaching. Los Angeles: Sage.

16.

Levinson

D. J.

(1986) ‘A conception of adult development’, American Psychologist, 41(1), pp. 3–13. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.41.1.3.

17.

Mosteo

L. P.

(2016) ‘Understanding Cognitive-Emotional Processing Through a Coaching Process’, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 52(1), pp. 64–96. doi: 10.1177/0021886315600070.

18.

Palmer

and Panchal

(2010) Developmental coaching: life transitions and generational perspectives. London: Routledge. Essential coaching skills and knowledge.

19.

Panchal

and Jackson

(2007) ‘Turning 30’ transitions: Generation Y hits quarter-life’, The Coaching Psychologist, 3(2), pp. 46–51.

20.

Parker

(2017) ‘Coaching for Role Transitions/Career Change’, in Drake

D.B.

, Bachkirova

& Spence

(eds.) The Sage Handbook of Coaching. Los Angeles: Sage.

21.

Parker

, Hall

D. T.

and Kram

K. E.

(2008) ‘Peer Coaching: A Relational Process for Accelerating Career Learning’, Academy of Management Learning & Education, 7(4), pp. 487–503. doi: 10.5465/AMLE.2008.35882189.

22.

Reinke

B. J.

, Holmes

D. S.

and Harris

R. L.

(1985) ‘The timing of psychosocial changes in women's lives: The years 25 to 45’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48(5), pp. 1353–1364. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.48.5.1353.

23.

Smith

J. A.

, Larkin

and Flowers

(2009) Interpretative phenomenological analysis: theory, method and research. Los Angeles, [Calif.]: London: SAGE.

24.

Stapleton

(2012) ‘Coaching clients through the quarter-life crisis: What works?’, International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, SpecIssue 6, pp. 130–145.

25.

Zarecky

(2014) ‘How strengths-focussed coaching can help military personnel in their transition to ‘civvy street’’, International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching & Mentoring, pp. 54–66.