FACILITATE TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING

This section addresses the fourth research sub-question: Which coaching tools and techniques are useful in facilitating transformative learning? Ultimately, the purpose of this sub-question was to inform the main research objective, which was to propose a coaching framework to facilitate transformative learning during a career transition event. The preceding three research sub-questions related to the transition event, the current use of coaching during the transition, and the potential benefits of coaching during the transition. The rationale behind the fourth sub-question was an attempt to introduce transformative learning into the discussion. This section therefore describes the derivation of a set of coaching tools and techniques that had the potential to facilitate transformative learning.

Following the deductive and summative content analysis described in section 3.6.3, 13 coaching techniques were identified that appeared to facilitate transformative learning. Of the 13, five techniques were used more frequently than the rest. These five techniques were labelled as having the potential to promote transformative learning, and are illustrated in Table 4.7 below.

Table 4.7: Coaching techniques identified that could potentially facilitate transformative learning

Coaching technique Description

Questioning The coach asks incisive questions stimulating reflection and promoting alternative perspectives.

Reflection Allowing the coachee to reflect in the coaching session, but also in between coaching sessions on the insights gained during the coaching session and the results of their active experimentation.

Active experimentation Co-designing with the coachee behavioural experiments in between coaching sessions. These experiments should allow coachees to stretch themselves and to put into practice new behaviours to help them reach their coaching goals.

Frameworks and theories Coachees value the acquisition of new knowledge in the form of theories and frameworks on how they are learning and changing and the challenges they face. Coaches share these theories and frameworks during the coaching sessions and suggest books and other resources.

Challenging views and providing different perspectives

Coachees like being challenged openly in a directive manner. This directive approach assists them in gaining alternative perspectives.

Source: Author’s own compilation

How do these five techniques relate to adult, experiential and transformative learning theory? Mezirow (1995:58) states that for transformative learning to occur, critical self-reflection, rational discourse and exploring different roles are required. These three techniques identified by Mezirow can be linked to the reflection, challenging views and providing different perspectives, and active experimentation techniques identified in this research. The use of frameworks and theories could be linked to the need in andragogy for self-directed learning (Knowles, 1970; Merriam, 2001; Russel, 2006). It could be argued that transitioning leaders would be more engaged in their transition process if they were empowered with the knowledge of what they are likely to encounter and how to cope with possible challenges. Substantial research has already been conducted on the topic of career transitions as highlighted in section 2.4, which could be shared with transitioning leaders. This notion of sharing knowledge of career transitions was incorporated in the TTC framework.

From an experiential learning perspective, the five coaching techniques identified in this research also seemed to fit with the classical experiential learning cycle (Kolb, 2014). In Kolb’s cycle, learning starts by understanding one’s current reality through questioning and reflection. This is followed by a phase of conceptualisation and planning, which is facilitated through using theories and frameworks and actively challenging current views. Finally, the cycle of learning is completed only once the plans are put into action.

The five coaching techniques described in this section provided a connection between transformative learning and transition coaching through their potential to facilitate transformative learning. This was included in the final TTC framework.

4.6 EMERGENT TTC FRAMEWORK AFTER THE FOUNDATION PHASE

The findings of the foundation phase as presented in this chapter revealed a number of components that were deemed useful to the emerging TTC framework as illustrated in Figure 4.4 below. Firstly, the findings revealed that transitioning leaders face certain challenges during the transition as discussed in section 4.2. These challenges could serve as input to the coaching process by creating awareness and normalising the situation.

Secondly, the findings indicated that a rudimentary transition coaching process was followed. The word ‘rudimentary’ was chosen to indicate that the coaching received may not necessarily have been focused exclusively on transition coaching, but that it may have contributed to addressing issues faced by transitioning leaders. This ‘transition’ coaching intervention consisted of a number of steps to initiate the coaching and to follow a process as discussed in section 4.3.

Thirdly, the findings indicate that transitioning leaders experienced certain benefits from the coaching they received during their transition (section 4.4) and, finally, the deductive and summative analysis discussed in section 4.5 revealed that five coaching tools and techniques were used more frequently than others to facilitate transformative learning during transition coaching.

Figure 4.4: TTC Framework v0.1 after the foundation phase

Source: Author’s own compilation

The four aspects that emerged from the foundation phase represent the first draft of the TTC framework that was taken into the application phase of this project.

4.7 SUMMARY

This chapter presented the findings of the foundation phase of this research project. Three main themes emerged and were able to answer the first four of the five research sub-questions. The findings indicated that there was a definite need for focused, tailor-made interventions such as transformative transition coaching to support transitioning leaders. The findings also provided clues about processes and techniques that could potentially be followed and used during a TTC process, and these suggestions were incorporated into a draft TTC framework, which was used as a starting point for the second research phase, which will be discussed next.

The next chapter presents the findings of the application phase of this research and demonstrates how the TTC framework evolved from the draft version construed in this chapter to the final product.

Chapter 5