The power of the interplay between group and individual coaching

A clear finding from the analyses was the relationship between the two types of coaching, as experienced by the participants and coaches.

5.3.1 Using the group topics to feed individual coaching

The group coaching introduced set topics into the coaching process that were

predetermined by the Steering Group. Each group would interpret the set subject in slightly different ways according to the needs of the participants. The group would discuss the specific topic which was then taken by some participants and carried through to the individual coaching where the topic would be reintroduced into the coaching process by the participant: ’It was very helpful in introducing specific topics. They were feeding – one to the other – topics raised in group and thoughts we could bring back to the individual sessions. Very helpful.’ (Patricia)

For others the subjects raised in the group sessions provided the stimulus for work they would do with their individual coaches:

’If I had just had the individual I would have struggled to know what to talk about – if I just had the group coaching I would have been OK but having the both together allowed me to continue the thoughts and to talk about group stuff and vice versa.’

(Peggy)

The analyses identified that whilst the participants appreciated having the freedom and opportunity to determine the content of their individual coaching sessions, having the set topics introduced during the group sessions did not limit the conversation, conversely they

103 added significantly to the value of their overall experience. ’Individual gives you the space to think about specific topics which are not designed, and group is about topics even in group it was not limited to those topics’ (Phoebe). This ’seeding’ of content topics was positively received by all of the participants who reported the topics as being appropriate and relevant, and provided input for further contemplation within their individual coaching.

5.3.2 From group to individual – deepening and reflecting

The process of group coaching served for some participants as an initiating source or impetus for the process of deeper thought and reflection which they felt able to then undertake in their individual coaching sessions. As Petra identified:

’I think you need both – when you step out of the group coaching you need time to reflect – you need an outlet to take that to – you need to take it into a discussion one-to-one and the individual coaching did that.’

This taking from group to individual was also reported by Peta:

’In group things would get me in my stomach and I would take it into individual.

The groups gave me perspective on what I thought and then the individual allowed you to dig deeper in that perspective.’ (Peta)

In this way the initiation and generation of thought was prompted by the process of group coaching and then transferred to the individual coaching which provided the space and forum by which the process could be continued to a deeper and more reflective level.

5.3.3 Backwards and forwards and in parallel

Some participants chose to take this further and identified a synergistic relationship between the two types of coaching.

’I found the two worked really well together – in some of the individual sessions I would take them to group or things would come up in group and I would take them back into individual both prompted me to think about different things.’ (Peta) Paula reported the interplay and movement between the two types of coaching as

’sometimes one was more useful than the other and moved back and forward – and improves something – you need both in order to have a good job.’ There was a strong recognition that the combination of the two was necessary, however the reported reasons for this varied.

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’If we just did group coaching there is not the opportunity to go really deep

because there isn’t the time and if we just did one-to-one coaching you would miss out hearing the stories and the challenge and mutual support in the room.’ (Peggy) There was also a recognition that there are some issues that participants would not want to go into more deeply within the group setting, but they would be willing to explore more in the individual coaching: ’each has its own strengths, the individual ones you can go deep into things you would not be willing to go into in a group – both of them are actually useful‘

(Phoebe). However, while the value of having both types of coaching was identified, the rationale and way in which the individual coaching was used was different for Pam:

’I think it is a really important combination – group coaching definitely gives you that awareness of self and others [it] helps you develop more empathy for others but the group coaching would not allow for [...] work on my operational things – setting individual goals and actions and in that case you miss on experience of the results.’

This interplay was experienced by others slightly differently and expressed by Prunella as:

’Something about being focused on yourself makes the broader group richer, quicker faster that if you just did one method or the other you wouldn’t get. You need the group to make you think more broadly and the individual to, how would it apply to me, and you wouldn’t have that in the group.’

For Peta the experience of group can be interpreted as a form of validation for the personal development work carried out in the individual coaching: ’in the individual I was learning about myself and then to take it into the group you almost got it ratified.’

An important finding identified therefore, is the range and variety of how the two different types of coaching are used – the combination appears flexible in enabling participants to determine the utility of the different coaching types within the overall coaching process.

The fact that both processes were running at the same time and the participants moved between the two in real time was identified as a positive feature of the programme by five of the participants. As Phoebe identified:

’Where they are running in parallel was really useful if you have something in the individual setup and it could be a challenge and something you are happy to talk about and you talk about it in individual sessions and if you haven’t figured out yet

105 you can take it to group and get their perspective running in parallel was a very good thing.’

The timing and interplay between the combined process of individual and group coaching has been identified therefore as having a positive and complementary impact on the experience of the participants and expands previous knowledge on combined coaching (Brown and Grant, 2010).

5.3.4 Synergistic effects

In addition to the complementary nature of the individual and group coaching, participants also identified a synergistic or amplification effect of having both types of coaching: ’Each is powerful in its own way but when you combine them together you get a lot more out of it.

Individual being able to think through and the sharing is really useful’ (Phoebe). This was echoed by Pam: ’I think the two were very important ingredients, they helped one another – one plus one equals three in this case – a powerful combination.’ This combinatorial impact was identified by the coaches as well: ’it amplifies significantly I think the group coaching [...] three to the power of three it is a much greater number, there is something bringing the power of individual coaching and group together’ (Chris). The result of combining both types of coaching into one process for participants to experience has a strengthening, accelerating and expanding impact. Coach Chris’ constructed explanation of the combination states:

’It can feed into the individual level and then can come into the group...the group coaching allows the amplification of the issues and an opportunity because it is a really experiential, there are real issues, real challenges lived out in the room – it becomes a practice field and elevates and intensifies the experience of learning.’

The combination of factors including the learning environment, the expectations of the participants, their individual coaches and their line managers and the expert interventions from the coaches collectively reinforce change, growth and positive impact. The metaphor of a ’group journey’ was used to describe this growth: ’you are part of a group moving and growing together – both things at the same time, it is a journey and you’re walking through the journey growing through both aspects’ (Paula). An awareness of the combination of factors enabling change in ’others’ and the collective group growing together was also identified:

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’It is really powerful [...] it brings bigger things together from your environment in group and the opportunity to experience what positive change you can bring – this is so important to encourage others as well to make the positive changes – as a participant a very powerful and beneficial combination.’ (Pam)

Participants reflected on the power of the combined coaching mechanism to impact the organisational system:

’Essential when you are looking to shift a system, for example gender balance, because if we just had the individual coaching it doesn’t create the sense of shared community that female leaders appreciate – it doesn’t create the shared sense of community and imparting content that individual does.’ (Cathy)

The combination has prompted reflections from a broader perspective: ’the whole

programme has opened my mind on the subject of female leadership as such [...] there are a lot of humans struggling in the same way.’ (Patricia)