Contextualist-coaching for complex times

Abstract

This thesis addresses the lack of empirical clarity about what coaches do, what works and whatconstitutes research evidence in coaching, as well as the lack of explicit theoretical perspectives upon which current coaching and its research are based. It establishes that contemporary coaching takes place in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world, and that there is need for a contextualist-coaching approach.In a review of the literature, Pepper's (1942) four world hypotheses are used as a lens of analysis for identifying implicit assumptions currently in use in coaching and its associated activities. To address these problems identified in the academic and practitioner literature on coaching, a research strategy involving Peirce's triadic system of inferential logic (Hartshorne & Weiss 1935) within an analysis and synthesis dialectic framework is justified as a suitable process for forming hypotheses appropriate to the epistemic circumstances of the problem. An initial analysis and synthesis dialectic, commenced through the analysis conducted using Pepper's world hypotheses during the literature review, is completed through a process of synthesis using abduction to formulate a hypothesis of best inference.iii It is hypothesised that the incompatibility between the open system environment within which coaching occurs and the closed and partially open system assumptions upon which coaching practice and theory are currently based could be addressed with a coaching approach that adopts the open system assumptions of Pepper's meta-theory of contextualism. Such a contextualistcoaching framework might be more effective than current coaching approaches within the open system external environment. Given that no contextualist-coaching approach currently exists, the following research question is formulated: Research question: How can the researcher-practitioner coach within the assumptions of a contextualist world hypothesis?An action research methodology is justified as appropriate for addressing this research question.