Gender Issues in Business Coaching

Gender in the Workplace: Peer Coaching to Empower Women in the Classroom and as Professionals

“…After all, coaching fits so well in achieving the kind of empowerment for which Roosevelt Thomas argued, that something besides affirmative action is needed…something which "consists of enabling people, in this case minorities and women, to perform to their potential". 13 This final coaching reflection excerpt from student J appears to echo Roosevelt's sentiments: "Every semester I always say that I want to change something or fix something, but without having someone to keep me accountable for that it has been hard, [sic] …”

“…Possible theoretical frameworks are those which might incorporate one or more of the following: self-efficacy; challenging assumptions; shifting perspectives; and leadership identity. 9,13 Possible specific frameworks to use could include intentional change theory; 33 professional role confidence; 34,35 women's leadership development; 9 and personal vision. 8 As has been done previously in the 2013 ASEE conference by Dr. Alice Pawley, who wrote "in the spirit of strong objectivity and building trustworthiness in qualitative analysis," 36 readers of this paper are invited to provide suggestions for theoretical frameworks, theories, and/or lenses through which to further analyze the association between coaching and the preparation for undergraduate women engineering students to successfully transition to the engineering profession and be retained in said profession.…”

“…12 Courses should also introduce gender bias and other "powerful, yet invisible barriers to women's advancement that arise from cultural beliefs about gender, as well as workplace structures, practices, and patterns of interaction that inadvertently favor men". 9,13 All of this was taken into account during the formation and subsequent implementation of the course mentioned in this study; however the focus of this study remains on the coaching component of the course. A future conference submission will cover the course itself as a model using the "Four Frames" framework.…”

“…For example, coaching has been shown to foster increased levels of grit/resilience, feelings of wellbeing, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and self-advocacy 23,24 and coaching is recommended for helping women in business to better navigate gendered organizations. 13 Finally, coaching provides a safe framework in which to challenge assumptions and to shift perspectives (e.g., that one's failing to identify as an engineer is her fault vs. a cultural construct) and provides effective support during transitions, including preparing individuals for new posts, developing leadership skills, and for returning from maternity leave. 25 Important differences do exist between coaching approaches/techniques and mentoring at a conceptual level.…”

“…20 As exemplified in this study, coaching skills and approaches can be integrated into existing programmatic structures for female engineering students, including Living-Learning Communities and mentoring programs. This preliminary analysis, to set the stage for future research, details the incorporation and impact of coaching in a seminar course while also laying groundwork for addressing multiple research gaps in these areas: gender and coaching, 13 application of coaching in higher education, 20 development of self-confidence within professional roles and how educational programs can foster this, 8 and preparing female engineering students for the transition to the workforce/graduate school with the aim of increasing their retention in said professions. As a means of identifying future possible frameworks for further study of the impact of coaching on preparation for this transition, the following research questions were explored: (1) How does student opinion about coaching transform through this class?…”