An ethnographic study of the introduction of internal supervisors to an internal coaching scheme

Abstract

Coach supervision is currently a hot topic. With the support of coaching bodies, supervision is increasingly regarded as a requirement to practice as a coach. However, the evidence base specific to coach supervision to support its effectiveness is limited. Thus far, very little research has focused specifically on the supervision of internal coaches, in spite of the reported growth in their use by organisations - and even less has been published relating to internal coach supervisors. The ‘voice’ of the internal practitioner, whether coach or coach supervisor, can still hardly be discerned in the current coaching literature. This paper, based upon an ethnographic study that followed the introduction of a group of internal supervisors to their internal coaching scheme, seeks to describe their journey, through their own ‘voices’.

Keywords

• supervision
• internal supervisor
• internal coaching scheme
• ethnography