Spiralling the field: A dynamic model exploring reflective maturity, reflective capacity and the expanding reflective field

Abstract

The application of coaching has moved beyond individuals towards teams and organisations, requiring practitioners to better understand themselves and their clients within systems and complex adaptive systems. The “Spiralling the field” model observes congruence between the complexity of the coaching work and the complexity of the reflective field. Based on systems theory, it is proposed that engaging with a broad range of reflective partners is critical to increasing reflective maturity and capacity. In so doing practitioners will both enhance the quality of systemic work and embrace the inevitability of uncertainty when working in a CAS.

Keywords

• reflective practice
• complex adaptive systems (cas)
• supervision
• working systemically
• organisational coaching