Critical Incidents in Cross-cultural Coaching: The View from German Coaches

Abstract

The importance of a cultural perspective in coaching is increasingly significant for coaching practitioners and academics living in a globalised world. The question remains as to how the coaching methods rooted in the Western approach can be applied in the context of other (national) cultures. Using semi-structured interviews and based on the critical incidents technique, fifteen German coaching experts were interviewed to determine those critical incidents they experienced in cross-cultural coaching settings. The results show incidents in four main areas: communication, coach-client relationship, coaching setting and role understanding. These are aimed at improving outcomes but not at the expense of identifying the true core issue or coaching topic.

Keywords

• Coaching
• Cross-cultural
• Intercultural
• Culture-specific
• Critical Incidents