Chad,
Overall, this is a very good study. You have identified an important and researchable question, shown depth of understanding in the field of leadership coaching, developed and implemented a practical research strategy, made sound conclusions based on the data, and made workable strategic recommendations. Overall, this meets the aims of the capstone project.
I have noted several areas of concern that could be addressed in order to refine this paper. Primarily, these come from some confusion over your research method and relationship between the coaching instruments / assessments you refer to, and your stated qualitative method and in vivo coding approach. Also, there are several other areas mentioned in my review that should be addressed.
However, overall, this meets the outcomes for the capstone project and demonstrates graduate level comprehension and research. You and your advisor(s) are to be commended for your work here. Congratulations on your accomplishment. You are an asset to the Kingdom of God, to Foursquare, and to the Gateway District.
Many blessings to you as you press on in His service.
Frank Markow, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Adult and Graduate Studies
Life Pacific College
Grading Rubric
Element / Criteria / % of GradeFormat / The paper is well organized and well written. Information is presented in a clear and professional manner. The document adheres to the APA Style Guide and meets length requirements. / 20%
Fulfilled
Literature Review / The information presented was gathered using multiple, recent, research-based sources. The student was able to make succinct and precise conclusions in connection to the research problem based on the articles reviewed. / 20%
Fulfilled
Research / Purpose of study is clear and is stated as a declarative sentence. Setting of study is described. A well-written description of an appropriate research strategy used is present. A description of instruments and procedures to collect data is presented. Data collected is adequate and appropriate. / 30%
Fulfilled
Results / Action Plan / The plan is clearly tied to the research study. Measurable objectives and the means of measurement are stated. A timeline for implementation and responsible parties is included (as applicable). / 30%
Fulfilled
(note: specificity would help these be more actionable)
Capstone Project: A Qualitative Study in Coaching for Strategic Leadership Development
Chad Carroll
Life Pacific College
May 23, 2014
CAPSTONE PROJECT: A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN COACHING1
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the effects of participation in a transformational leadership developmentcoaching relationshipforseniorpastors in the Gateway district of Foursquare churches. Nearly 80% of pastorsindicate that they feel isolated, lonely, discouraged and ill prepared for the daily leadership challenges they face (Blackmon, 2007). Thisstudycenters oncurrent seniorpastors who have participated in a leadership coaching relationship for a minimum of six monthly sessions.The stakeholders involved are a representative group ofsenior pastorsin Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri. This research identifies improved levels of personal satisfaction and confidence, increased participation in organizational leadership development initiatives, enhanced feelings of support and sponsoring behaviors by the district, andgreater commitment toward achievement of ongoing leadership growth goals in the research participants, based out of analysis of 272 individual observations. This research contributes towardthe development of a foundational level comprehensive coaching strategydesigned to improvethe self-perceived levels of leadership acumenandpersonal satisfactionamongseniorpastors.
Keywords: leadership coaching, lifeforming, strategic, holistic, developmental
A Qualitative Study in Coaching for Strategic Leadership Development
Introduction
Itis now possible to find coaching approaches forpersonal development in just about every field. “The discipline of personal-development coaching has grown tremendously sinceGershman’s first doctoral study in 1967” (Hauser, 2012, p. 2)A Google Scholar search for leadership coaching returns over 150,000 sources, while the same search at returns 1.7 million results. As the coaching field has grown,a great amount of variance in approach, style, practice and definition is the resultin this specialized leadership and organizational development field (Brock, 2008).
Given the rapid advancement of the coaching practice, it leads one to believe that coaching may be a useful model for the development of strategic leadership in senior pastors. Finkelstein, Hambrick, and Cannella (2009) describe the act of strategic leadership as the strategic leaders responsibilities for an organization, how they affect organizational outcomes in their management of the overall enterprise through the exercise of substantive decision-making.These types of leadership choicesinvolve a complex set of interpersonal, informational, and decisional rolesoutlined in Mitzenberg’s foundational book The Nature of Managerial Workand are representative of the “human element in strategic choice and organizational performance” (Finkelstein, et. al., 2009,p. 5).
The premise of this paper lies is the inquiry of what extent the application of leadership developmental coaching could potentially have toward strengthening positive self regard in research participants for the development of critical strategic leadership competencies in the area of core self evaluation (CSE), which is the overlap of self-esteem, emotional stability, self-efficacy, and locus of control (Judge, 2003).
Literature Review
What Coaching Is
Hamlin, Ellinger, and Beattie, (2009) identified 36 distinct definitions of coaching. Schein(2006)describes coaching as “a set of behaviors on the part of the coach that helps the client to develop a new way of seeing, feeling about and behaving in situations that are defined by the client as problematic”(p.19). McCleland (2005) highlighted the manager’s role in creating a culture that empowers and improves a leader’s results how related to coaching?.Everedand Selman’s (1989) foundational workadds an emphasis on the coach’s role to discover future oriented abilities in others by guiding them to grow in competence, confidence and commitment. Hudson (1999) and Brown and Grant (2010) additionally note this competence, confidence and commitment occurs through participation in a systematic process thathappens most naturally when fostered by a trained professional coach. The purpose of coaching is for supporting one’s positive growth and change toward increased effectiveness and performance (Grant, 2006; Hackman & Wageman, 2005; Hamlin et al., 2009; McDermott, Levenson & Newton, 2007). Perhaps the most comprehensive definition of coaching comes from Grant (2006) who highlighted the coach’s role in facilitating a collaborative, solutions-based, results-driven, systematic process aimed at performance improvement, personal growth and self-directed learning.
A synthesis of these process orientedobservations suggests that personal and professional coaching is growing in the leadership development world and is being used to bridge the gap between mentoring and counseling disciplines. Coaching appears to lend itself to developing individuals, while providing mutually beneficial outcomes to the organization. Coaching attempts to leverage a person’s natural motivation and direct those energies toward increasing capabilities.
Beyond the empirical observation, Ogne and Roehl (2008) offer multiple examples of anecdotal evidence for coaching effectivenessillustrated through multipleworks within education, business, not-for-profitorganizations and sports (pp.70-79). According to OgneandRoehl (2008),the benefits of a coaching relationshipinclude: the coach being positioned to see what the client can’t or won’t see, providing a safe environment to work through problems, improved performance, offering perspective, aidingin problem solving, and empowering leaders to work a coachingplan at their chosen pace. The International Coaching Federation, reports that the coach inspires personal and professional development to maximize their potential in a solution focused, self-directed relationship (Nature and Scope of Coaching, 2010). This internal sense of transformation and awakening to personal potential are what successful coaching relationships are designed to deliver.
What Coaching Is Not
With all of coaching’s strengths there are things it is not. Coaching is not mentoring, consulting, or counseling although as a self-developmental framework coaching might include exploratory conversation of any of these disciplines(Crane, 2012; Ogne &Roehl 2008; Umidi, 2005). Quite commonly managers and leaders use each of these terms somewhat interchangeablyassuming that they are all used for similar purposes in developing people, the organization, and the people in the organization. However, each has it own specialized strengths and requires knowledge of the individual being developed to know which should be accessed.
Coaching is not mentoring, as mentoring is a process in which the mentor identifies leadership potential in a still-to-be developed leader and attempts to invest in their progress by pouringin their expertise. The mentorgenerally uses the direct approach ofsharing withor tellingthe mentoreehow to succeed, in an effort to promote the developing leader toward realization of his or her own leadership potential (Clinton, 2012, p. 256). Coaching is also not counseling,which attempts to help a leader address past wounds and begins by presuming a need for internal healing: The primary focus of coaching is on the development of the leader from a forward looking position.
Types of Coaching
Given all the understanding of what coaching is and is not, one observes professional developmental coaching in many models such as Executive, Co-active and Transformational.
Executive Coaching. Niemes (2002) points out the developmental nature of this powerful business transformation tool to develop candidates into high performing executives. Afew important performance benefits of this approach include consideration for the unique role of an individual leader in leading change within an ever-changing and developing organizational environment. Niemes (2002) also indicates that training offered on the clock in business real-timeat the workplace is viewed as a tangible performance benefit unique to executive coaching.
Caplan (2003) stresses that executive coaching brings out the best in people through the application of a personalized learning process after considering multiple factors including their personal history and learning style.Executive coaching is offered to help raise the client’s self-awareness, and uncover personal blind spots in order to unleash exemplary results that otherwise might not have otherwise been attained. Dingman (2006) indicates that the attempt to pair up individual and organizationally related outcomes is mutually beneficial to the executive and the organization.
Co-active Coaching. The co-active coaching model explicated byKimsey-House, Sandahl, and Whitworth (2011) appears to take a more inter-personal approach to coaching, and concentrates focus on the individual rather than on the assignment or role of the individual. The primary concern of this model is to shift from problem solving to developing the whole person: heart mind, body and spirit. Whereas executive coaching has a strong performance orientation, Witherspoon and White (1996) point out that co-active coaching pays considerable attention to the coaching environment, specifically: confidentiality, trust, truth speaking, and openness.
Transformational Coaching. Umidi, (2005) offers several core-training values that help differentiate transformational coaching from other forms. By not initially starting with goals to accomplish, it allows the professional coach to make natural character and competence observations. The author contends this process helps to ensure that when change happens it has a better chance of being sustained. Second, by employing adult learning methodologies, a built-in training and practice partnership allows for greater retention of information through practice. And finally, Umidi (2005) asserts that transformational learning happens best within authentic and accountable relationships.
Coaching Concerns
Professional coaching is not alwaysobserved in positive light.Some of the criticism levied against executive coaching of these and other styles includes the concern that management may manipulate employees for greater profits by steering the coaching process towards a profit driven bias(Kimsey-House, Kimsey-House, Sandahl, & Whitworth, 2011). Also, because of the personal and holistic nature of executive coaching, personal growth issues being introduced in a work setting could be exploited or deemed unrelated to work product (Crane, 2012). Some fear it may open the door for the employee to focus on extra-curricular activity not directly beneficial to the company (Logan& King, 2004). Still others issue additional challenge to this leadership development approach becauseof the perception that it is developed from social scienceand falls short of delivering training and human capital development (Logan & King, 2004).
Coaching Self-Defined
An evaluation of all these observationsreveals that coaching may be understood in its completeness and complexity asa helping, facilitative relationship, in a systemic process fostered by a trained professional who supports the client’s positive growth and change for the intended outcomes of increased self-worth, effectiveness, productivity, assertiveness and performance (Hamlin et al., 2009;McDermott et al., 2007; Schein, 2006; Sperry, 2008;Stober & Grant, 2006).
Local and Personal Context
Local Context
The Foursquare Church, officially named the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, is a Pentecostal denomination that resulted from the dynamic evangelistic ministry of Aimee Semple McPherson, who opened the historic Angelus Temple on January 1, 1923 (foursquare.org). The four symbols perhaps most identified with Foursquare today are the cross, cup, dove and crown which stand for Jesus the Savior, Jesus the Healer, Jesus the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, and Jesus the Soon-Coming King, respectively.
The Foursquare movement, as represented in this research paper, is asmall region of this worldwide church denomination.This region is identified as the Gateway district within the states of Kansas, Colorado, Missouri, South Dakota and Nebraska.
Personal Context
I currently serve as the Assistant District Supervisor within the Gateway district. I admit a personal bias toward the positive benefits of coaching, that I am a certified Lifeformingleadership coachtrainer through Transformational Leadership Coaching International (TLCI) and a Church Health Assessment Tool (CHAT) Coachon behalf of Leadership Transformations, Inc., which I have found to be extremely helpful while serving as the Missionaland Church Planting leader for the Gateway district. My role in the Foursquare movement includes the development ofa parent church planting/sponsoring partnership networkamong local churches, providing church planter training and coaching, and coaching senior pastors..
Gaps in Knowledge
Welyneand Woods’ (2002) definitive study reports that behavioral coaching consistently produces improved perceptions of leadership effectiveness in 99% ofparticipating individuals. Yet,there is still very little empirical evidence to substantiate the assertion that coaching improvesthe feelings of self-worth and focus insenior pastors. This gap may exist because coaching is still a fairly new field of study in leadership developmentand perhaps is yet an underutilized resource in the study of church leadership. Consideration of these two factors leads me to believe that the study of coaching outcomes for these research participants is a worthy endeavor and has the potential for proving beneficial on both accounts. Initial results lead me to believe that this research is in agreement with Welyne and Woods (2002) results. While coaching specialization has expanded in the fields of developmental coaching, executive coaching, business coaching, remedial coaching, transitional coaching, and career coaching yetthere has been very little research conducted, or literature written, that focuses on the benefits of leadership coaching for seniorpastors(Morris, 2000).
Research Question
After a careful review of extant literature and the identification of knowledge gaps, a number of questions become evident. First, there exists a need to discover what self-described extentsix months ofleadership coaching directly affectsperceived levels of personalsatisfaction and leadership development goals of senior pastors throughoutthe Gateway district of Foursquare churches. Personal satisfaction for this study is observed (defined?)in the areas of quality of life, relationships, vocational satisfaction, self-worth, and ongoing personal developmentof desired life-change outcomes (Umidi, 2005).
Another closely related question that this exploration addresses isevaluating what, if any, self-perceived effect coaching has onone’s ability to lead his or her organizations. Thisresearch could potentially inform the need for further studies focused on constructing anapproach, pace, and scope of leadership coaching initiatives to be offeredin the district over the coming years.
Research Methodology
Thisstudy employs a qualitative research designuseful for exploring the rich textured understanding of a social and environmental context in which an individual exists, leverages collaborative efforts between researcher and research participants, and allows for the flexibility needed in responding to the participant’s story in the qualitative interview phase of research(Creswell, 2009;Neuman, 2009). Because qualitative methods of research begin by asking questions to extract linguistic expressions within data, reflective practice and inductive reasoning are appropriate approaches for interpreting and applying the research itself. James, Slater, and Bucknam (2012) suggest that this method is most helpful for discovering a great amount of detailed information from a small sample size of people, which makes it useful for this research project.
Hauser (2012) applied a qualitative research design in her interview of eight individuals, each having received work-team related coaching from a certified coach. This type of qualitative design allows for the exploration and understanding of the meaning that individuals ascribe to their experience within a social and environmental context (Neuman, 2009). Additionally, the use of a qualitative interviewing format as a data collection method allows the researcher to observe contextual factors within the participant’s story, due in part to the flexible nature of open-ended questions, optimal for allowing the researcher to examine commonalities among research participant’s stories (Hauser, 2012).
McGaha (2000) used the same approach in a semi-structured interview of five baseball coaches. His findings were further expounded upon with the introduction of a Likert scale for the purpose of establishing a baseline for gauging the frequency of varying coaching techniques that each employed, within their teamsthereby highlighting the strength that can arise from blending the two mechanisms.
Neuman’s (2006) definitive work on qualitative research mechanisms states “Qualitative researchers use a language of cases and contexts, employ bricolage, examine social processes and cases in their social context and look at interpretations or the creation of meaning in their specific settings” (Neuman,1997, p. 157). It is on the basis of these proven mechanisms, and because of what they supply, that their combination into one qualitative methodology offers such promise for reflecting the research findings associated with this study.