Professional education with fiction media: imagination for engagement and empathy in learning - edited by Christine Jarvis and Patricia Gouthro, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, 2019, 251 pp., £99.99 (Hardcover), ISBN 978-3-030-17692 [Book review]

Book revie

Researching organizational coaching using a pilot study

This case explores the practical difficulties of designing a pilot to investigate the effectiveness of an innovative coaching technique. It weighs up the strengths and limitations of using a pilot study to research organizational coaching and reflects on the extent to which such a study can provide satisfactory answers to a series of research questions in the field of organizational coaching. The case goes on to explore how an initial pilot study with a limited number of participants might be amplified to provide a more solid empirical basis on which to answer the research questions more authoritatively

Working with Toshiba, Lewin and Dewey: a journey into the heart of change

Many have suggested that over the last twenty five years or so the debate over organisational change has been dominated by the issue of power and politics in the form of the Emergent approach consistent with a free-market spirit. However, our work with Toshiba has led us to conclude that the principles of social responsibility and ethical change as championed by Kurt Lewin and John Dewey are emerging as a more amenable and desirable approach to change and appear to be embraced by many in the workforce. Many US observers have argued that such events as the bankruptcy of Enron and the indictment of senior executives from this company and others as well as the recent events in the UK concerning a perceived lack of financial probity in the banking and political milieus have shown that a disregard for ethics in decision making can have deleterious consequences for business and society. We intend to present a case study using Diploma students on a Toshibatec UK sponsored course to illustrate this emerging sensitivity to issues of social responsibility, ethical behaviour and democratic ideas and ideals. We will contend that Lewin’s and Dewey’s beliefs are indeed still alive and relevant and that these students are embracing such ideas in their push for organisational change at Toshiba

Professional development in coaching: towards a dynamic alliance of narrative and literature to transform the learning process

Coaching draws on disciplines such as psychology, management theory, and organisational development. From these disciplines, models that seek both focused solutions to problems and those that aim to effect transformative learning have been developed. My work with students has revealed some dissatisfaction with performance coaching models such as GROW (Whitmore, 2009) and a desire to connect more with their imagination and creativity. I offer a case study of working with mature students employed by an international software company, who used a unique approach to coaching that combined narrative and literary techniques to produce coaching projects that offered solutions to work-based problems

The use of English literature in the context of work-based learning - a pedagogic case study

Although Work Based Learning draws upon theoretical roots from a variety of sources, the practice of Work Based Learning has been typically drawn from disciplines such as health, business and education. Yet the concepts in Work Based Learning, for example, an intense focus on developing intellectual skills such as critical reflection, could conceivably encompass other disciplines. With this in mind, I formulated a course which drew deeply from English literature while using the reflective approach inherent in Work Based Learning. I intend to present a case study of this specific course in the context of a Work Based Learning curriculum. I will present the rationale for adopting this literature based approach and an analysis of the student experience. I hope to demonstrate that the pedagogic model that I developed sits comfortably within a Work Based Learning programme and the benefits of a protean programme which is able to encompass and embrace core aspects of a traditional discipline such as English are self-evident: appreciating the expressive resources of literature, fostering sensitivity to the affective power of language, encouraging a sophisticated interrogation into a literary culture and harnessing the power of reflection being among the many advantages to such an approach. My intention is to persuade curriculum developers that the aims of incorporating English literature, particularly in the concern with developing a responsive openness of mind, could and perhaps should be a part of any Work Based Learning programme

Coaching in organisations: how the use of fictional characters can develop coaching practice

Purpose This article consists of a case study that reports on a pedagogical intervention undertaken among a group of postgraduate students in the area of coaching. The intervention was designed to bridge the gulf between coaching theory and practice, a gap identified by coaching research and corroborated by professional practice students on the university course examined here. Design/methodology/approach The study gives an account of how literary fiction was used with a cohort of students as a source of hypothetical scenarios used to simulate workplace problems and as a simulative context in which coaching students could apply theoretical models to make-believe scenarios. In this case study, the author evaluates the success of this innovative pedagogical methodology based on a qualitative analysis of excerpts from students’ written work. Findings The author advocates the use of literary fictional texts as a means of enhancing coach training and makes a case for the benefits of exposing students to literary fiction as part of a rich humanities curriculum. Reading about how fictional characters negotiate the terrain of life and work can help coaching students to create stronger, more creative narratives in their work-based projects. Originality/value Exploring how fictional characters respond to challenges in the workplace (and in life generally) will support students to formulate their own coaching interventions in a more coherent fashion. The article contends that stories are the cornerstone of learning, and that educators can support students to explore issues of core identity, (in)coherent life themes and narrative representation in students’ professional practice by getting them to read fictio

Halifax Community Bank: a learning society within a UK organisation

Purpose – Students investigated whether the commonly accepted net promoter score was an accurate way of measuring the quality of service, whether presenteeism was just as corrosive as absenteeism and what internal and external factors contributed to business success or failure. What the paper tried to foster from the outset was the concept of a learning society in order to gauge how students experienced the need to reinforce their arguments with theory. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The author’s interest focused on the link between business and academia, what constituted an academic presence in the workplace and whether or not this academic input helped students to become more effective members of their organisation. The author surveyed 30 students for this qualitative study. Findings – Students welcomed clear direction and an opportunity to translate their experience into a problem-solving exercise. They realised they were in the business of developing themselves and strove to bring clarity to their life and work and to demystify their own texts. Research limitations/implications – This is not a longitudinal study but a sample of questionnaire responses from 30 out of a possible 150 students. The “measurement” is broad, rather than precise. Originality/value – By engaging in a partnership with Middlesex University, the Halifax Community Bank appeared to want to effect radical change in its organisational culture. To the students this was no vacuous public relations exercise but a commitment to getting staff/students to re-examine the contingencies of contemporary business and come up with solutions to a range of business problems. Keywords Banking, Work-based learning, Academic writing, Organizational studies, Halifax, Reflective intelligence, Measurable performance Paper type Case stud

The developmental needs of coaches and coachees

Purpose – The aim of this review is to highlight the key findings, themes, and concepts in coaching from the inception of the International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education in early 2012 to the end of 2018. The review examines how coaching is theorized and practised in an educational context, and how coaching has evolved across educational disciplines. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on an analysis of research trends in articles published in the International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education from Volume 1 Issue 1 (2012) to Volume 7 Issue 4 (2018). The criterion, according to which articles were selected for inclusion in the literature review, is whether the word “coaching” is used in the title, abstract, or key words. Findings – Across a wide range of geographical and institutional contexts, the studies surveyed in this literature review point to the different ways in which coaching interventions support success in teaching and leadership. This review identifies three principal themes across the literature on coaching: confidence, trust, and identity. Research limitations – The literature review is confined to studies published in a single publication and is therefore not representative of the entire field of coaching research. Practical implications – The focus of this review is coaching in education. The review comprises a survey of research concepts, innovation, and creativity in the area of coaching and education. It highlights advances in the field of coaching and education and points to areas of development for future research. Originality and value – By bringing together existing research in a number of areas across the field of coaching, this literature review provides a coherent overview of a rapidly evolving and diverse field

Critical autobiography in the professional doctorate: improving students’ writing through the device of literature

This paper argues for a pedagogic practice to overcome the challenges that many professional practitioners face in undertaking a professional doctorate. Recent examination feedback on a professional doctoral programme of 300 candidates in the UK highlighted that a number of candidates often struggle to write persuasively, critically, and reflectively. This paper discusses the impact of a series of workshops designed to support students in resolving the challenges of writing clearly. In our workshops we encouraged the students to conceptualise their professional doctorate as a critical autobiography. In order to foster a critical autobiographical voice in our students, we explored a range of autobiographical texts for students to use as models for their own writing. In addition to offering a description of our teaching practice in these workshops, this paper explores the theoretical background that illuminates our pedagogical choices. Both theory and practice are posited side by side in our paper to uncover mutually illuminating connections in our discussion and evaluation of our attempts to improve students’ writing. We suggest that conceptualising the professional doctorate as critical autobiography is a valuable tool for professional practitioners who struggle to communicate the complexities of their practice confidently and lucidly

The critical autobiography and the professional doctorate

These research findings emerged from a year-long series of workshops for professional doctorate candidates at Middlesex University. The workshops used autobiographies, biographies, novels, journalism, poetry and essays from the 18th to the 21st century to stimulate discussion and learning in relation to each candidate’s style, tastes and context support the development of writing skills appropriate to doctoral practice knowledge. Outcomes included bridging academic, reflective and professional writing; deepening critical thinking and expression and understanding and practising critical autobiography – all of which are core components of professional/practitioner based doctorates