Coaching as a social process

In this conceptual paper, we argue the importance to the coaching profession of a critical understanding of coaching as a social process, in order to promote coaching as an enabler for change, and facilitate its use in other cultures and challenging contexts. We start with a critical analysis of the origin of coaching, arguing that neoliberal values have been embedded in the discourse of coaching. We also discuss the impact of coaching as an instrumental and ideological device, sometimes used in organisations as a process of control, and suggest that understanding coaching as a social process has the potential to transform it into an enabler for change. We propose a framework for understanding how different philosophical positions affect the way coaches may respond to the challenges of intercultural or oppressive social contexts. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for coaching research and development

Tissue engineering of a collagen-based vascular media: Demonstration of functionality

The property of vasoactivity is important for both resistance vessels and larger arteries. Evaluation of smooth muscle cell phenotype is often done in place of functional testing in engineered tissues, assuming a direct correlation between cell phenotype and tissue contractile force. In this study we look at a large panel of vasoactive agents to determine the functionality of our collagen-based tissue. The engineered vascular media elicited a measurable change in force in response to seven of the nine agents used. As part of this characterization, TGFβ1 and TNFα were used to promote a more contractile and synthetic cell phenotype respectively. Both smooth muscle a-actin and vasoconstriction were evaluated in ring sections. Due to large differences in cell-compaction and cell distribution in the tissues, no correlation was found between a-actin expression and contractile strength. This highlights the need for functional testing of engineered tissue and the importance of cell-matrix interactions in vasoactivity