Coaching Practiced

4 A pluralistic approach to coaching

Zsófia Anna Utry, Stephen Palmer, John McLeod & Mick Cooper

Abstract

A pluralistic approach to coaching and coaching psychology is proposed, based on Cooper and McLeod’s (2011) pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy. Since we live in increasing complexity, it can be assumed that there are many right ways to coaching. The pluralistic approach suggests that instead of leaving the coach responsible for choosing the right interventions for their coachees it might be better not just to trust the coachee with the-content but to actively encourage them to co-determine the process. Setting up a feedback culture and regular metacommunication may make it more likely that high quality decision-making will be realised in practice. Such an approach also helps to develop the coachee’s collaborative capacity, which is in high demand in work and business. A pluralistic coaching approach resonates with the current zeitgeist’s values of desiring both autonomy and belonging.

Keywords

coaching; pluralistic coaching; pluralism; shared decision-making; coachee-centred attitude; collaborative capacity; feedback culture; diversity. .

Original publication details: Utry, Z. A., Palmer, S., McLeod, J., & Cooper, M. (2015, June). A pluralistic approach to coaching. The Coaching Psychologist, 11(1), 46–52. Reproduced with permission of The British Psychological Society.

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