Coaching Practiced

Section 6 Cognitive Approaches

David Tee & Jonathan Passmore

INTRODUCTION

Western (2017) argues that coaching literature is dominated by applied psychotherapeutic models. Principles from behaviourism, such as repetitive task practice and the reinforcement of desired behaviour, can be seen to shape early workplace performance coaching. However, the practice of coaching evolved as the latter half of the twentieth century progressed.

One individual argued to influence this legitimising of focus beyond behaviourism’s observable ‘outer game’ is Tim Gallwey. Working initially in a sports context with tennis players, Gallwey popularised the notion that more than physical skill and technical competence was required for success; that “… something else besides tennis is being played on the courts is obvious to the most casual observer” (Gallwey, 1974, p. 94). In essence, that there is a Self 1 whose thoughts are programming and controlling Self 2: the performer.

The potted histories of cognitive-behavioural coaching (CBC) one finds at the start of journal papers or book chapters on the subject typically point to creators of cognitive therapies, such as Albert Ellis and Aaron T. Beck as the foundation upon which CBC has been built. We argue that Gallwey’s work had at least a partial influence too. Firstly, O’Broin and Palmer (2006) note that the appeal of sports to business people led to the migration of many sports psychology practices to occupational settings from the 1970s onwards. ...