The Psychology of Coaching, Mentoring and Learning, 2nd Edition

11

Conclusion, Discussion, Future Research and Development

Introduction

This chapter not only provides a summary of our ‘conversation’ so far about the psychology of coaching, mentoring and learning; it also discusses the research and development that need to be done from this point on, and it offers recommendations for better learning through coaching and mentoring. In doing so, it draws together the diverse strands of theories and practice in coaching, mentoring and learning processes.

From the evaluation report in Chapter 10 as well as from my continuous coaching practice, it has become clear to me that diversity has been, and will continue to be, high on many organizations’ agendas. From this perspective, the discussion focuses on the following areas:

• matching between coaches and coachees;
• emotional intelligence and cross-cultural competence;
• evidence-based research and impact assessment;
• supervision;
• training;
• coaching and mentoring standards;
• ethics and code of conducts;
• the broader legal framework.

Matching between Coaches and Coachees

Viewed through the lens of diversity, matching is an important stage in the coaching process. Getting the right match between coaches and coachees ensures the success of the coaching outcome. It is an effective way of leveraging cultural change and diversity within organizations. Organizations have therefore focused on the development of sound matching systems, including electronic database access, to deliver close matches in a range of organizational, ...