Coaching and Mentoring: Theory and Practice [Paperback]

Who should read this book:
Practising coaches and mentors who would like to enrich their understanding of the theory of coaching and mentoring and engage in the current debate in the field.

Summary of content:
Coaching and Mentoring: Theory and Practice is a thought-provoking and challenging contribution to the coaching and mentoring literature. The book is divided into four parts: an introduction, a consideration of influences, a discussion of contemporary issues and a final section entitled "Towards a Theory of Coaching and Mentoring".

Part 1
The first chapter looks back to the origins of mentoring and coaching. It also explores similarities and differences between the two types of dyadic relationships. The second chapter focuses on the current state of the research in these areas. The authors are fairly critical of some research practices and offer some helpful suggestions about future research into coaching and mentoring. Chapter 3 engages with the growing interest in "creating a coaching and mentoring culture". This chapter would be particularly useful to organisational development professionals or coaches/mentors considering the introduction of a coaching and mentoring culture as it provides useful advice and highlights potential challenges. The fourth chapter tackles the important but less often considered element of programme design and evaluation. It addresses the question of how coaching and mentoring programmes should be properly evaluated. Chapter 5 looks at the sub-disciplines within coaching and mentoring (eg. life coaching, executive coaching etc). Chapter 6 concludes the section with a thought-provoking discussion about the power of "one-to-one developmental dialogue", a phrase which can cover both coaching and mentoring.

Part 2
Chapter 7 covers an area that is often thought to be a significant difference between coaching and mentoring: the concept of power. Characteristically, this notion is challenged. The eighth chapter concerns itself with the "knowledge economy" and the role of "multiple relationships" (the network of relationships that exist around coaching and mentoring interactions). E-development is the theme for Chapter 9, which gives an overview of current e-mentoring and e-coaching activity. Chapter 10 is the final chapter in this section and perhaps the most controversial. It questions the "strongly established norm that working with goals is at the core of effective coaching" (151).

Part 3
The first topic covered in this section is supervision. While the chapter covers the traditional models of supervision (Merrick and Stokes, 2003; Hawkins and Smith, 2006) the authors question the term "supervision" and contend that the practice is only one of a number of ways in which coaches and mentors can access effective support. Chapter 12 engages with the issue of diversity, focusing on the nuances of the words "tolerance" and "acceptance". In Chapter 13, entitled "Competencies, Standards and Professionalization", the authors state at the outset that they will "raise many questions and present a comprehensive list of the extensive opposing arguments".

Part 4
The last section makes tentative steps "towards a theory of coaching and mentoring". A guest writer, Dawn Chandler, presents a very useful summary of the US perspective on coaching and mentoring in Chapter 14. In the final chapter, the authors contend that "coaching and mentoring activities are in need of a theory" (224). They offer a framework entitled "Towards a theoretical description of coaching and mentoring" (225) which links current practices in coaching and mentoring to five bodies of knowledge: sport, developmental psychology, psychotherapy, sociology and philosophy.

Summary:
This book explodes some of the dominant discourse surrounding coaching and mentoring. It's very engaging and thought-provoking. In the very best tradition of coaching, the book provides significant challenges and raises more questions than answers. The authors are steeped in knowledge and expertise and this book is an important contribution to the ongoing debate about the professionalization of coaching and mentoring.

This book lures you into the text. Only practicing academics could write in such a respectful and thought provoking way, weaving together case studies, research, experience and key references. The writing style prompts the reader to rethink the meaning of both mentoring and coaching and the relationship between the two. This is a scholarly book which is clearly written and deserves to be read widely by anyone with an interest in coaching and mentoring.