Michael Cavanagh: Coaching from a Systemic Perspective: A Complex Adaptive Conversation
23 February 2009
Dr Michael Cavanagh is a Coaching and Clinical Psychologist and Deputy Director of the Coaching Psychology Unit at the School of Psychology, University of Sydney. He has graciously allowed us to republish this article, that focuses on systemic approaches to coaching, particularly coaching in complexity.
Michael is co-presenter with Professor David Lane at a full-day masterclass in Auckland, on March 9, 2009. This is a rare opportunity to work with two internationally acclaimed coaching psychologists. Read more here.
COACHING IS A JOURNEY in search of patterns. Our clients come to us, sometimes with fuzzy problems, sometimes with clear goals, but always
with a desire to understand their experience in a way that enables them to move forward. We, as coaches, undertake to work with them to develop
this new understanding, and to support them in taking the actions that flow from it. The value we add to our clients resides in our ability to
help them see their experience in a new way. We do this by helping them to discover or notice previously unnoticed (or ignored) patterns in the
complex mix of experience, thoughts, actions, and reactions that is their story. Coaching, then, is a journey in search of patterns.
The difficulty is that, in the complex world of human experience, there are many possible patterns to be found and many ways of helping the client make meaning of their experience. Precisely which patterns we detect as coaches will depend on the theories, models, and assumptions that we bring to bear on the client’s story. Our theories (like our clients’ theories) are the lenses we use to filter out what is important and what is not. They allow us to understand our world, and they guide both prediction and action. The best coaches are able to take multiple perspectives and select those that are most helpful for the client. This chapter explores one way of finding patterns in coaching, one set of lenses through which to view the coaching engagement—complex systems theory. In order to do this, I first describe the main features of complex adaptive systems, exploring some of the implications for coaching as we go along. Given that the cases we are discussing are situated in an organizational leadership context, I also consider some ways in which complexity theory informs our approach to leadership. I then explore Stacey’s (2000) metaphor of systems as conversations, and present a model of the coaching engagement that I have found useful in helping me understand what it is I am doing in coaching. Finally, we look at the cases of Bob and Bonita from this systemic perspective.
READ ON IN THE ATTACHED PDF
