The sociology of leadership coaching

Abstract

This chapter explores the international field of leadership coaching from a sociological perspective. The fundamental features of the leadership coaching industry are outlined using primary data collected from in-depth interviews with leadership coaches, ethnographic observation of coach-training workshops, and secondary data analysis of global coaching surveys. Leadership coaching is defined and contextualized within the field of leadership studies as well as within the broader international coaching industry. The issue of certification is examined along with an overview of the global demographics of who is involved in leadership coaching as practitioners and clients. The goal is to explicate how and why leadership coaching has emerged as a professional field and to offer insight into how leaders around the world are being trained and developed for various leadership roles in their communities.

Citation

George, M. (2013), "The sociology of leadership coaching", Collective Efficacy: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on International Leadership (Advances in Educational Administration, Vol. 20), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 231-243. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-3660(2013)0000020013