Transitional Spaces

Dr Colleen Harding ODHE, Windermere Friday 7 February 2014

Agenda

• • • • Background to the study that explored the role of coaching and mentoring in supporting the alignment of academic staff and organisational strategy Summary of the findings Three questions for you to think about relevant to role of an OD Practitioner Highlights from one of the findings: A model of the Transitional Space Provided by Coaching and Mentoring

Background to the Research

Theoretical Underpinning

Challenges for People and Organisations Changes in Higher Education Coaching and Mentoring Literature

Extract from Conceptual Map Gaps in the Literature

Alignment focus on structure and process (Kaplan and Norton, 2006) (Holbeche, 2009) Need to explore implications of achieving bottom line and individual identity (Montuori and Purser, 2001) OD Developers and academic dev. needs; be theoretical about own practice (Blackmore and Blackwell, 2006) Coaching and mentoring definitions are often blurred; lack of in-depth studies Alignment, Coaching and Mentoring (Clutterbuck and Megginson, 2007, p. 6) Research Questions

Alignment Coaching and Mentoring

‘The process of strategic alignment ultimately leads to the alignment of individual and organisational ambitions and drives to succeed. Coaching and mentoring are two of the most powerful ways of helping people undertake the inner dialogue that brings these potentially conflicting dynamics together.’ Clutterbuck and Megginson, 2007, p. 6

The Research Questions

• How do participants conceptualise alignment?

• How do participants experience coaching and mentoring?

• What is the role of coaching and mentoring in supporting the alignment of academic staff and organisational strategy?

The Research Design

Fig 3.1

The Findings

The Findings

• • • • A model for improving credibility in insider research A definition of emerging academics and the need to support their development A new understanding of the individual within an organisational context A model of the transitional space provided by coaching and mentoring

Doctoral Findings and ‘Transitional Spaces’

Transitional Space

The issue of transition during organisational change is described by Bridges and Mitchell (2000) where change is manifested as an external process, but transition is an internal process whereby an individual needs to undergo a psychological reorientation before change can take place, with the need to let go of the old and to move through a ‘neutral’ space before being able to move forward.

Three Types of Transitional Space

• • • The ‘transitional spaces’ for an insider researcher The ‘transitional space’ for ‘emerging academics’ A Model of the Transitional Space Provided by Coaching and Mentoring

The transitional space for an insider-researcher

Researcher Employee Reflector

The Challenges for an Insider-Researcher

What do you think are the challenges for an insider-researcher?

Issues for the Insider-Researcher

• • • • • • Knowledge of the People Pre-Existing Knowledge Pre-Existing Assumptions Experience of the Phenomenon Making Sense of the Data and Findings Transferability

The transitional space for an emerging academic

The ‘transitional space’ for ‘emerging academics’

What is your definition of an ‘emerging academic’?

What are the development needs of an ‘emerging academic’?

The Transitional Space Provided by Coaching and Mentoring

How Participants Conceptualised Alignment:

• • • • Alignment to clear vision and direction Alignment of support - organisational level - individual level Expectations on academic staff Challenges for academic staff

Alignment as a Focus on a Gap

• Alignment was about a focus on a gap: what it means to be an academic • In striving to deliver on University goals, Academics in turn developed their careers • In striving to develop their careers, academics generated outputs that helped to deliver on University goals

The Transitional Space Provided by Coaching and Mentoring

‘I’m really interested in helping a person to develop into an academic...I’m interested in transformation...I’m in this middle position...to represent transitional space in which I can translate between these two worlds, between their inner world and their outer world.’ (M17)

The Coach and Mentor as Translator

‘I can translate between these two worlds, between their inner world and their outer world, especially in a culture and context where their inner world is under-represented and they don’t have a voice for that.’ (M17) ‘Someone looking in, rather than someone being in’ (M21)

Harding, C. (2013) The Transitional Space Provided by Coaching and Mentoring, International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, Special Issue No 7, pp. 56 - 72 Outer World of the Individual Academic

Career Challenges Role Challenges

Coaching And Mentoring Support for Inner Focus

Support for Career Challenges: Future Focus

Vision ( C ) Inspiration (M)

Support for Role Challenges: Implementation

Performance (C&M) Exploration (C&M) Advice (C&M)

Support for Psychological Challenges: Psychological Support

Tailored Support for Individual Needs (C) Reflection (C ) Reinforcement(C ) Nurture (M) Support (M)

Support for Time Challenges: Forward Momentum

Focus ( C ) Motivation (M) Having the Will

Psychological Challenges Time Challenges

Inner World of the Individual Academic

The Transitional Space Provided by Coaching and Mentoring © Colleen Harding

Coaching And Mentoring Support for Outer Focus Finding the Way

Transformation over time

OD Practitioner as Translator

In what ways do you see the role of OD Practitioner as a ‘translator’ in the ‘transitional space’ between the inner and outer worlds of an organisation?

References

• • • • • • • • Blackmore, P., Blackwell, R. (2006) Strategic leadership in academic development, Studies in Higher Education, 31(3),373-387 Bridges, W., Mitchell, S. (2000) Leading Transition: A New Model for Change, Leader to Leader, No. 16 http://www.hesselbeininstitute.org/knowledgecenter/journal.aspx?ArticleID=28 [Accessed21/08/11] Clutterbuck, D., Megginson, D. (2007) Making Coaching Work, London: CIPD Harding, C. (2013) The Transitional Space Provided by Coaching and Mentoring, International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, Special Issue No 7, pp. 56 - 72 Holbeche, L. (2009) Aligning Human Resources and Business Strategy, Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann Kaplan, R. S., Norton, D. P. (2006) Alignment: Using the Balanced Scorecard to Create Corporate Synergies, Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press Montuori, A., Purser, R. (2001) Humanistic Psychology in the Workplace in Schneider, K., Bugental, J.F.T. & Pierson, J.F. (eds) The Handbook of Humanistic Psychology, London: Sage