About the Book
Providing both a depth and breadth of examples of ethical dilemmas which coaches may face as part of their practice, this book is the first comprehensive handbook of case studies in the field, supporting coaches in developing their ethical awareness and competence.
The world of coaching has become increasingly complex over the past two decades. While the professional bodies have all released codes of conduct or ethical guidelines, these at best deal with general principles and serve as a point of reference for reflection. Ethical Case Studies for Coach Development and Practice is an essential accompaniment for coaches. Written by seasoned practitioners, this companion coaching case study book offers a more personal perspective on ethics in practice. Its simple structured layout and focus on ethical dilemmas make it an attractive course supplementary text and resource for practitioners. Divided into two sections, the guide explores the following themes: ethical development, coach education, one-to-one coaching, individual and group supervision, team coaching, external coaching assignments, internal coaching, digital and AI coaching, power in coaching, and the promotion of coaching.
This book is a vital resource for coaches at all levels of experience in their professional coach journey, and for those with more experience in the development of ethical thinking and practice such as supervisors, consultants in leadership development, human resource professionals, and students on coaching postgraduate programmes and in private coach education.
Table of Contents:
Acknowlegements Editors Contributors Part One: Working with Case Studies for Coach Ethical Development 1. Ethical Case Studies for Coach Education and Development 2. Case Formulation: A Tool for Working with Coaching Case Studies Part Two: Case Studies 3. One-to-One Coaching 4. Supervision 5. Team Coaching 6. External Coaching 7. Internal Coaching 8. Digital and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Coaching 9. Power in Coaching 10. Promotion in Coaching Appendix A: Coaching and Psychology Bodies Appendix B: Association and Forums Appendix C: Coaching Codes of Ethics
About the Author :
Wendy-Ann Smith is a coaching psychologist, researcher, and educator. She is the Director at her coaching boutique Eclorev, co-founder of the Coaching Ethics Forum, founding editor of the Journal of Coaching Ethics, and is a Visiting Fellow, Centre of Positive Psychology, Buckinghamshire New University, UK. Her recent publications are Positive Psychology Coaching in the Workplace and The Ethical Coaches’ Handbook: A Guide to Developing Ethical Maturity in Practice.
Eva Hirsch Pontes is an independent coach and a pioneer in coaching supervision in Latin America. In her previous career in the corporate world, she worked for over 25 years as an executive in the shipping industry, holding several key positions including director and board member.
Dumisani Magadlela is an executive team coach from South Africa. Dumi is co-principal at The Coaching Centre (TCC) and is core faculty at the Global Team Coaching Institute (GTCI). At the time of writing, Dumi was chair of the International Coaching Federation (ICF)’s Global Enterprise Board.
David Clutterbuck is one of the last survivors of the original pioneers of modern coaching and mentoring. Author or co-author of more than 75 books, he co-founded the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and leads a global network of coach educators, Coaching and Mentoring International.
Review :
'We learn best through real stories, and this book offers us 40 riveting examples of actual ethical coaching dilemmas. What would you do if you were the coach? Sneak behind the scenes with the expert coaches as they navigate through very tricky waters. The answers may not be as simple as you think!'
Brian O. Underhill, PhD, PCC; Founder and CEO, CoachSource, LLC
'This new book provides a wealth of material through a case study approach, exploring many of the contemporary ethical dilemmas faced by coaches today from AI to race and from gender to managing multiple stakeholders. This text will be an essential addition to every coach's library.'
Prof. Jonathan Passmore, Henley Business School, UK
'What I loved about this book is that, at the same time as clearly having serious, theoretical or research-based underpinnings, these case studies are immensely readable and the lessons to be learned from them are clearly spelled out. I love a good case study and here we are spoiled for choice. Their strength is the way that they bring theory to life. We can talk about ethics in coaching and supervision at a conceptual level until the cows come home but the learning really begins when our CEO client walks into the coaching space at 10am and we can smell whisky on their breath. What do we actually do? The case studies that make up this very helpful book explore both straight-forward and very complex issues and cover one-to-one coaching, team coaching, and supervision in both internal and external coaching scenarios. The sheer breadth of ethical challenges presented is ultra-stimulating and a great way of helping the reader to examine and explore their own prejudices, biases, beliefs, and values and how they affect the decisions we take in and outside the coaching/supervision room. The later chapters explore the ethical challenges that the digital age has brought with it - managing digital records, avoiding data breaches, the role of AI, etc. - and handling challenges around diversity in its many forms. Very thoughtful stuff. This book would be a worthwhile addition to any coach's bookshelf.'
Katharine St John-Brooks, Author of Internal Coaching: The Inside Story
'This book represents an important contribution in the exploration of ethics in coaching. The introductory chapter explores how learning in coach education and development is significantly enhanced using case studies. Chapter Two provides a thorough summary of how case studies have been used as a learning tool in well-established fields of study and offer the coach practitioner an in depth understanding of case formulation, why it matters, and the task is approached. The authors caution us there is no one right way, and they offer the reader several frameworks that allow a coach to maximize in-depth learning from a case study whether in the midst of a coach education experience, coach supervision, or self-directed learning.'
Pam McLean, Co-founder, CKO, Hudson Institute of Coaching
'Ethics in Coaching is core to the sustainability of the coaching profession and the sustainable practice of a coach. Ethical Case Studies book is practical, useful, and essential reading for coaches and coaching buyers. The book may invite coaches to reflect upon their previous and ongoing practice and help them to raise awareness and take charge of their development and refine their coaching practice.'
Dr. Badri Bajaj, Coaching thought leader, President - ICF Delhi NCR Charter Chapter 2019-2021 and 2021-2023
'Kurt Lewin famously noted that nothing is so practical as a good theory. A very close second to that would be good quality case studies to learn from experience, and this book hits it out of the park in this regard.'
Aaron Jarden, Associate Professor, Centre for Wellbeing Science, University of Melbourne, Australia
