An Action Research Study on Coaches’ Cultural Awareness in the Public Sector

C Carr, L Seto International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring 2013

The purpose of this action research project is to understand how a coach’s own cultural lens impacts his/her coaching. Fourteen internal coaches from a government human resources organization in British Columbia were introduced to Rosinski’s Cultural Orientations Framework (COF) through education and self-assessment. Coaches wrote accounts on the role culture played within successful and less successful coaching sessions. Six themes were identified: culture is complex; awareness of the culture of the coaching profession; cultural awareness affects coaching outcomes; similar coachclient orientations makes for more comfortable coaching; the challenge of adapting to the client’s orientation; and leveraging possibilities through different orientations.