Coaching for Emancipation: A framework for coaching in oppressive environments
H Shoukry International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring 2016
While coaching is establishing itself as an effective human development approach, there is limited understanding of the dynamics of coaching in the context of oppression. This paper summarises a study that examined the use of coaching as an emancipatory approach, and explored how oppression affects coachees, coaches and the coaching process. Building on a cross-disciplinary review of emancipatory approaches, an initial coaching model was developed. Then, a cooperative inquiry was conducted with twelve coaches from Egypt, who used the model with 22 coachees, leading to the development of a theoretical and practical framework for the use of coaching to support the emancipation and development of individuals. This study is possibly the first to research coaching as an emancipatory approach. It provides insights into how oppression affects individuals and describes the individual’s journey to emancipation. It proposes a detailed framework of the processes that support individuals through that journey, and discusses the implications of the social context on the coaches’ development.