Personal Growth Initiative

Transcription

1 Personal Growth ORGANISATIONAL COACH TRAINING AND PERSONAL GROWTH INITIATIVE (PGI): UNANTICIPATED BENEFITS AND WELCOMED CONSEQUENCES IECL SHORT REPORT Date: July 2012 Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership SYDNEY HONG KONG SHANGHAI (Sydney) (Hong Kong) (Shanghai) enquiries@iecl.com

2 ORGANISATIONAL COACH TRAINING AND PERSONAL GROWTH INITIATIVE (PGI): UNANTICIPATED BENEFITS AND WELCOMED CONSEQUENCES INTRODUCTION Since its inception in 1999, the IECL has been conducting a series of highly successful Organisational Coach training programs focused on developing individuals as professional coaches. The IECL currently offers three levels of coach training (Level One, Level Two and Level Three), in an International Coach Federation (ICF) Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP). In 2006 it became apparent that attendees of IECL coach training programs were anecdotally reporting a number of unanticipated benefits arising from their attendance at these programs. Attendees suggested that they had not only developed the knowledge and skills in organisational coaching, but had also experienced a range of personal benefits arising from the opportunity themselves to be coached during the development process. These unexpected benefits were also recorded in the attendee s refl ective learning journals which they had completed as part of their attendance at IECL training programs. Along with an increase in self-awareness, attendees reported a greater sense of clarity about their own goals and what inspired and motivated them. As reported, Finally, I have recognised that I actually feel quite passionate about helping others reach their potential and that coaching provides a solid and effective framework for how to pursue that passion, whether it would be in a structured coaching situation, in a work/management context, or just in my everyday life. Attendees also reported that the program had been life-changing and that they had taken action to pursue new directions following attendance at an IECL program. A greater self-awareness of my strengths has given me the confi dence to pursue a personal development path as a coach and it is now my goal to continue my education and experience in this field This is not a path that I had even vaguely thought about prior to the course. In response to this growing phenomenon, the IECL examined some of the research into personal growth, within a broader context of an increased focus on positive psychology in coaching research and practice. Personal Growth In the literature, personal growth has been defined as a change that is cognitive, behavioural or affective (Proshcaska & DiClimente, 1986). Individuals who score high on personal growth have been viewed as being open to new experiences, possessing a sense of direction and goals in life and seeking improvement in themselves and their behaviours (Ryff and Keyes, 1989). 2 Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership Pty Ltd 2014 IECL Short Report July 2012

3 Robitschek s (1998) research into personal growth distinguished it as an outcome of both intentional and unintentional processes. Robitschek focused on the concept of personal growth initiative (PGI) and highlighted the intentionality of growth; whereby an individual is fully aware that change is occurring and is actively and willingly involved in the process. Robitschek (1988) argued people with a high PGI are better able to deal with change throughout their life. They are able to perceive choices in life when confronted with environmental pressures, and follow through, actively choosing the ways they wish to grow (Robitschek, 1998). In light of this literature and the unexpected outcomes of coach training, the IECL proposed the following research questions: Does the IECL training (with its experiential application of coaching frameworks such as the GROW model) increase attendee s PGI? Are attendee s levels of PGI higher after the training then before? If so, does this suggest an area for further research i.e. does coaching change PGI? Robitschek (1999) examined a number of hypotheses relating to PGI, with a particular focus on the relationship between gender and PGI. The IECL therefore was also interested in the following additional research questions: Are there any marked differences in PGI results between the genders? If so, to what extent? The Construct and Measures Robitschek (1988) developed a self-report instrument, the Personal Growth Scale (PGIS) to measure PGI. The PGIS consists of nine items that are rated on a Likert scale from the lowest value (1 = definitely disagree) to the highest value (6 = defi nitely agree). Item scores are summed to obtain a total PGI score. Results are assessed by calculating the mean and the average of the nine items. The items on the PGIS include the following: 1. I know how to change specific things that I want to change in my life. 2. I have a good sense of where I am headed in life. 3. If I want to change something in my life, I initiate the transition process. 4. I can choose the role that I want to have in a group. 5. I know what I need to do to get started toward reaching my goals. 6. I have a specific action plan to help me reach my goals. 7. I take charge of my life. 8. I know what my unique contribution to the world might be 9. I have a plan for making my life more balanced Pilot Study After the IECL obtained permission from Christine Robitscheck in 2006 to utilise her PGIS to measure attendee s PGI levels both pre and post attendance at coach training programs, the IECL commenced a pilot study in the same year. Research attendee included 12 of a total 15 attendees in a Level One Organisational Coach training program. Attendees completed a survey containing the scale at two stages: (1) pre-training and (2) post-training. The survey was ed to attendees one week prior to the training program to print out and complete the survey. These were collected at the beginning of the training. One week after completion of the training, attendees were ed the surveys to be completed and ed back to the IECL. 3 Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership Pty Ltd 2014 IECL Short Report July 2012

4 The results aligned with the IECL s prior assumption that coaching had a positive effect on personal growth. The overall PGI scores for each individual were higher after the training than prior to it. This outcome motivated the IECL to further pursue the infl uence of Organisational Coach training programs on the PGIS. Method From 2006 onwards until the beginning of 2012, attendees were asked to complete a pre-training and post-training PGIS (following a similar procedure as utilised in the Pilot Study in 2006). In order to administer the survey more effectively, the IECL set up an online page for the post-survey in For the ease of analysis, this paper will only consider the results obtained between 2010 and In addition to this restriction, this analysis will only take responses from attendees of Level One training courses into account. And lastly, as this research compares PGI scores prior to, and after, attending a coach training program, participant data has only been included for individuals who completed both pre- training and post-training surveys. Respondents Over a period of two years, from 2010 to the beginning of 2012, 260 surveys were completed on the provided webpage. The fi nal sample includes n = 160 (61.5%) attendee, amongst whom 55 were male and 105 were female. All attendee match all the criteria that are listed above and represent attendees drawn from 18 Level One Coach Training programs held in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Shanghai and Hong Kong over a period of two years. RESULTS Connected leadership, using the full resources of organisations informal networks, will become steadily more important as the pace and complexity of change in the wider society continues to build. Societal change has brought population diversity, multiple cultures and - through the internet - democratised knowledge and ever faster technological change 20. Developing the agility required to respond to these changes, organisations must be able to harness their internal resources through acknowledging collaborative processes, which enable all of their people to make their contribution in as useful a way as possible. 1. Comparison: Overall Results Pre and Post Tables 1 and 2 illustrate the overall rankings from the lowest value (1 = defi nitely disagree) to the highest value (6 = defi nitely agree). Each of the six columns is divided into nine bars which represent the nine items of the PGIS according to their frequency. Figure 1 shows the results prior to the program. As can be seen, value 5 = mostly agree dominated the ranking followed by the value 4 = somewhat agree. A few of the attendees chose 6 = definitely agree. Few attendees tended to disagree. It appears that attendees most likely have a high PGI score to start out with. This suggests that those people who choose to develop as professional coaches already possess a high level of PGI. 4 Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership Pty Ltd 2014 IECL Short Report July 2012

5 Figure 1: Results prior to Coach training program; n = 160 The results after the Coach Training program can be seen in Figure 2 and show an overall shift to higher values. The number of the answers with the value one to four descended, whereas the frequency for the values of six increased evidently. Figure 2: Results after Coach training program; n = 160 These results suggest that attendance at the Level One Coach Training program has a signifi cant infl uence on the PGI. One explanation for this outcome is that in Level One, attendees are taught (and use extensively in real-play coaching practice) the GROW model, which was devised by Graham Alexander and was first published in 1992 by Sir John Whitmore in his book Coaching for performance. It contains a simple four-step structure of verbalising a goal, knowing the current situation, considering all options and making a specific plan for achieving that goal. The IECL has further investigated the results through an analysis of gender comparisons. Results are included in the following section. 5 Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership Pty Ltd 2014 IECL Short Report July 2012

6 2. Comparison: PGIS Prior and Post - Male In Table 1, the PGI results for male attendees are detailed. Table 1 shows the occurrence of the lowest value (1= defi nitely disagree) to the highest value (6= definitely agree) for each item prior to attendance at the program. ITEM / Table 1: Results prior to Coach training program, n = 55 male Table 1 demonstrates that male attendees report a high proportion of 4 = somewhat agree and 5 = mostly agree. Although, most males hesitate to 6 = definitely agree. A closer look on the mean and average in Table 2 reveals irregularities. ITEM / Mean Average Table 2: Mean and Average, n = 55 male As demonstrated in Table 2, item 6 I have a specifi c action plan to help me reach my goal and item 8 I know what my unique contribution to the world might be digress in the mean. While all the other Items have a mean of 5 = mostly agree, items 6 and 8 have a lower mean of 4. As a consequence of this these Items also have the lowest average. Table 3 illustrates the frequencies after the program for male attendees and the values for the mean and average related. ITEM / Mean Average Table 3: Results after Coach training program & mean and average, n= 55 male 6 Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership Pty Ltd 2014 IECL Short Report July 2012

7 After the program, the mean for every item was 5 = mostly agree. In addition to that, all averages have increased. As mentioned above, by using the GROW model a specific goal is verbalised and a specific plan is initiated. Therefore, from a coaching perspective the increase is a logical consequence. Interestingly, item 5 I know what I need to do to get started toward reaching my goal has the highest average prior to and after the program for males. 3. Comparison: PGIS Prior and Post - Female In Table 4, the PGI results for female attendees are detailed. Table 1 shows the occurrence of the lowest value (1= defi nitely disagree) to the highest value (6= definitely agree) for each item prior to attendance at the program. ITEM / Mean Average Table 4: Results prior to Coach training program, n = 105 female Table 4 shows a dominance of mean values 4 = somewhat agree and 5 = mostly agree. The values of items 6, 8 and 9 arouse the assumption of irregularities in the mean which can be seen in Table 5 where these items have a lower mean of 4 = somewhat agree and differ from all other items which have a mean of 5 = mostly agree. ITEM / Mean Average Table 5: Results after the Coach training program, n = 105 female 7 Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership Pty Ltd 2014 IECL Short Report July 2012

8 4. Results Female and Male In Table 5 the results of male and female attendee are compared. As the number of female attendees (n = 105) is almost twice as high as the number of male attendees (n = 55), the results were analysed and presented in percentage terms to enable an explicit comparison to be made. Table 6 shows the individual results of items 1, before and after attendance at the Level 1 Coach Training program. ITEM 1 / % Prior % Post The results for Item 1, I know how to change specific things that I want to change in my life clearly shifts from lower values to higher values. A closer look at the values reveals that female attendee agree more strongly than males. Both genders evidently increased their level of agreement with the statement after attending Level One Coach Training. Table 6: Item 1 I know how to change specifi c things that I want to change in my life ITEM 2 / % Prior % Post The next item, I have a good sense of where I am headed in my life shows the same tendency as seen for Item 1. Regarding the overall tendency, the increase for value one definitely disagree from 0% from before to 1.82% after the program can be assessed as an outlier. Table 7: Item 2 I have a good sense of where I am headed in my life ITEM 3 / % Prior % Post Noticeable about item 3, If I want to change something in my life, I initiate the transition process is that it holds the highest average (along with Item fi ve) for the male attendees. Table 8: Item 3 If I want to change something in my life, I initiate the transition process 8 Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership Pty Ltd 2014 IECL Short Report July 2012

9 ITEM 4 / % Prior % Post Whereas, the average from Item four I can choose the role that I want to have in a group shows the highest increase of agreement for the male attendees. Table 9: Item 4 I can choose the role that I want to have in a group ITEM 5 / % Prior % Post Item 5, I know what I need to do to get started towards reaching my goal yields the biggest average prior to the program and after for the male population of the sample. Table 10: Item 5 I know what I need to do to get started toward reaching my goals ITEM 6 / % Prior % Post The female population has a mentionable outcome for item 6, I have a specific action plan to help me reach my goal. Before the program the average for this Item is lowest, however shows the largest ascent of Table 11: Item 6 I have a specifi c action plan to help me reach my goals 9 Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership Pty Ltd 2014 IECL Short Report July 2012

10 ITEM 7 / % Prior % Post Unexpectedly the results of Item 7, I take charge of my life show a minor growth for 1 = defi nitely disagree and 2 = mostly disagree. For both gender the median is 4 before the program, yet rises up to 5 after it. The number of 5 = mostly agree slightly dropped down for Item seven I take charge of my life, however, highly increased for 6 = defi nitely agree for the female population. Also noteworthy, 94.28% 5 mostly agree or 6 = defi nitely agree with this statement. In other words, out of 105 females, only five women 4 = somewhat agree with Item seven. Table 12: Item 7 I take charge of my life ITEM 8 / % Prior % Post Unlike the outcomes of the other statements, item 8, I know what my unique contribution to the world might be shows a lower result for the female population than for the male population. Additionally, the median from the female attendees is similar to item 6 lower prior to the program and rose to a median of five after it Table 13: Item 8 I know what my unique contribution to the world might be ITEM 9 / % Prior % Post The results for Item 9, I have a plan for making my life more balanced indicates a slight increase of the lower values similar to previous observation, however, the overall result has grown. And just as for item 6, the median has increased from four to five after the program. Table 14: Item 9 I have a plan for making my life more balanced While the overall result is obtained as an increase for each Item, four exceptions can be seen in Item 2, 6, 7 and 9. The results from the post-training show a higher percentage for lower values 1 = defi nitely disagree and 2 = mostly disagree than prior to the program. Further investigation disclosed that the attendees, who selected a lower value after the program, are the same attendees who selected a lower value before the training. For that matter these anomalies can be assessed as outliers. 10 Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership Pty Ltd 2014 IECL Short Report July 2012

11 DISCUSSION Our results are congruent with the presumptions made prior to the study. As a consequence of a number of prior reports from attendees the IECL anticipated an increase of the PGI score after the program. We have discovered that both male and female have the tendency to high PGI scores, despite a few outliers which have no infl uence on the overall increase. Yet female attendees have higher scores before and after the program compared to the male population. Regarding this, one exception was witnessed for Item 8 I know what my unique contribution to the world might be, in which the results of male participant exceed the results of the female population. This shows that women are more likely hesitating to evaluate their significance in their contribution than men. At the same time, comparing of the pre-training and aftertraining results take notice of an increase for the female population, which shows a positive effect of the program concerning their self-awareness. IECL applies a respected Coaching Tool within the Executive Coach training, which aims to formalise a goal and to birth commitment through a specific action plan. The result for item 6 I have a specific action plan to help me reach my goal increased and indicated a change of the median (from 4 to 5) for both male and female and therefor aligns with the purpose of this tool. This observation leads IECL to one approach to explaining personal growth through the program. As attendees undergo coaching in the program they are challenged to reflect on themselves and their goals. As a result of this the attendees are confronted to verbalise a goal (Item 2), know the obstacles (Item 1), find options and make a specific plan to achieve that goal (Item 5 and 6). Lastly they are challenged to commit to the action plan and put words into action (Item 3 and Item 7). IECL recognises certain limitations of this research. Evidently we can witness an overall growth, yet we lack information to confi dently explain the outcome. As a response to this, IECL has identified new areas for future research. The domain of this are of research will include discovering reasons for personal growth. CONCLUSION In terms of the increment in the overall PGI scores for attendees of Organisational Coach training program and the increment as per detailed item comparisons, it appears that the coach training program significantly increases student s personal growth initiative. 11 Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership Pty Ltd 2014 IECL Short Report July 2012

12 REFERENCES Prochaska, J. O., & DiClemente, C. C. (1986). The transtheoretical approach. In J. Norcorss (Ed.), Handbook of eclectic psychotherapy (pp ). New York: Brunner/ Mazel Robitschek, C. (1998). Personal growth initiative: The construct and its measure. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 30, Robitshek, C. (1999). Further Validation of the Personal Growth Scale, Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 31, Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well- being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, Whitmore, J. (2002). Coaching for performance. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The IECL acknowledges the work of Shirley Hoffman for this most recent analysis of PGIS data and for the preparation of this report during her internship with the Education Team at IECL in Sydney, Australia. 12 Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership Pty Ltd 2014 IECL Short Report July 2012

13 CONTACT US: enquiries@iecl.com SYDNEY HONG KONG SHANGHAI 13 Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership Pty Ltd 2014 IECL Short Report July 2012