The influence of team coaching on team functioning

[摘要] This research focused on the influence that team coaching had on alleviating the challenges that emanate from team conflict. There is little work done to expand on how team coaching may assist in the transition from conflict to performance, within organisations. Organisations employ individuals who share similarities and also differ significantly in education levels, efficacies, personalities and worldviews. They appoint these diverse individuals to achieve their goals and objectives. These employees are organised to form teams that will perform different duties in alignment to organisational goals, and teams are more effective than individuals. Teams encounter challenges, and one challenge is conflict. There are three conflicts they may encounter: a) relationship, b) process, and c) task conflicts.For this qualitative research, constructive-interpretivism was appropriate because it meant that the researcher and the participant were interacting and the interaction surfaced deeper meaning. Phenomenological research design was used to explore participants’ conscious experiences which were then studied and interpreted. Data was collected from team coaches and their coachees, in different organisations, both from public and private sectors, using semi-structured interviews and observation.Key findings are that there is a skills gap in team coaching. Most team coaches interviewed are team coaches by virtue of being line managers. Others are trained coaches, but in different approaches and not in team coaching. The skills applied to resolve conflict are in line with their training as managers/leaders and some aligned to coaching skills. The other finding was that teams undergo some form of conflict and they were able to move from storming to performing, through the interventions by team coaches. The key message is that team coaching does influence team functioning towards the attainment of organisational goals.

[发布机构] University of the Witwatersrand