Transforming Adults Through Coaching: New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, Number 148 J–B ACE Single Issue Adult & Continuing Education Series

The field of coaching adult populations has grown dramatically over the past two decades. This volume brings together coaching scholars and experts to review this trend, examine some of the theoretical foundations of the field, and explore how coaching adults manifests itself in the workplace, at executive levels, and in educational and nonprofit organizations. Readers will:

• Gain understanding of this field of coaching adult audiences,
• Learn how adult development and adult learning theories undergird this work, and
• See applications of coaching approaches through numerous case studies.        

This is the 148th volume of the Jossey Bass series New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. Noted for its depth of coverage, it explores issues of common interest to instructors, administrators, counselors, and policymakers in a broad range of education settings, such as colleges and universities, extension programs, businesses, libraries, and museums.

EDITORS’ NOTES 1
James P. Pappas, Jerry Jerman

1. The Emerging Field of Executive and Organizational Coaching: An Overview 5
Rachel Ciporen

This introductory chapter outlines the emergence of coaching as a field both for practice and as a research area, including its popularity in the workplace, theoretical links to adult learning, and experiential orientation.

2. Development Coaching to Support the Transition to Self-Authorship 17
Carolyn Coughlin

The author addresses how coaches can draw upon their understanding of adult development, particularly mind/body theory and practice, to help guide adults to self-authorship.

3. Coaching and Adult Learning: Theory and Practice 27
Elaine Cox

Adult learning theory establishes a critical foundation for the practice of coaching adults. This chapter focuses on andragogy’s and transformative learning’s ties to coaching and the practical applications of these theories to the coaching process in working with adults.

4. Coaching as a Strategy for Helping Adults 39
Dorothy M. Wax, Judith Wertheim

The authors examine how coaches work with adults in the learning environment,including the role of the coach, skills essential to effective coaching relationships, and the value of prior learning assessment.

5. Coaching Adult Volunteers Through the Lifespan 49
Martha L. Banz

The shift toward a talent development emphasis among corporations and the shift to increase volunteer retention among nonprofits provide unique opportunities for nonprofit organizations to apply coaching-based, talent development principles to foster and strengthen long-term relationships with their volunteer workers.

6. Executive Coaching Practices in the Adult Workplace 59
Francine Campone

This chapter analyzes coaching practices with organizational executives in private and public sectors and how executive coaches develop the desired results among these learners, including achieving strategic performance among professionals at high levels of organizations.

7. Managerial Coaching 69
Rick Bommelje

The contemporary workplace is a complex environment requiring managers and supervisors to acquire new skill sets in interacting with employees. This chapter reviews how coaching equips managers and supervisors to be successful in the 21st-century workplace.

8. The Future of Coaching Among Adult Populations 79
James P. Pappas, Jerry Jerman

The future of coaching adults seems bright. The authors explore some of the key directions, themes, concerns, and issues about that future.

INDEX 93

James P. Pappas is vice president for outreach and dean of the College of Liberal Studies at the University of Oklahoma.

Jerry Jerman is director of marketing and communication for university outreach at the University of Oklahoma.