Wanna make a change?
In this post I will look at two different approaches to change that are routinely utilised in coaching: the linear approach and the emergent approach.
A linear approach to change is based on the assumption of causality, and a belief that there are laws which underpin human experience and development. This approach is generally rooted in traditions such as positivism, Newtonian physics and individualism; traditions generally concerned with the discovery of laws and mechanisms that explain how the natural world functions. This perspective usually assumes that the same laws can be used to predict causality and inform interventions designed to methodologically bring about change. From a neuroscience perspective, this approach utilises ‘top down’ processing, whereby cognition and intention are harnessed to guide focus and activity (Cozolino, 2013). Coaching via this approach will likely involve hard behavioural goals, contracts, processes and procedure. It generally seeks to identify what needs to change and to take necessary action to close the gap between one’s current state and their desired ‘end’ state. A traditional coaching model which encompasses this approach is the GROW model: G – Goal (aspirations); R – Reality (current obstacles or situation); O – Options (strengths, resources); W – Way Forward (accountability and personal action).
An emergent approach acknowledges the existence of a reality ‘out there’, but considers that an individual’s process of understanding, engaging and responding to that reality is complex and subjective. This approach is informed by relational, post-modern thinking as well as by complexity and systemic theories. An emergent orientation considers that change occurs in the here-and-now and comes about organically; influenced by the quality of contact we have with ourselves, as well as at the ‘contact boundary’ with others. Applied to the context of coaching, this approach treats the coaching container itself as a rich microcosm of experience worthy of exploration. From a neuroscience perspective, this approach utilises ‘bottom up’ processing, whereby insight and articulation of meaning emerges of its own accord when one focusses on sensations and present moment experiencing. By focussing on the depth of a coachee’s experience and how s/he makes sense and constructs reality, a relational coaching container can provide the opportunity to develop mindful awareness of existing patterns and the support needed for growth and change to occur.
Both approaches have their place and come with their own strengths and challenges. Part of my role as a coach is to hold the tension between both approaches, moving between them as required by the contour of a present moment in a coaching session. In my experience, the linear orientation is dominant in the way lawyers are trained and accordingly, when the time is right and when the situation demands it, utilising an emergent approach to change can provide a powerful circuit-breaker.
Importantly, as the Boston Change Study Group (2010) has shown, for change to stick it needs to happen in both the declarative/conscious-verbal domain (ie. Utilising linear approaches) and in the implicit procedural/relational domain (ie. Utilising emergent approaches). This itself speaks to the importance of hybrid approaches.