Abstract

With the communication and many aspects of social life moving into the online domain, social interaction and communication between individuals in corporate environments is often being moved to the virtual realms in search of solutions to save time and money. This paper explores the way in which online coaching can provide a fruitful platform to introduce online communication and staff development in constructive ways where social and relational aspects of the working team are not compromised.

The research presented in this paper explores the process of an online coaching programme and its impact on individual behaviour and group dynamics. The sample for this study is a group of young women (early to mid-30s). The programme explores different methods and approaches to help develop self- confidence in young women and see if behavioural change can be achieved. The coaching programme included synchronous and asynchronous coaching as well as individual and group coaching sessions. Our research responds to call for evidence and confirms previous claims (Followell, 2014) that coaching, if made available to women in early stages of career, can help develop their self- confidence, self-belief, and leadership skills.

The research presented here is an exploratory, longitudinal, study; using a sample size of 12 women, from two organisations, as well as one individual participant. The online coaching programme took place over six weeks with quantitative and qualitative data gathered on two separate occasions using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Longitudinal analysis was used to analyse the quantitative data and thematic analysis to analyse the qualitative data.

Biography

Dr Dorota is the Associate Professor of Coaching and Change Management at Henley Business School, University of Reading. She holds a PhD in Management and a fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. She is also a certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming Master Coach and a member of the British Psychological Society’s Occupational Psychology and Coaching Psychology divisions. Her expertise lies in coaching, executive development and change management programmes based on Personal Construct Psychology. In her conceptual work, she uses mixed method approach and interdisciplinary perspectives to develop models that are applicable in the real world for creating personal and professional transformations. Her clients range from multinational corporations, such as General Motors, to public sector institutions such as the Chinese aerospace industry. Dr Dorota’s approach is underpinned by a belief that organisations should be built on shared values, where all individuals can truly belong and find their unique pathway to a personal and professional self-fulfilment. Her academic work involves creating executive education programmes and researching coaching and change management. She has won numerous research grants to support my projects, which have been published in various international journals and books. Dr Dorota has served on a board of the European Personal Construct Association and organised many conferences in this field. She act as a reviewer for a number of academic journals and am currently an associate editor for the European Management Review and the Journal of Constructivist Psychology.

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