Research seminar: Handle with care! Unveiling the tricky navigation of care in coaching & the risk of epistemic harm

Despite substantial growth over the past three decades, coaching as a learning and developmental intervention remains marked by numerous inconsistencies, often leaving practitioners perplexed. This ambiguity is particularly pronounced in the realm of care within coaching, a pivotal yet often overlooked aspect. While care initially appears central in this value-laden profession, it remains a nebulous and unsubstantiated concept. In response, our qualitative study investigates coaches’ representations of care. Through the analysis of 30 interviews, we reveal that care is nuanced and fraught with complexity for practitioners, identifying four primary challenges with care. Care appears amorphous; multifaceted; incongruent and harmful. We therefore argue that coaches’ limited awareness of care not only results in confusion but, in some cases, creates potential harm, underscoring the need for heightened epistemic clarity regarding care in coaching. Our study makes two contributions: firstly, it enriches the under-developed concept of care within the coaching discipline and delineates conditions to position coaching as a caring profession through enhanced epistemic reflexivity; secondly, it provides educational and practical recommendations aimed at improving professional practice among coaches. 

Pauline Fatien Bio (from Grenoble EM)

Pauline Fatien Diochon is Associate Professor at People, Organizations and Society Department, Grenoble Ecole de Management (France). Her research explores the ethical, spatial and political dimensions of organizational phenomena, such as leadership development (especially coaching) and collaborative spaces. She holds a PhD in Management from HEC School of Management (Paris, France) and has an international academic career in the USA and Colombia.