Group and Team Coaching: The Essential Guide

Christine Thornton

Routledge, Essential Coaching Skills and Knowledge Series
268 pages, paperback. ISBN: 978-0-415-47228-9. £11.70

Reviewed by Emma Wallace

This book is one of the first to cover this important area of coaching. The author, Christine Thornton, is an experienced coach practitioner with over 20 year’s experience of working with groups. Christine, as well as being a coach, is a group analyst and, therefore, the book focuses heavily on the scientific tradition of group analysis, which is defined as ‘an exciting and innovative approach to psychotherapy’ (The Institute of Group Analysis, 2010).

It is a very well structured book that is divided into six parts. At the start of each chapter there is a summary box listing what the chapter contains. Throughout, the author provides vignettes that illustrate the concepts described and relates them to group coaching situations. Part 1 of the book starts with an introduction explaining what is meant by group coaching. It describes the difference between groups and teams and addresses the use of group coaching in organisations. Part 2 contains the ‘conceptual core’ of the book. Part 3 addresses the organisational context of group coaching, and introduces systems theory as a way of understanding how coach and team, or coach and group, are located and related in the organisation. Part 4 reviews the current applications of group coaching and can be used to help the practitioner design successful interventions. Part 5 offers practical guidance on issues that commonly arise in our work with groups and teams and finally, Part 6 provides a useful resource section with suggested further reading as well as a list of organisations that provide training in this area.

Looking at the book in more detail reveals that Part 2 is concerned with how groups help people learn and develop. The author describes it as the ‘conceptual core’ of the book and it aims to set out the interpersonal processes underpinning all learning and co-operation. The fundamentals to all learning are described in relation to group coaching. These are ‘implicit knowing’, ‘projection’, ‘transference’, ‘holding’ and ‘exchange’. These terms alone, should give anyone with a background in psychology a good idea of the underpinning theory on which this book is based. For example, the author says that ‘holding’ is a fundamental condition of all functional groups and goes on to explain that this involves the capacity to feel safe and to learn: ‘as babies and young children, if things go right for us we explore the world from the secure base of someone who cares for us’ (p.29). Although the author says that this chapter covers the ‘fundamentals to all learning’ it should be noted that her focus is based exclusively on psychoanalytical theory.

Part 2 goes on to examine the ‘nine fundamental processes in group life’. We are reminded that understanding these enables us as practitioners to design better interventions both with teams and with learning groups. The concepts derive from ‘Group Analysis’ which was first developed by the psychotherapist, S.H. Foulkes (1898-976). The nine elemental processes of group dynamics, which group practitioners are advised to have in mind, in order to gain a fuller understanding of what is really happening in a group, include ‘group matrix’, ‘communication’, ‘translation’, ‘mirroring’, ‘exchange’, ‘resonance’, ‘condenser phenomena’, ‘location’ and finally the ‘reflection process’. The author explains that these non-verbal, unconscious processes affect the way people learn and communicate with each other in groups. Next we are provided with eight group factors that also contribute to learning in groups. These are ‘connectedness and belonging’, ‘interpersonal learning’, ‘competition, envy and admiration’, ‘idealization and emulation’, ‘practicing courage’, ‘witnessing and being witnessed’, ‘encouragement’ and ‘group performance coaching’. The work of the social psychologist, Kurt Lewin (1890-947) on group dynamics indicates that the combination of the nine core processes and the eight group processes underlie all group interactions and promote effective learning in groups.

Part 3 shifts our focus to group coaching in the context of the broader organisation. It offers a broad introduction to systems theory as it is applied to organisations. We are reminded by the author that ‘systems theory comes from a different strand of scientific tradition to group dynamics’ and therefore the flavour of this section is slightly different to the previous one described. It provides an overview of systems theory and reminds us that a ‘very great deal of our work as coaches is about helping individuals adjust to, and operate skilfully within, the dynamic complexities of modern business life’ (p.88). It explores cross national team dynamics, decision making in groups and influencing change in organisations. Part 3 concludes with coverage of two techniques that can be used to restructure large groups into smaller groups when carrying out group work, the ‘World Cafe’ and ‘Open Space Technology’ (OST).

Part 4 reviews three current applications of group coaching; teams, learning groups and supervision groups. It provides practical advice on issues to consider when carrying out group coaching. The links back to the earlier theory on systems thinking as well as group processes is also useful. The author provides a number of checklists to use when, for example, structuring an action learning set or when setting up a contract with a learning group.

Part 5 provides practical advice on running group coaching sessions and in particular, on dealing with behaviour that disrupts the group. Techniques for dealing with anger, conflict, distress and boredom, to name a few, are covered. The final chapter in this section is concerned with managing the boundaries of group coaching interventions.

In the ‘Afterword’ the author says she ‘set out to write a book that would share some new understandings of group and team life in organisations.’ The author’s wealth of experience ensures that this is achieved. A considerable amount of this book is devoted to a psychoanalytical approach to group coaching and I initially thought that the title of the book should more accurately reflect this so that the reader is better prepared for what was to follow. However, on reflection, as two of the later sections of the book are very practical, it would be unfortunate for someone less interested in the psychoanalytical approach to miss out on them, particularly if they had decided not to choose a book so heavily weighted towards the psychoanalytical approach.

So to conclude, the author says that ‘if the book encourages group and team coaches to question and reflect more on what they find in their work, it will have achieved its purpose’ (p.250). I would finish by saying that overall, the book has done what it set out to do.

Emma Wallace CPsychol, CSci, AFBPsS
Business Psychology in Practice
SGCP Honorary Treasurer
E-mail: [email protected]

References

Foulkes, S.H. (1990). Selected papers of S.H. Foulkes: Psychoanalysis and group analysis. London: Karnac Books.

Lewin, K. (1952). Field theory in social science. London: Harper.

The Institute of Group Analysis (2010).
www.groupanalysis.org