Three Key Infuences for Group and Team Coaching in 2017

Every year I dedicate a blog post to some of the potential trends which may emerge in this new year around group and team coaching. It continues to be a time of growth and interest in group and team coaching as organizations and individuals look to leverage their resources and time, as well as benefit from the collaborative conversation space of these modalities.

In my December 2016 Community call I took a look back at some of the trends which had shaped 2016 including continued virtualization, and real-time coaching support. These will continue to be important influencers this year as well. Real-time coaching support requires that we remain flexible regarding what the coaching engagement looks like in terms of timing, frequency, blend of face to face and/or virtual, to meet the dynamic realities of the clients that we are working with. Some of my favorite 2016 coaching engagements with teams and groups involved a more intensive, real-time, embedded series of work, where new practices, approaches and habits could be practiced and tweaked repeatedly real-time over a series of days at the start to make these habits more engrained.

The continued development of streamlining technologies such as zoom are changing the coaching conversation space for groups. The ability for groups to see each other real-time, and not just hear each other, has significantly changed the way people are connecting with each other across time and space. Since transitioning most of my groups from phone only to zoom in the early part of 2016 I have noticed how groups are forming faster and connecting more quickly with their ability to see each other. Zoom as a platform has also made it easier for many people to connect in a more stable manner. This year you may want to revisit the technologies you are using to bring people together

Another key influencer this year will be the continued dynamic nature of teams. While the teaming environment has shifted significantly in many contexts, it is important to be flexible with our coaching approaches to meet the dynamic needs of teams (and also groups) in organizations today. Whether teams are completely virtual, matrixed, agile or other, spending time with the team to evolve a process that is going to work for their context is critical.

One of the resources you may want to tap into to learn more about group and team coaching is the panel discussion which I was part of with other team coaching thought leaders such as Phil Sandahl, Marita Frijohn, Peter Hawkins, David Clutterbuck and DJ Mitsch at the October Columbia Coaching Conference. You can view the 1.5 hour panel on YouTube.

As you consider your work this year, how will real-time support, leveraging virtual and/or streaming programming and working within a dynamic teaming environment, shape your work this year?

What do you see as some of the 2017 influences in your work?

Hope you are having a great start to 2017,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized/GroupCoachingEssentials
Email: info (at)potentialsrealized (dot)com

About Us: Jennifer Britton is the author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013) . Since 2004 she and her company, Potentials Realized, have supported thousands of coaches, trainers, and leaders, design and create more impactful team and group programs (in-person and virtual). Jennifer offers customized programs for organizations, as well as virtual public training programs. Our areas of specialty are team development, leadership and coaching.

Our 2017 programming starts during the week of January  9th and will include: The Group Coaching Essentials teleseminar (8.75 CCEs), The Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (10 CCEs), and the Mentor Coaching Group for ACC/PCC portfolio routes. Our 2017 Learning Lab and Design Studio Group for Coaches who want to build their business and expand their group and team programs starts Friday January 13th at 8am Eastern (2 group calls on Fridays throughout 2017)