Expert Coaching

Hackman and Wageman's Team Coaching paper outlines a functional approach to coaching underpinned by a temporal focus. It's this functional and temporal approach, combined with Agile and Lean thinking which forms a core component of the Expert Coaching pillar in the Agile Coaching Circle.

Hackman and Wageman base this functional and temporal approach to expert coaching on two key propositions and it's easy to see how they lend themselves to an Agile setting:

Proposition 1: Coaching interventions that focus specifically on team effort, strategy and knowledge and skill facilitate team effectiveness more than do interventions that focus on members' interpersonal relationships.

Within an Agile setting we clearly value a focus on the output and effectiveness of the team rather than of any particular individual within in. A model then that focuses on the team as a collective and building it's effectiveness as a whole is clearly one which lends itself to working with Agile teams. Coaching functions that focus on team effort, strategy and knowledge and skill can be seen as motivational, consultative and educational in nature.

Proposition 2: Each of the three coaching functions has the greatest constructive effect at specific times in the team task cycle. Specifically, (a) motivational coaching is most helpful when provided at the beginning of a performance period, (b) consultative coaching is most helpful when provided at the midpoint of a performance period and (c) educational coaching is most helpful when provided after performance activities have been completed.

This proposition offers obvious relevance to an Agile setting in way of the defined performance cycle and the distinct points within it. Agile teams seek regular feedback on their work, constantly going through performance cycles of their own and thus providing apt opportunity for the timely utilisation of the three coaching functions.

Combining motivational, consultative and educational coaching functions and their temporal application with a standard PDCA action and feedback loop gives us a clear and practical illustration for how we might consider and apply these coaching functions in an Agile work setting.

For more information on each of the coaching functions and their relevance in an Agile setting see below:

Motivational

The team coaching model posits that there are three functions that determine the level of team effectiveness. The first of these is the level of effort that group members collectively expend carrying out task work.

Coaching that addresses effort can be seen as motivational in character. The aim of motivational coaching interventions is to build a commitment to both the group and it's work. This commitment needs to be shared and maintained amongst all group members.

More on motivational coaching.

Consultative

The team coaching model posits that the second function that determines team effectiveness is the appropriateness to the task of the performance strategies the group uses in it's work. Coaching that addresses performance strategy is consultative in character.

More on consultative coaching.

Educational

The team coaching model posits that the third function to determine team effectiveness is the amount of knowledge and skill members bring to bear on the task. Coaching that addresses knowledge and skill is educational in character.

More on educational coaching.