The International Journal of Coaching in Organizations:

A New Forum for an Emerging Field IJCO Editorial Board

This article first appeared in the International Journal of Coaching in Organizations, 2003, 1(1), 7-10. It can only be reprinted and distributed with prior written permission from Professional Coaching

Publications, Inc. (PCPI). Email John Lazar at john@ijco.info for such permission.

ISSN 1553-3735

2003

© Copyright 2003 PCPI. All rights reserved worldwide.

Journal information:

www.ijco.info

Purchases:www.pcpionline.com

7

The International Journal of Coaching in Organizations:A New Forum for an Emerging Field

Editorial BoardThe International Journal of Coaching in Organizations

The Editorial Board of IJCO has chosen to operate in a collaborative mode with substantial communication occurring viae-mail. As a result, its deliberations are extended and fully engaging. The most important points of deliberation concernthe content, strategy and vision of the journal. A gradual consensus-building process is being engaged with regard tothese fundamental points. The following document represents the latest statement to emerge from this process. It will nodoubt evolve over the coming year or two; modified versions of this statement can therefore be anticipated in future issuesof IJCO.

The field of professional coaching in a sustainedrelationship within an organization is explodingonto the world stage. If this field is to be sustained,there must be thoughtful analysis to overcome themedia hype that would have our clients and futurecolleagues believe that coaching is a fad. There mustbe critical analysis by those who are actually engagedin the process of coaching, rather than the critiquecoming only from the seeming nonbeliever or thosewho have an axe to grind. There must be manydifferent sources of this reflection and criticalanalysis. Reflection and analysis must come fromthose who do research as well as those who areseasoned, experienced practitioners. The sourcesmust include the many different schools of coaching,as well as those who are seeking to bridge the gapbetween the divergent schools. It is particularlyimportant that reflection and analysis be engaged bythose leaders of this emerging field who recognizecoaching to be a fixture rather than a fad.

We have invited a group of concerned practitionersand researchers to join with us in the creation of anew journal—the International Journal of Coachingin Organizations (IJCO). This journal has beenestablished specifically to address five critical needsin this expanding and changing field of professionalcoaching. IJCO is intended to provide:

1. A disciplined forum for the ongoingdevelopment of a substructure of theory,models, and taxonomies that increases thepossibility that professional coaching in asustained relationship within anorganizational setting is being conducted inan informed and thoughtful manner.

2. A convenient forum for the sharing ofexperiences regarding the immediatepractices of professional coaching inorganizations, primarily through the use of

case studies, personal narratives andquestion-and-answer formats.

3. A respected forum for organizationally basedcoaches to publish their ideas, concepts andinnovations.

4. A welcoming forum for professional coacheswho come from different fields, differentschools and different perspectives tocompare and analyze differences and evenidentify commonalities in the midst of thesedifferences.

5. An accessible forum for men and women whoare newly entering the field of coaching-in-organizations or who wish to learn aboutcoaching as potential users of organizationalcoaching services

Following are the initial ideas that we haveformulated regarding its content, administrativestructure and vision.

ContentWhile IJCO will encompass a broad spectrum of prac-tices from throughout the world, it will focus on formal,disciplined professional practices within organizations,rather than broadly embracing any form of assistancethat might be called coaching. Specifically, the EditorialBoard of IJCO will endeavor to consistently align itsactions and selection of material to be published withthe following mission statement:

The International Journal of Coaching in Orga-nizations will seek to promote the sharing ofwisdom, in-sights, theories, models and prac-tices among professional coaches. This jour-nal is specifically designed to address theneeds of those practitioners who are facilitat-ing one-to-one, mutually designed relation-ships with key contributors who are operatingfrom positions of influence within organiza-

© C

op

yrig

ht 2

00

3 P

CP

I. A

ll ri

gh

ts r

ese

rve

d w

orl

dw

ide

.

The International Journal of Coaching in Organizations

8

tions throughout the world. This journal isalso intended for those leaders and users ofprofessional coaching services who are ac-countable for highly complex decisions withwide scope of impact on their organization andsociety as a whole. The practices on which thisjournal focuses usually are based on organi-zational performance and development,though they may have and often do have apersonal component as well. The results pro-duced from the coaching relationship beingconsidered in this journal are observable andaligned with the welfare of both the organiza-tion and the individual participating in thecoaching process.

This statement is based, in part, on the definition of ex-ecutive coaching that was formulated at the first meet-ing of a group of experienced coaches, called the Execu-tive Coaching Summit—a document that has been repro-duced in this first issue of IJCO. Given this statement ofmission, the focus of the journal becomes clearer. First,IJCO is obviously not about sports coaching or personalfitness training. While the physical domain may play apart in the professional coaching practices being con-sidered in this journal, it is not a primary area of atten-tion. This journal is also not about acting or dance coach-ing, though it could encompass coaching processes thatbenefit the arts. This journal is also not about consultingper se, nor about psychotherapy or spiritual direction. Itdoes, of course, relate to all of these; however, IJCO needsto distinguish the practice of professional coaching inorganizations from these other professional practices.How is this to be done?

We are faced with an additional challenge. The field ofcoaching is not only rapidly expanding. It is also rap-idly changing and maturing. New concepts and toolsare being developed every day and the dialogues re-garding coaching practices are ever expanding and newplayers are constantly entering the field. A responsiveand timely format for the delivery of information isneeded. How is this to be done?

We will engage three strategies. First, the initial issuesof this journal will be devoted in part to a differentiationof professional coaching in organizations from theserelated professions and to the formulation of a coachingtaxonomy. Second, specific issues of the journal will bedevoted in the future to specific sub-sets of one-on-onecoaching that cross over and mutually influence theseother professional fields. One issue, for instance, mightfocus on the results and application-focused method ofAction Coaching and its relationship to and distinctionfrom consulting and training interventions in organiza-tions. Another issue might focus on the interplay be-tween professional coaching and various forms of psy-

chotherapy. Attention will be directed in this issue tolicensing restrictions, the appropriate boundaries forprofessional coaches in organizations, and ways inwhich organizational coaching and psychotherapy caninform one another (for example, in the areas of narra-tive coaching/therapy and brief coaching/therapy).Third, the journal will be published quarterly (January,April, July and October), thereby ensuring that conceptsare fresh and tools are current.

Even more generally, we plan to devote many issues ofthe journal to specific foci or themes. Two members ofthe editorial board will oversee each of these issues. Top-ics, for example, might include spiritual coaching or therelationship between coaching and psychotherapy. Oneissue might focus on coaching to nonprofits or educa-tional institutions, while another might focus on the fi-nancing of coaching processes, the nature and relation-ship between internal and external coaching, or pro-ceedings from specific coaching conferences. Annualmeetings of the International Coaching Federation, theProfessional Coaches and Mentors Association and theExecutive Coaching Summit might be appropriate ven-ues for observing and reporting on the continuing matu-ration of the field.

While many of the issues of IJCO will have a distinctivetheme, there will also be some common elements in eachissue. Each quarterly journal, for instance, will featurecase studies and descriptions of creative ways that some-one has conducted or used professional coaching. Thejournal will also highlight unusual or dramatic outcomesas a result of coaching or provide value-added case stud-ies, showing how coaching resulted in positive, unan-ticipated outcomes. Another section of many issues ofthe journal will feature professional and ethical dilem-mas (as portrayed in case studies) or situations wherethere was a professional or ethical conflict and how itwas successful resolved.

The journal will also distinguish itself from many otherprofessional journals by featuring negative case stud-ies: “Lessons in the Practice of Professional Coaching”—where unintended negative consequences resulted,where ethical values were overturned, where the client,the company, or the coach were hurt. These might becalled “Don’t Let This Happen To You!” stories. Whatabout “Taking Care of the Client” case studies? Whenyou are a coach, you are partly responsible for the care,wellbeing, and safety of your client. The journal willsometimes feature stories concerning dangers thatthreaten a client (board retaliation as a result of movingtoo fast, colleague resentment, family consequences, etc.)and how they were or were not successfully handled.

At least one article in each issue will address a consis-tent problem in coaching, and how to deal with it. For

2003 Annual Edition (Issue One)

9

example, an issue with a broad theme about the rela-tionship between coaching and psychotherapy or aboutthe coach/client relationship might offer articles ontransference and counter transference. IJCO might offeran article about client (or coach) dependency or aboutpayment and resistance to payment. An issue with athematic emphasis on the outcomes of coaching mightaddress the consistent problems associated with theneed for immediate outcomes rather than long-term out-comes. Similarly, an issue that focuses on the use of in-struments (questionnaires, surveys, 360° feedback tools)in coaching might address a common concern: what arethe benefits and problems associated with using instru-ments?

StructureThe International Journal of Coaching in Organizationsis housed in The Coaching Alliance, a consortium ofcoaching centers that operate under and are charteredby The Professional School of Psychology (PSP). Whilethe Coaching Alliance offers its own training and certi-fication programs, it is the clear intention of leaders atthe Coaching Alliance and other members of the IJCOEditorial Board to embrace and encourage the involve-ment of coaches from many different perspectives andallegiances. The initial membership of the EditorialBoard reflects this commitment to diversity, as well asthe journal’s international perspective.

The other key component of this journal’s administra-tive structure is the IJCO Editorial Board. The primarypurpose of this board is to ensure broad-based (and in-ternational) representation, as well as ensure high qual-ity articles and integrated thematic structures in eachissue of the journal. Members of the editorial board willbe asked to review submitted articles or to solicit articles(especially if they are responsible for a specific thematicissue). They will also be expected to make general edito-rial comments regarding the content of articles or se-quence of sections in an article. A copy editor handlesthe more immediate problems concerning punctuation,grammar, spelling, style of headings and subheadings,citations, and related matters. A style manual will soonbe prepared that guides those preparing an article forthe journal.

VisionWe propose the following as an initial statement regard-ing the desired state for this journal within the first threeyears of its operations (January 1, 2003-December 31,2006):

1. Within three years, the journal will be the stan-dard in the industry and the premier place to bepublished. It will be in every legitimate organi-zational coach’s office library, like a journal ofthe American Psychological Association for aprofessional psychologist.

2. The journal will play a major role within threeyears in defining the field of professional coach-ing in organizations, especially in conjunctionwith other organizations and associations (suchas the Executive Coaching Summit) that are simi-larly committed to the improvement and advance-ment of professional coaching practices. Ofcourse, these other organizations and associa-tions will play the key role in defining the field.However, this journal will be the place wherethese groups publish their definitions of the field,as well as serving as the primary forum in whichdebates about the field take place, and where re-visions to the definition of the field are published.This journal will be at the center of the dialogue.

3. This journal will be successful within three yearsin helping to set and define the boundaries ofcoaching. Together with other leading practitio-ners, organizations and associations in the field(such as the Executive Coaching Summit), thisjournal will be successful in identifying the ar-eas of overlap. It will help professionals in allhuman service fields distinguish professionalcoaching that occurs in organizations from per-sonal coaching, professional consulting, psycho-therapy, spiritual direction, education and train-ing, and other kinds of performance and qualityof life intervention.

4. This journal will be successful during the com-ing three years in helping leading practitioners,organizations and associations to set standardsand practices, and foster vigorous debate aboutethics, reflective practice, goals and objectives,and where organizational coaching stands in thelineage of business and other interventions

5. This journal will be successful during the nextthree years in helping to lead worldwide conver-sations about what professional coaching in or-ganizations is, where it has been, where it is go-ing, how it is developing in various sectors ofsociety and in various parts of the world, andwhat the promises and pitfalls are in this emerg-ing profession.

6. This journal will be successful within three yearsin correlating relevant research findings withcurrent organizational coaching theory and prac-tice, and encouraging and publishing master anddoctoral level research on coaching in organiza-tions, especially on coaching outcomes.

7. This journal will be successful during the com-ing three years in encouraging and helping tocoordinate and support grants for research andfor developing ways to apply organizational coaching strategies to areas yet to be explored.This journal will include exploratory articlesabout untested areas of coaching in organiza-tions.

The International Journal of Coaching in Organizations

10

8. This journal will be successful over the comingthree years in leading discussions regarding or-ganizational coaching outcomes and will helppractitioners in the field focus on those out-comes which may be the richest but which seemto be the least easily measured. This journal willexpand the notion of measurable concrete out-comes.

With this vision in mind, we invite our colleagues in thefield of organizational coaching to join us in building afoundation for our maturing field—through documen-tation of the reflections, lessons learned and innovationsthat are embodied in the daily practices of coaching withthe leaders of 21st Century organizations.

_____________________________________________

“Throughout nature, growth involves periodicaccelerations and transformations: Things go slowlyfor a time and nothing seems to change—until suddenlythe eggshell cracks, the branch blossoms, the tadpole’stail shrinks away, the leaf falls, the bird molts, thehibernation begins. With us it is the same. Althoughthe signs are less clear than in the world of feather andleaf, the functions of transition times are the same. Theyare key times in the natural process of self-renewal.”

-William Bridges, Transitions

“The Tipping Point is the biograhy of an idea, and theidea is very simple. It is that the best way to understandthe emergence of fashion trends, the ebb and flow ofcrime waves, or, for that matter, the transformation ofunknown books into bestsellars, or the rise of teenagesmoking, or the phenomena of word of mouth, or anynumber of other mysterious changes that mark every-day life is to think of them as epidemics. Ideas and prod-ucts and messages and behaviors spread just like vi-ruses do.”

- Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point

IJCO: 2004

Themes

Issue One

Organizational Transformationand Organizational Coaching--An Essential Alliance

Issue Two

Personal Issues in Executive Coaching

Issue Three

The Ethics of Coaching

Issue Four

Status Report 2004:Coaching in Organizations

IJCO: 2005

Themes

Issue One

Research on Coaching

Issue Two

Coaching in Closely Held Enterprises

Issue Three

Coaching and Ancient Wisdom

Issue Four

The Open Forum

The International Journal of Coaching in Organizations (IJCO) is the signature publication of

Professional Coaching Publications, Inc. (PCPI). In addition to this internationally acclaimed

journal, PCPI publishes books on topics of interest to those in the coaching community, whether

practitioner, decision maker, or end user. You can count on PCPI, Inc. to provide content that

pushes the envelope — bringing theory, research and application together in ways that inform,

engage and provoke. Visit the PCPI website, www.pcpionline.com, to view and purchase our

growing line of products.

If you have administrative questions, please refer them to our IJCO Office Manager, at

officemanager@ijco.info. For advertising, marketing and operations inquiries, please refer

them to John Lazar, IJCO Co-Executive Editor, at john@ijco.info. Please submit unsolicited

manuscripts for peer review consideration to the IJCO office manager at officemanager@ijco.info.

Visit Both Our Sites at Your Convenience

Journal information:www.ijco.info

Purchases:www.pcpionline.com

Resource Center for Professional Coaching in Organizations