What’s new on the team coaching terrain?

Posted on: 12 Sep 2024

Not unlike coaching, once upon a time, all it took to become a team coach was to hang out your shingle and start marketing. At that time, few team coaches understood the complexity of teams, organisations and stakeholders, and expertise was developed by coaches trained to coach individuals through ‘on the job’ trial and error.

In 2024, the team coaching terrain looks very different. Now, there is a rapidly expanding body of knowledge, a growing evidence base and established competency frameworks. Furthermore, credentials like the ICF’s Advanced Certification in Team Coaching (ACTC) and the EMCC’s Individual Team Coaching Accreditation (ITCA) are increasingly recognised. As team coaching reaches maturity, demand from practitioners for continuing professional development (CPD) is also on the rise.

To meet the growing demand for team coaching CPD, ReciproCoach is extending its cornerstones of professional development to team coaching by providing opportunities for team coaching, team coaching mentoring and team coaching supervision.

Over the last months of 2024, we’ll be offering the first of our team coaching development opportunities:

Reciprocal Peer TEAM Coaching (2024/10): This Reciprocal Peer TEAM Coaching Round is open to both team coaches and individual coaches. Trained team coaches offer team coaching sessions to build their practice hours, while coaches who are not trained in team coaching participate by bringing a ‘team’ to be coached. Whether that’s a work team, project group, business team, or a family or couples ‘team’, each team will be assigned a trained team coach for six recorded 60-minute sessions. Team coaches then receive individual coaching in return from one of the individual coaches in the round. Unlike our usual Reciprocal Peer Coaching rounds, this Reciprocal Peer TEAM Coaching Round requires equal numbers of team coaches and individual coaches to participate, and priority will be given to those first registered.
Team Coaching Group Mentoring (2024/11): This 90-minute Team Coaching Group Mentoring session will be led by Betsy Block, ICF PCC, highly experienced ACTC, and seasoned mentor coach. Together with up to seven trained/practising team coaches, the session is designed to extend your team coaching capability through a dynamic process involving live team coaching and in-the-moment feedback based on the ICF Team Coaching Competencies. Participants may claim 1.5 PCC (or lower) group mentoring hours or ICF CCEUs in Core Competencies and the session satisfies ACTC/ITCA conditions. The session will be recorded, and all participants will receive access to the recording for up to six months following the session. This group mentoring is intended for trained team coaches of any experience level. However, coaches without team coaching training may join as OBSERVERS ONLY to receive access to the session recording to learn about team coaching and how it differs from individual coaching.
Casual Team Coaching Group Supervision (2024/12.1): This 90-minute Team Coaching Group Supervision session will be led by Rachel Dungan, ACTC and ICF MCC credentialed EMCC-ESIA supervisor. Together with up to five trained and practising team coaches, the session provides a space for extending your team coaching capacity and restoring from the complex work of Team Coaching. This group supervision session is intended for team coaching-related supervision topics and is suitable for trained team coaches of any experience level who are currently working with at least one team. The session satisfies ACTC/ITCA requirements for supervision and participants may claim 1.5 ICF CCEUs in Core Competencies. After the session, participants will have the option of continuing their work together in an ongoing supervision group.

According to the EMCC, “Team coaching focuses on helping the team collectively achieve the team’s work in terms of both task work and team work through a sustained PROFESSIONAL DIALOGUE that raises the individual and collective level of reflection and self-awareness, and challenges the team’s thinking and behaviours as they develop their own sustainable solutions and practices.”

Knowing the complexity of teams, this is a challenging feat – one that requires skill, awareness and practice. At this stage ReciproCoach is offering just one of each kind of team coaching development opportunity – coaching, mentoring and supervision – what we know to be the cornerstones of professional coaches. As interest and demand grow, we hope to offer regular opportunities for continuing professional development for team coaches.

Extending our support beyond individual coaching,

Kerryn Griffiths, PhD, PCC

Global ReciproCoach Coordinator