The Power of Collective Learning: Why Group Coaching is in Demand
As leaders navigate unprecedented change, one-to-one executive coaching is increasingly being complemented by group coaching, leaders learning together with an experienced coach. This evolution is representative of the way senior leaders develop and adapt in an interconnected world. As professor Amy Edmondson notes in her groundbreaking work on organizational learning, "In today's complex business environment the most critical leadership challenges cannot be solved in isolation." The emergence of group coaching addresses a fundamental truth about leading in the twenty-first century. Solving big, complex challenges is not an individual sport. This reality has given rise to what organizational theorist Peter Senge calls learning communities, structured environments where leaders grow not just from their work with an executive coach, but also from the insights, perspectives, and shared experiences of other peer leaders.
Collective Learning - Beyond Information Sharing
The benefits of group coaching extend far beyond trading or receiving knowledge. Research by Thomas Malone demonstrates that well-structured groups can develop collective intelligence, an emergent capability that exceeds the sum of individual intelligences. This phenomenon is particularly powerful in executive development contexts, where diverse perspectives and experiences can combine to generate novel insights and approaches. A landmark study by Woolley et al. (2015) found that groups with high collective intelligence consistently outperformed individual experts in complex problem-solving scenarios. The key factors driving this performance weren't individual cognitive ability or even experience levels, but rather the group's ability to:
- Build upon and integrate diverse perspectives
- Develop collective emotional intelligence
- Balance participation among members
- Create psychological safety for authentic sharing
The Benefits for Leadership Development
The impact of group coaching on leadership development is profound and multifaceted. Research by Robert Kegan identifies several key mechanisms through which group coaching accelerates development:
- Enhanced Perspective-Taking: Exposure to diverse viewpoints and experiences helps executives develop more nuanced and sophisticated mental models. Working with this enhanced cognitive complexity is crucial for navigating today's business challenges.
- Accelerated Learning Through Reflection: The group context provides regular opportunities for what Donald Schön calls reflection-in-action, the ability to learn and adapt in real-time through observation and dialogue with peers.
- Emotional Intelligence Development: Group settings provide unique opportunities to develop and practice emotional intelligence skills in a safe but challenging environment.
Restoring Trust in Leadership
In a 2007 Harvard study, 77% of participants agreed that there was a crisis of confidence of leadership in the United States. Specifically, respondents indicated they had moderate or no trust in their business and political leaders. In a similar study, only a third of people at work saw their leaders as authentic and less than a quarter said their leaders would make personal sacrifices for the good of their organizations.
One antidote to this lack of trust is authentic leadership. This evidence-based construct is comprised of four specific, interlinked elements: (1) self-awareness, (2) strong internalized moral values and standards, (3) relational transparency, and (4) balanced, objective processing and decision making. Research into authentic leadership has shown a positive impact on employee engagement and job performance. Leaders who exhibit authentic leadership qualities are more likely to create a positive work environment, build trust, and inspire their teams.
A 2016 study found that a well-designed group coaching program was an effective method for developing authentic leadership in senior business leaders from a range of industries. Statistically significant increases in authentic leadership scores were achieved in a three-month group coaching program. Factors contributing to the success of the program included:
- Creating a supportive environment for self-exploration.
- Deep exploration of personal values, beliefs, and meaning.
- Tapping into the social nature of leadership and learning.
Group Coaching Delivers
Data collected from a group coaching program that combined structured learning with peer coaching showed a 42% improvement in decision-making confidence, while organizational metrics pointed to a 35% increase in cross-division collaboration and a 28% reduction in project delivery times.
A Way Forward in Executive Development
As organizations face increasingly complex, nuanced, and multifaceted challenges, the ability to learn and adapt collectively becomes not just an advantage but a business necessity. Group coaching approaches offer a powerful way to develop this capability while simultaneously addressing immediate leadership challenges.
Join the Collective
Beyond the research, as experienced organizational psychologists and executive coaches we’ve seen first-hand the power of group coaching. With these benefits in mind, we developed the Collective, a group coaching program giving small groups of leaders a space to deepen their self-insight and turn breakthroughs into action.The program helps executives cultivate self-awareness and thrive professionally through reflection, peer interactions, and professional guidance.
To find out more about the Collective, visit our website. Applications for our January 2025 program are open until December 13, 2024. In addition, we are holding a free virtual information session on December 3 at 12.30pm ET where you can find out more about the Collective. Register for the information session here.
References
Avolio, B.J. & Gardner, W.L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly.16, 3, 315–338.
Edmondson, A. C. (2018). The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Wiley.
Fusco, T., O’Riordan, S. & Palmer, S. (2016). Assessing the efficacy of authentic
leadership group-coaching. International Coaching Psychology Review Vol. 11 No. 2
Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. L. (2016). An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization. Harvard Business Review Press.
Rosenthal, S.A., Pittinsky, T.L., Purvin, D.M. & Montoya, R.M. (2007). National Leadership Index 2007: A national study of confidence in leadership. Centre for Public Leadership, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Schein, E. H. (2019). Organizational Culture and Leadership (6th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Senge, P. M. (2006). The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization. Currency.
Woolley, A. W., Malone, T. W., & Chabris, C. F. (2015). Why Some Teams Are Smarter Than Others. Harvard Business Review, 93(1), 43-50.
