Performance Coaching Research Articles

Occupational Performance Coaching for Parents of Picky Eaters

Abstract Date Presented 3/31/2017 Two caregivers of 4-yr-old children who were picky eaters participated in six Occupational Performance Coaching sessions. Improvement occurred in caregiver role performance satisfaction and in the children’s participation at mealtimes. Primary Author and Speaker: Lisa Johnson

Solution-focused cognitive–behavioral coaching for sustainable high performance and circumventing stress, fatigue, and burnout.

Solution-focused cognitive–behavioral coaching for sustainable high performance and circumventing stress, fatigue, and burnout.

Portuguese Football Coaches’ Role in Facilitating Positive Development Within High Performance Contexts: Is Positive Development Relevant?

Over the last decades positive development (PD) has served as a framework for several investigations within the sport science community. In fact, multiple researchers have analyzed youth coaches’ role in PD. However, there is recent interest in exploring high performance coaching due to the complexity of the coaching practice, the different developmental needs presented by players, and the relevance of PD within this particular environment. The purpose of this study was to understand the perspectives of Portuguese football coaches about the importance of PD in high performance coaching. The participants in the study were ten male Portuguese football coaches who trained athletes between the ages of 16 and 39 years of age. Findings showed that coaches viewed winning and on field performance as top priorities in their coaching philosophy, but recognized the importance of PD. Coaches also envisioned the determinant role youth coaches have in this domain. Coaches conceptualized PD as an overarching framework that could be used across the developmental spectrum to convey a range of PD outcomes in high performance contexts such as teamwork, respect for others and transfer to other life domains. Moving forward, coach education courses should help coaches develop strategies to foster PD.

Occupational Performance Coaching for Stroke Survivors: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

We examined the feasibility of study procedures and explored the potential efficacy of Occupational Performance Coaching for stroke survivors (OPC-Stroke), an intervention designed to improve participation after stroke. In this pilot randomized controlled trial, 21 participants were randomized to receive the intervention or usual care. Recruitment, retention, and outcome completion rates were calculated. Direction of change and effect sizes were examined for the outcomes of participation, goal performance and satisfaction, goal self-efficacy, emotional well-being, and cognition. Rates of recruitment (66%) and retention (81%) were satisfactory. Participation scores improved for both groups with different trajectories. Results showed a moderate effect of OPC-Stroke for goal performance (η²partial d = .075) and satisfaction (η²partial d = .078) and a large effect for cognition (η²partial d = .167). Other outcome measures did not change as expected. Study procedures were generally feasible. Preliminary findings support testing to examine the efficacy of OPC-Stroke.

Occupational therapists’ and physiotherapists’ perceptions of implementing Occupational Performance Coaching

Purpose: Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC) has been proposed as an intervention for working with caregivers towards achievement of goals for themselves and their children. Preliminary studies indicate the effectiveness of OPC; however, translation into practice requires an understanding of therapists’ perceptions of applying OPC in their service delivery settings. This study explored physio- and occupational-therapists’ experiences of using OPC and their perceptions of the contextual factors which influence its implementation.Method: Interviews and a focus group were used to gather physio- (n = 4) and occupational- (n = 12) therapists’ perspectives of applying OPC in their work with caregivers of children with disabilities. Data were analysed thematically.Results: One overarching theme and three major themes emerged. The overarching theme, “Listening better” pervaded all other themes. Three major themes, each with subthemes, were: (1) Sharing power, (2) Reprioritising processes, and (3) Liberating but challenging. Implementing OPC drew on skills that were familiar to therapists and aligned with existing values when working with families but challenged some aspects of their practice.Conclusions: From physio- and occupational-therapists’ perspectives, OPC is applicable in a range of paediatric service environments. However, therapist and service-level flexibility appeared to be key contextual factors in adhering to intervention principles.Implications for RehabilitationOccupational Performance Coaching (OPC) is a strengths-focused intervention in which caregiver engagement and active involvement is prioritised.Therapists reported distinct changes to the process of therapy and outcomes achieved following OPC training and implementation.Most therapists indicated that OPC enabled them to operationalisation person-centred principles to a greater extent which they perceived enhanced the way therapy was delivered and the benefit to services users.Some flexibility in service structures may be needed to implement OPC in the way it was intended.

Factors contributing to high PhD completion rates: a case study in a research-intensive university in New Zealand

This exploratory study determined PhD completions at a research-intensive university in New Zealand and considered factors affecting PhD completions. Completion data were calculated for PhD cohorts at the University of Otago from 2000 to 2012 (n = 2770) and survival models determined whether gender, enrolment status, age at admission, citizenship, scholarship status and academic field influenced completion. The impact of the doctoral programme and the research environment was also considered. Across all cohorts, 83% submitted their thesis for examination (17% withdrawal). The median submission time was 3.4 years for full-timers, with a median completion time (to award of degree) of 4.1 years. Survival modelling showed that completion can be enhanced by having mainly full-time candidates, but also allowing periods of part-time enrolment near submission, recruiting a large international cohort, and providing three year scholarships. Health science candidates had the highest submission percentages, while commerce candidates submitted in the fastest times. There were only minor or negligible effects of gender and age at admission. Other factors contributing to high submission rates included recruiting quality candidates, close monitoring during candidature, provision of research training, a vibrant research culture, a personal performance coach, high-quality supervision and funding incentives for candidates who submit in under four years.

The Development of the Putt.It.In Monitoring Device and the Establishment of Its Reliability: A Solution for Putting-In Analysis in Golf

Background: The accurate transfer of information on the athletes’ performance in any sport is essential in enhancing the performance and overall coaching process. The provision of such information is favourable only if it is reliable. A cost-effective golf putting monitoring device namely the Putt.It.In was developed for analysing a golfers’ putting performance. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the reliability of the device in measuring the backswing distance, front swing distance, clubhead speed, ideal front swing distance and swing angle. Methods: A semi- professional golfer (30 years of age ± 5.0 years’ experience) executed four strokes repeatedly from a distance of 2 m and 1 m using a Ram Zebra Mallet putter on a PGM golf mat. Kolmogorov/Smirnov test was utilised to ascertain the reliability of the application in measuring the aforementioned parameters over test re-test between first two strokes of 2 m distance and the last two strokes of 1 m distance. Results: The Kolmogorov/Smirnov test re-test suggests that there is no significant difference between first two meters strokes p > 0.05, and second 1-meter strokes p > 0.05 highlighting its ability to recognise the pattern of the strokes applied in the four successive strokes. Conclusion: The Putt.It.In monitoring device is found to be reliable in measuring the backswing distance, front swing distance, clubhead speed, ideal front swing distance and swing angle. Professional and semi-professional golfers as well coaches could consider Putt.It.In device in monitoring strokes related parameters to enhance their performance due to its effectiveness in providing information on putting performance.

“When There Was No Money in It, There Were No Men in It”: Examining Gender Differences in the Evaluation of High Performance Coaches

In this Insights paper, we examine the continued decrease in the numbers of female coaches of high-profile sports teams. The decline in number of female coaches of high-profile teams is alarming, especially considering the increase in athletic participation among women. Because of this, it is important to examine possible explanations for this issue as a starting point for action and reform. We first detail several relevant examples of recent hires and firings of high-profile coaches in different countries around the world. Then, we briefly examine the relevant literature on gender representation of those working in sport. Using recent women’s basketball coaching changes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a case in point, we aim to demonstrate that the trend of decreasing numbers of female coaches continues. We believe the specific setting of college coaches represents the moral global issue of gender inequity in regards to high-performance coaching settings. Specifically, we argue that a three-pronged conceptual approach—cultural capital, role congruity theory, and homologous reproduction—can provide insights into the hiring practices of female coaches in comparison with their male coaching counterparts.

Desperate to Quit: A Narrative Analysis of Burnout and Recovery in High-Performance Sports Coaching

This study investigated how the experiences of two elite coaches contributed to and shaped their stories of burnout and withdrawal from high performance coaching. The coaches whose narratives we explore were both middle-aged head coaches, one in a major team sport at the highest club level, and one in an individual Olympic sport at international level. Through a thematic narrative analysis, based on in-depth interviews, the stories of the two coaches are presented in four distinct sections: antecedents, experiences of coaching with burnout symptoms, withdrawal from sport, and the process of recovery and personal growth. These narratives have implications for high performance coaching, such as the importance of role clarity, work-home inference, counseling, mentoring, and social support as means to facilitate recovery, and the need for additional research with coaches who have left sport, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the complete burnout-recovery process.

ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS & ANALYTIC NETWORK PROCESS in SPORT: A COMPREHENSIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Since the invention of AHP/ANP, several literature review studies have been presented to summarize theoretical developments and different application areas of its techniques. The purpose of this study is to present a comprehensive literature review of AHP and ANP applications in the field of sports. A total of 62 sports related AHP and ANP articles were selected, categorized and analyzed in this study. The findings show that AHP and ANP techniques have successfully been used for performance evaluation of teams, player selection and ranking, team or club performance ranking and coach evaluation in many sport branches.

Impact of Video-Based Coaching on Gynecologic Resident Laparoscopic Suturing

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic surgery affords patients superior outcomes to traditional open surgery. Despite this ubiquitous data, barriers to implementation stem from current resident training, including work hour restrictions and increased procedural oversight, thus necessitating greater emphasis on simulation curriculums. Coaching enhances performance by identifying, focusing on, and achieving specifics goals. Historically attributed to athletics, performance coaching has become a professional development tool in business, education and medicine. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the addition of video-based coaching to an established laparoscopic simulation curriculum on suturing performance. METHODS: Twenty OB/GYN residents (7-R1s, 7-R2s, 5-R3s and 1-R4) undergoing a 5-week laparoscopic simulation curriculum were video-recorded weekly performing a suturing task. Residents were randomized to receive standard curriculum or standard curriculum plus weekly video review/coaching meetings with a single expert laparoscopic surgeon. Two different expert laparoscopic surgeons independently graded videos. Primary outcome measure was comparison of weekly GOALS score of the suturing task. RESULTS: R3s started with significantly higher GOALS scores than R1 and R2s (P<.001), with no difference in GOALS scores across groups (P=.406). All residents showed significant improvement in suturing over the 5-week period (P=.005), with R1s showing greater improvement than R3s (P=.001). There were significantly improved GOALS average scores following the initial video intervention in R1/R2s compared to the control R1/R2s (3.14 versus 3.79, P<.043) with more gradual improvement seen in both groups in subsequent weeks. DISCUSSION: Video-based coaching during simulation training has its greatest impact early on novice learners skill acquisition, providing another tool to supplement simulation training.

Talent development of high performance coaches in team sports in Ireland

Background: Coaches are central to the development of the expert performer and similarly to continued lifelong participation in sport. Coaches are uniquely positioned to deliver specific technical and tactical instruction and mentoring programmes that support the psychological and social development of athletes in a challenging, goal-oriented and motivational environment. The current study aimed to qualitatively investigate current coach learning sources and coaches’ educational backgrounds in team sports in Ireland. Methods: Coaches from five team sports in Ireland were asked to complete an online questionnaire. Subsequently male coaches (n = 19) from five team sports who completed the questionnaire and met the inclusion criteria were invited to attend a follow-up semi-structured interview. Inclusion criteria for coaches were that they possess at least 10 years’ experience coaching their sport and were coaching more than 4 hours per week. Results/Discussion: Formal coach education does not meet the needs of high performance coaches who rely more on self-directed learning and coaching experience as their main sources of CPD. Although prior playing experience at a high level is both valuable and desirable, there are concerns about fast-tracking of ex-players into high performance coaching roles. Conclusions: Preferred sources of education and the best learning environment for coaches of team sports in Ireland are more informal than formal. Further research is needed to examine how this learning is applied in a practical manner by examining coaching behaviours and the impact it has on the athlete development process.

How to keep your best people: develop a “level 4” mindset in your line managers

Purpose This purpose of the paper is to highlight the disturbing incidence of disengagement in the modern workplace. By highlighting why professionals leave their jobs, the author aims to change how managers think about motivation. Only then can they get the best out of their staff and retain their best employees. Design/methodology/approach The author uses his own experience of performance coaching, management, and leading without formal authority. The author critically evaluates classic motivational theories, preferring some more enlightened and recent research. Findings People leave managers not jobs. Disengagement results from faulty assumptions about what drives today’s professionals. Personal values or emotive needs matter much more than “extrinsic” rewards such as money and promotion. So the problems will not be solved by “making the carrots crunchier and the sticks sharper”; a new mindset is needed. While powerful and more or less universal motivators exist, every individual is different. However, uncovering what really matters can be very straightforward indeed. There is a need to be proactive and curious about what really drives the staff rather than wait till the best people tell the staff at the exit interview. Originality/value The author uses a real-life example to show what really happens under the surface. The author shows what is involved in adopting a “higher level” mindset and the resulting approach that might be taken with the people. Motivation mastery can be easier than what is thought about.

Performance coaching in sport, music, and business: From Gallwey to Grant, and the promise of positive psychology

The purpose of this paper is to explore performance coaching in sport, music, and business. The paper begins by describing some of the popular, lay methods used by coaches in each field, many influenced by The Inner Game books of Timothy Gallwey. Next, the paper discusses the scientifically grounded theories, principles, and methods that underlie performance coaching today, primarily derived from sport psychology, music psychology, organisational psychology, and coaching psychology. Finally, the paper examines the contribution that positive psychology has and could make by providing new theories, constructs, perspectives, and methods to the art and science of performance coaching in sport, music, and business.

The Practices and Developmental Pathways of Professional and Olympic Serial Winning Coaches

In 2011, the Innovation Group of Leading Agencies of the International Council for Coaching Excellence initiated a project aimed at supporting the identification and development of the next generation of high performance coaches. The project, entitled Serial Winning Coaches, studied the personalities, practices and developmental pathways of professional and Olympic coaches who had repeatedly achieved success at the highest level of sport. This paper is the third publication originating from this unique project. In the first paper, Mallett and Coulter (2016) focused on the development and testing of a novel multilayered methodology in understanding a person through a single case study of a successful Olympic coach. In the second, Mallett and Lara-Bercial (2016) applied this methodology to a large sample of Serial Winning Coaches and offered a composite account of their personality. In this third instalment, we turn the focus onto the actual practices and developmental pathways of these coaches. The composite profile of their practice emerging from the analysis revolves around four major themes: Philosophy, Vision, People and Environment. In addition, a summary of the developmental activities accessed by these coaches and their journey to success is also offered. Finally, we consider the overall findings of the project and propose the concept of Driven Benevolence as the overarching operational principle guiding the actions and behaviours of this group of Serial Winning Coaches.

Video self-reflection and coach development in New Zealand

ABSTRACTDrawing on data from semi-structured interviews with New Zealand coaches (N = 6), this study examined how video self-reflection (VSR) was perceived as a tool for learning within ‘on-going’ coach development. This study also looked to determine the potential barriers experienced by coaches before engaging in VSR. Each participant was a performance coach (as identified by the NZ coach development framework (CDF)) with 5+ years coaching experience and had recently (in the previous 12 months) participated in a coach development program that aligned with Sport NZ’s CDF. Five main themes emerged from the data; coaches had a positive perception of the benefits of VSR, a desire to engage in VSR but did not prioritise the time, logistical concerns, a fear of self-confrontation and evidence of knowledge for ‘modern’ coaching development. Findings indicated that coaches valued VSR as a tool for learning; however, the lack of exposure and experience in the process meant coaches did not value the practise enough to dedicate specific time towards it. This study provides an evidence-base that can be used to support National Governing Bodies coach development frameworks, and the modification of content to encourage the use of VSR as a tool for learning.

The Journey from Competent to Innovator: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Enhance High Performance Coaching

The Journey from Competent to Innovator: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Enhance High Performance Coaching

Influence of Organizational Learning Culture on Knowledge Worker’s Motivation to Transfer Training: Testing Moderating Effects of Learning Transfer Climate

The purpose of this study was to examine how organizational learning culture influences employees’ motivation towards transfer of training. Also, how this relationship was affected by the existence of a favorable learning transfer climate in context of knowledge workers. Sample for this study (n = 122) was drawn from academicians working at various business schools in India. The perception towards their own organization’s learning culture, learning transfer climate and their willingness to transfer knowledge from Faculty Development Programs to their teaching and research was measured. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses and it was found that a positive perception of organizational learning culture was positively related to willingness to transfer training. This relationship was significantly moderated by an important dimension of learning transfer climate which are resistance to change and partially moderated by another dimension- performance coaching.

Use of Occupational Performance Coaching for stroke survivors (OPC-Stroke) in late rehabilitation: A descriptive case study

Background:Stroke is a leading cause of disability in adults. Following stroke, 60% of people report needing help with everyday activities, and 80% report having very few meaningful activities. These restrictions often continue for years. This study explored the efficacy of Occupational Performance Coaching for stroke survivors (OPC-Stroke) on the participation level of adults in the later stage of stroke rehabilitation. Method: A descriptive case study design was used. One participant in the later stages of rehabilitation was recruited. Outcome measures for participation, goal performance and satisfaction, and emotional well-being were administered pre and postintervention to observe for direction of change. A semi-structured interview was carried out postintervention to explore the participant’s experiences of the intervention. Results: The participant who took part in the study reported improvement with his goal performance and satisfaction. However, the level of participation did not improve and emotional well-being decreased. Qualitative data revealed an appreciation of the intervention and a recommendation of the intervention for others. Conclusion: OPC-Stroke was valued by the participant and shows promise for improving goal performance and satisfaction. Further research is necessary to determine the potential efficacy of OPC-Stroke in later stages of rehabilitation.

Self-regulation workshop and Occupational Performance Coaching with teachers: A pilot study.

Teachers' occupational role and performance can be undermined when working with students with disruptive classroom behaviours. This pilot study aimed to explore the impact of school-based occupational therapy intervention on teachers' classroom management self-efficacy and perceived performance/satisfaction in their management of students with disruptive behaviours. This pilot study used a multiple-case replication study design. A cohort of regular classroom elementary school teachers (n = 11) participated in a 1-day workshop on sensorimotor strategies for supporting student self-regulation followed by eight individual sessions of Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC). Measurement tools were the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), and Teachers' Self-Efficacy Scale-Classroom Management. Improvement in teachers' perception of performance, satisfaction, and classroom management was seen. GAS showed clinically significant improvement. Improvements were sustained at 7 weeks follow-up. Preliminary results support the use of sensorimotor education combined with OPC to enable teachers' occupational performance.