ICF Policies and Procedures on Coaching Research

Purpose for the ICF policy statement on the conduct or use of research:

Coaching is one of the world’s fastest-growing professions. As the major association that represents that profession, ICF has the responsibility to formulate an explicit policy concerning its perspective on the relationship of research and coaching practice. A policy statement provides guidance and direction to both practitioners and researchers; empowers participants, contributors, stakeholders, coaching organizations, and clients alike with regard to engaging in or utilizing research; enhances the legitimacy of the ICF as a whole; serves a protective function in that it guides behavior and, at the same time, sets boundaries; enhances decision-making; facilitates evaluation; and defines priorities.

This policy is intended to apply to ICF internal staff; the ICF Board and its executive; ICF committees, in particular the Research and Education Committee; members of the International Coach Federation; and academic personnel or external vendors who utilize ICF resources to engage in research on any aspect of coaching.

Key Definitions:

A - Research:

Not all information about coaching can be categorized as research. Our working definition of research is:

Research (including evaluation) is defined as any activity that involves the collection, collation, review or evaluation of data or information for the purpose of describing, maintaining or modifying activities, practices, interventions, or treatments. Research may involve the manipulation of variables or environmental factors whereas evaluation more typically involves the review of information for the purpose of providing feedback about the function, productivity or efficacy of an activity. Evaluation includes but is not limited to activities including needs assessments, process assessment, outcome studies, impact analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and meta-analysis.

B - Evidence-Based Practice:

The ICF encourages and endorses evidence-based practice (EBP) with respect to effective coaching. That is, we want coaches to make solid decisions regarding the method or technique they use based on their ability to critically assess the best available, current, valid and relevant coaching evidence before applying it to day-to-day coaching practices. We believe combining the explicit knowledge derived from sound research, broadly defined, as above, with the more tacit or experiential knowledge of the coach practitioner is the synergistic sine qua non of effective coaching.

Policy Statement:

It is the policy of the International Coach Federation to encourage and promote research activities that enhance the professional development and standards of the worldwide coaching community. We strive to collaborate with organizations and individuals that promote the highest standards of research in order to establish a discipline of coaching studies to support and further the profession. The ICF seeks to facilitate the exchange of information among researchers and practitioners studying coaching theory, methodologies, and outcomes. Equally important, we seek to make this information available to practicing coaches and those interested in the coaching profession. Specifically, our goals are to:

Increase the knowledge base concerning the art and science of coaching;
Contribute to the advancement of coaching theory and the establishment of best evidence-based practices;
Disseminate coaching research to the coach practitioner;
Establish increased credibility for coaching as a discipline through the encouragement and support of best research practices and resulting theory development in coaching practice;
Close the gap between coaching research and the practice of coaching by combining evidence-based practice with practice-based evidence.

By the same token, research on coaching might be divided into two broad categories: 1) market-oriented or industry-related research on the coaching profession; and 2) research to gather evidence on coaching techniques, coaching core competencies, coaching methodologies, coaching outcomes, and coaching theories.

1) Market-Oriented or Industry-Related Research:

This kind of research on the coaching profession, on coaches, and on coaching organizations often makes use of evaluative techniques and surveys conducted for the following purposes:

To track trends in the coaching profession so that ICF can best serve its membership;
To assist the Board in making decisions regarding the future policies and directions of ICF;
To provide information to member coaches on trends, coaching revenues, coaching practices, etc.;
To provide valid information to media or other parties requesting information about the coaching profession;
To facilitate Public Relations (PR) efforts of the ICF.

In short, market-oriented research is the coaching profession’s way of looking at itself. It is the policy of the ICF to prioritize requests for information from its members and to protect them from repeated and unnecessary demands on their time and resources. Thus, the criteria for ICF participation in such surveys will be the importance of the information to be gathered, the quality and legitimacy of the researcher or organization conducting the survey, balanced against the time and/or other resources demanded of members or other respondents. Any of these aforementioned opportunities shall be vetted by a Research and Education subcommittee as outlined in the final bulleted item of this document.

2) Research to Gather Evidence on Coaching Techniques, Coaching Methodologies, Coaching Outcomes, and Coaching Theories

The core purpose of the ICF is to advance the art, science, and practice of professional coaching. Coaching is an applied profession, and its successful development requires a dialectic process among coaches and practitioners to develop a discipline that can support the profession—and vice-versa. It is assumed that a discipline of coaching requires a solid theoretical foundation that will strengthen the coaching profession and contribute to its ongoing development. The quality of coaching theory will be determined by a vibrant research community combined with practitioners who both utilize and contribute to research inside and beyond ICF.

Therefore, for both broad categories of research on coaching (delineated in 1 and 2 above) ICF will encourage and collaborate with researchers and organizations that are gathering evidence on any aspect of coaching, given the following limitations:

Researchers must be aware of and adhere to the ICF Code of Ethics;
The research must meet ethical guidelines for the treatment of human subjects—for example, provisions of the American Psychological Association;
Members of ICF must be protected from undue demands on their time and resources, and any demands must be consistent with ICF priorities and policies;
ICF itself will not fund external research projects on a regular basis; however, internal or state-of-the-profession surveys may be commissioned from time-to-time by the ICF; and
External research directed toward and/or involving ICF members and research links submitted for posting on the ICF Research Portal shall be vetted by a Research and Education reviewing subcommittee.

The ICF Research and Education Committee is always open to your inquiries and suggestions. If you have a research proposal that you would like to submit to the ICF, please send it to the Research and Education reviewing subcommittee at ICFResearch@coachfederation.org.