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 the Research Committee 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 the Research Committee.
  

The ICF Research Committee is always open to your inquiries and suggestions. In order for any request for research assistance to be considered by the ICF, a formal proposal shall be submitted to the ICF. This proposal should include key defining elements that would inform the decision of the Research Committee.  These elements could include, but not be limited to, the following parameters:

Description of Research Topic (approximately 250 words)
List of Organizational Affiliation / Institutional Sponsors
List of Research Author(s)
Research Questions Identified
Associated Literature Research (approximately 500 words-including key authors / references)
Description of Target Participants (size / composition of sample)
Description of Methodology
Ethics Application/Consent Issues Addressed
Desired Schedule for Research
Marketing / Promotional Intentions
Copy of Questionnaire
Related Examples for Research Assistance Provided by the ICF
Level of Research Assistance Requested on this proposal *

*The ICF requires that you indicate, from the following list choices, a specific "Level of Research Assistance" that you are requesting within your proposal:

Level I: Passive Endorsement - ICF stakeholders will be provided information about a particular study through optional communication streams, such as the ICF Web site or Coaching World newsletter.  If readers choose to ‘opt in' and support this study, contact information will be provided in the communication that would make this support possible.

Level II:  Proactive Promotion - All of the support described in Level I would be provided at this level; however, ICF stakeholders would also be given a direct Web link to an independent survey site that was created by an external researcher.  ICF stakeholders would be informed of any privacy policies associated with the independent site.

Level III: Facilitation/Collaboration - All of the support described in Levels I-II would be provided at this level; however, ICF stakeholders would also receive periodic e-mail communications from the ICF that actively promoted the study.  Volunteer members of the ICF Research Committee would consider providing assistance during the analysis / reporting phases of the study, providing that any assistance offered by the Research Committee would be acknowledged in any subsequent publications.

Level IV: Co-Branding - All of the support described in Levels I-III would be provided at this level; however, ICF would also consider providing some level of budgetary and/or branding assistance for the study.  As this level of assistance would have a direct financial impact on the organization and affect the perceptions of the ICF brand, any recommendations by the Research Committee for Level IV assistance would require pre-approval by the ICF Board prior to implementation.

All proposals for research assistance shall be sent to the Research Committee at ICFResearch@coachfederation.org.