Coaching in the Context of Social Systems

Abstract

As use of the term coaching has increased, so has the blurring of its substantive meaning. Inflationary use within the professional community has also seen the necessary engagement with professional self awareness fade into the background. This chapter aims to explore coaching from a systems theory background, thereby enabling new professional discussion. To achieve this, different coaching constellations are described and sorted according to dyad, interaction, group/team and organization system types. On this basis, the distinction between multi-person constellation coaching and system coaching is introduced. Various multi-person constellations are discussed with respect to their possibilities and limitations, and a clear distinction is drawn with other consultation professions.