The Adequacy of Competency Frameworks for Coaching Academic Deans: A Critical Review

This paper explores the adequacy of existing coaching competency frameworks to address the complexities of coaching academic deans. The unit of analysis of this interpretative and evaluative case study is the coaching practice based on the core competencies as prescribed by ICF and EMCC. It uses five sources of evidence that converge to address the research question. The paper concludes that an evidence-based practice that integrates scientific knowledge with expertise of practitioners may be a more effective approach to coaching at the executive level such as Deans. A competent coach is not enough to generate inspired insights for complex coaching of Deans. A deeper understanding of the purpose, relevant learning theories and context are sufficient conditions for effective coaching engagements.