The Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) is Division 14 of the American Psychological Association. Its roots go back to the founding of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1892. APAs initial objective was the advancement of Psychology as a science (Cattell, 1895, cited in Sokal, 1992, p. 115) and several proponents of industrial psychology were prominent members (e.g., Hugo Munsterberg, James McKeen Cattell, Walter VanDyke Bingham, Walter Dill Scott). It was APAs lack of recognition for applied psychology during those early years that served as the impetus for organizing industrial and organizational psychology.

In 1921, the New York Association of Consulting Psychologists (ACP) was founded. It consisted mostly of clinical and educational psychologists and a small core of industrial psychologists. In 1930, as a result of a growing body of applied psychologists and increased dissatisfaction with APA, the New York ACP expanded and formed the Association of Consulting Psychologists (ACP). Industrial psychologists were involved in the formation of ACP and they participated every year in the ACP meetings. By 1945, Division 14 of APA was created for industrial psychologists.

According to the current bylaws, the purpose of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology is:to promote human welfare through the various applications of psychology to all types of organizations providing goods or services, such as manufacturing concerns, commercial enterprises, labor unions or trade associations, and public agencies.

(Information excerpted from the SIOP website: http://www.siop.org/History/historynew.aspx#narrative)
This was the first SIOP meeting dedicated to coaching, although there have always been coaching presentations in the annual SIOP conferences. SIOP members are very involved – and influential – in organizational and leadership consulting, and many of them are coaches. It was a terrific meeting – the speakers and topics were informational as well as inspirational (see the Agenda and list of presenters at http://www.siop.org/lec/2008/agenda_2008.aspx). And it was great to see how colleagues in this discipline think and talk about executive coaching.

I was struck by the impression that there continue to be many different conversations going on about coaching, all over the world – and I want to see them come together and inform EACH OTHER! I made some wonderful new contacts – and deepened relationships that already existed with The Foundation of Coaching (one of the keynote speakers was Dr. David Peterson, who is on the Research Advisory Board for The Foundation of Coaching). Many of the participants at the Consortium had heard about the recent International Coaching Research Forum and were eager to learn about the outcomes!

So, my take-away from this wonderful event was to realize that the world of coaching is a small world, and getting smaller as time goes on! I look forward to seeing and hearing from our SIOP colleagues and continuing the conversation in a larger arena – perhaps on our own Coaching Commons!

And if you are interested in learning more about the presentations that were given at the Consortium, SIOP offers a Learning Center with presentation PowerPoints, tapes and DVD’s of the sessions!

Log on at http://www.siop.org/learningcenter.aspx

If you were there, let us here from you…..

• For the field of coaching – to establish a body of knowledge and clarify the theoretical foundations of what we do
• For coaches – to develop and explore what we do, how we do it, share best practices and learn more about what works
• For consumers of coaching – to know what coaching is about, what to ask for and expect in a coaching engagement, how to choose a coach or coaching method, and how coaching impacts individuals, organizations and social systems.
• For others interested in coaching – to find out more about the field, its development and growth as an inter-disciplinary phenomenon.

Coaching-related research is the key to discovering:

• How, when, where, and why coaching works.
• What approaches, theories, models and fundamental assumptions inform coaching – both in practice and as a profession.
• How coaching is similar to and distinct from other practices and disciplines.

Got questions about what coaching-related research is, and why you should care? Post them at the ‘comments’ link below.

Or, perhaps you know of, or are already pursuing a research project that you think would be of interest to the community. By all means – we’re glad you’re here. Post below at the ‘comments’ link, or visit this link if you’re interested in our grant criteria.

True to our name, we believe that research is important ‚Äì foundational, actually Рin building a body of knowledge to support the claims that we make as coaches.

What are these claims? For one, that coaching works. For another, that coaching works as well as, or better than other forms of “helping” (training, mentoring, therapy (in some cases). Or that coaching ‚Äö√Ñ√¨ and coaches ‚Äö√Ñ√¨ comes from a theoretical framework that shows up in how we coach, and what we aim for in coaching.

There are also questions to be answered, for our own information to further our development as coaches and to continually improve our field. These kinds of questions are wide-ranging, like: “Is coaching different in different cultures?”“Is one method or school of coaching more effective in certain cases than others?”

“What is the impact of using telephone coaching as compared to ‘in person’ coaching?”

“What happens 6 weeks/6 months/6 years after a successful coaching engagement – is success maintained over time or do the results taper off after a while?”

The answer to these broad questions can inform the whole field and help us all to become better coaches by sharing the results and best practices.

The questions that we ask about the field of coaching are not just for academics or scientists. We believe that it is important for coaches to be savvy about research so they can examine their own practices and add valuable data to marketing and training ‚Äö√Ñ√¨ and their own development! This is the model of the “scholar-practitioner”: a coach who regularly reflects and examines his or her own practice using short research projects.

So ‚Äö√Ѭ∂ what are the kinds of questions that YOU are interested in asking about your practice (or about coaching in general)? What would help take your practice to the next level of excellence, or help you reach more people, or feel more confident about what you are offering? Let us know ‚Äö√Ñ√¨ post a comment and we’ll be sure to consider it!