Advancing the Field of Coaching Through Research

Lexington, Kentucky, USA – On June 1, 2021, in a collaboration that will elevate the field of coaching, the International Coaching Federation (ICF) pledged to give $575,000 USD over five years to McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, to benefit the hospital’s Institute of Coaching (IOC) for a grantmaking program. 

The $575,000 USD philanthropic grant from ICF will support compelling research that ultimately enhances the quality, efficacy and impact of the coaching field. The goal is to educate the coaching field more broadly on the rich and impactful scientific literature and to expand the coaching literature.  

Carol Kauffman, Ph.D., IOC founder and co-chair, and Margaret Moore, MBA, IOC co-founder and chair, noted that the collaboration with the ICF has been a long-held aspiration. Moore, Kauffman and ICF’s CEO Magdalena Nowicka Mook, MS, expressed their excitement about the collaboration, citing the growing popularity of the relatively young profession around the globe. 

“It is tremendously important that there are robust scientific underpinnings to support coaching, to support the new applications of coaching, and to make sure professional standards are being upheld,” Mook said. “We’re observing another wave in the evolution in professional coaching. This partnership will accelerate the transition to yet another level of our knowledge—as well as an acknowledgement of professional coaches.” 

Kauffman, an assistant professor of Psychology within the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard, noted that coaching is a powerful vehicle for change at an individual and organizational level. “It empowers all of us to be at our best. Creating research that is based on scientific theories of deep change and continuing to examine the effectiveness of coaching will be of service to the field and the world,” she said. 

“We’re the intellectual hub for coaching science and research, and ICF is the largest, most well-known community of credentialed coaches,” said Moore. 

Scott L. Rauch, M.D., president and psychiatrist in chief for McLean added that coaches have an integral role in supporting individuals in many different facets. 

“Coaches help people cultivate skills that improve leadership, health, well-being, and resilience, and reach their personal and professional goals,” Rauch said. “As we have all experienced the pandemic, the need for developing such skills is more vital than ever before. Together, the IOC and ICF will benefit a large group of professional coaches who will have a far-reaching impact to clients worldwide.” 

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About ICF: 

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is the world’s largest organization leading the global advancement of the coaching profession and fostering coaching’s role as an integral part of a thriving society. Founded in 1995, its 45,000-plus members located in more than 147 countries and territories work toward common goals of enhancing awareness of coaching and upholding the integrity of the profession through lifelong learning and upholding the highest ethical standards. Through the work of its six unique family organizations, ICF empowers professional coaches, coaching clients, organizations, communities and the world through coaching. Visit coachingfederation.org for more information.