The Importances Of Ethics To Professional Accountants » The Ethics Of Professional Practice

How do you ensure quality within an industry that is not regulated? This is a question that is facing many who use coaching within their organisations. There is within the coaching industry a debate on whether supervision is necessary, or can add benefits to ensuring quality. As a profession, the introduction of supervision is seen as adding credibility to the coaching industry and as yet no clear definition of what supervision is, or what the objectives are. For many coaches, the cost of having a supervisor is just too high and finding a supervisor with the relevant experience in a particular area of coaching can be difficult. For many, the answer lies in associations with professional coaching bodies such as The Association for Coaching or the European Coaching Institute, who work with standards and ethics to promote best practice and raise awareness.

Barbara Picheta, development consultant and coach, with PricewaterhhouseCoopers UK states “to open one’s work to scrutiny is important best practice in any helping activity. If you’re going to invest in coaches in the workplace, this is an essential part of it – it’s not an optional exercise.” (CIPD Coaching at Work)

Any credible coaching organisation will stress the importance of Continued Professional Development (CPD) as best practice. This involves the coach maintaining personal standards by coaching other coaches on a regular basis to provide professional feedback on quality and best practice. Sharing case studies within coaching forums to ensure the best possible approach was delivered by the coach and there is also a requirement within CPD to keep updated with new material and changes within the industry.

There is no doubt that quality assurance is essential within the growing coaching industry and until clear definitions and industry standards are available, CPD and professional associations with recognised coaching organisations will provide the standards for best practice.

Julia McVey is an outstanding coach, mentor and trainer with 15 years corporate experience of delivering quality in blue chip organizations. http://www.u-canlifecoaching.com

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