Innovative Coaching Exercise Presented at Management Teaching Conference

The 2023 Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society Oceania Conference held in Sydney, Australia featured a groundbreaking Peer Coaching Assignment for a master’s level Human Resource Management course developed by Dr. Loren Dyck of the University of La Verne. This exercise takes advantage of the fact that coaching has been shown to enhance student creativity and help prepare students for their transition to work.

MOBTS conference participants, most of whom are themselves management educators and researchers, had the opportunity to learn about the assignment and then try the exercise themselves. The Peer Coaching Assignment is conducted in student pairs, allowing students to analyze and report their findings individually. The process begins with the clarification of one’s ideal self, or who the coachee would like to be, followed by a recognition of their real self, or who the coachee is currently. The resulting reconciliation between the ideal and real self yields the third discovery of the learning plan, wherein learning goals are established to help move the coachee from their real to ideal self.

In Dr. Dyck’s class, each student conducts at least two coaching sessions with at least two different students from the class, utilizing both synchronous and asynchronous coaching methods. The coaching sessions are held outside of class hours to allow students to practice their coaching skills in a relaxed and informal setting. In addition to clarifying and mapping their own goals, students are able to identify their strengths as a coach and learn how to maximize their own coaching effectiveness.

“The Peer Coaching Assignment is a unique opportunity for students to develop their coaching skills, gain practical experience, and increase their creativity,” said Dr. Dyck. “Through this exercise, students are able to identify their ideal self, recognize their current self, and establish learning goals to help them achieve their full potential.”

The Peer Coaching Assignment received positive feedback from conference attendees, with many highlighting its effectiveness in enhancing students’ coaching skills and knowledge. This exercise helps students to prepare for their transition to work and provides them with the skills necessary to succeed in their future careers in Human Resource Management.

For more information on the Peer Coaching Assignment, see the conference proceedings. Learn more about the Master of Science in Leadership and Management HERE.