Why Group Coaching is Becoming an Essential Part of the Coaches’ Toolkit

Oct 28, 2024 | Coaching and supervision, Personal development, Psychodynamic method, Thought leadership

It was around 100 years ago that Henry Ford, talking about teamwork, remarked: “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” While at first glance that still seems applicable in 2024, in reality, the concept of a team has evolved dramatically. Gone are the days of teams confined to a single office space. Today, teams are globally dispersed, diverse, and multi-generational, bringing together a rich tapestry of cultures and perspectives.

But one thing that still rings true is that as organisations become more distributed and interdependent, we still need teams that move forward together – high performing teams. And that is prompting a shift in performance management practices from controlling employees’ work to empowering and enabling teams and people (McKinsey, 2023).

High performing teams come in different shapes and sizes, but they are likely to be characterised by a variety of consistent factors, including a strong foundation of trust and mutual respect, the permission to challenge and make mistakes, and a sense of autonomy and responsibility. Team members feel pride and energy for their work, take ownership of their performance, and go the extra mile for their teammates (Gallup, 2023).

The barriers

But high performing teams don’t just magically happen, and one of the biggest barriers can be overcoming dysfunctional working relationships between members. Although individually skilled and competent, team members may struggle to communicate effectively, resolve conflict, or build commitment. Interpersonal relationships could be the issue. Politics might be at play. Someone in the team might dominate the agenda and energy.

All these things can result in teams remaining locked in rituals and routine ways of behaving that undermine critical reflection, powerful discussions and effective decision making.

The impact of team coaching

This combination of dysfunctional teams and the need for high performing teams is also prompting changes in the coaching world. CCL’s Future of Corporate Coaching (2021) outlines a shift towards coaching practices that blend “coaching and mentoring; professional development and strategic dialogues; individual focus with team engagement”. While business coaching used to be focused on senior leaders, we’re now seeing an increased demand for team coaching that explores the interdependencies between people, teams, departments, and business units.

And that’s a good thing, because team coaching recognises that leadership is a social process and a shared responsibility. If a team can tune in to the explicit (what it does) and implicit dynamics (why they do what they do), potential is unleashed.

Team coaching can range from a simple intervention to a longer-term change programme, and is often accompanied by individual coaching for maximum impact. And this is where a psychodynamic approach can help, allowing teams to take a step back from their hectic working lives, resolve conflict constructively and build relationships based on trust and mutual respect (Kets de Vries, 2005, Ward et al, 2014).

Here’s three ways to incorporate group coaching theory into your practice, and begin to surface and understand the hidden but influential group dynamics in a team:

Is the group on-task or off-task?

It was Wilfred Bion (1961) who first identified two dimensions of behaviour within any group: sophisticated groups and basic assumption groups. A sophisticated group is aware of its purpose and can define its task. They can make decisions, problem solve and provide constructive feedback.

In less successful groups, basic assumptions are at play. You might see fight or flight behaviours, high dependency or a group that can’t move through challenges together.

What behaviours are you seeing? Does everyone understand their role? Could the team’s issues stem from a lack of clarity in purpose?

Defence mechanisms

These can play out in multiple ways within a group and identifying them is a useful starting point to understand team dynamics.

You might see passive-aggressive behaviour, with negative attitudes and passive resistance to demands. You might see denial, with an individual or team refusing to acknowledge or accept facts. And you might see projection, where people are attributing their feelings and thoughts to others.

All of these things indicate tension and require interventions to facilitate the development of more effective reactions and behaviours.

Noticing feelings and reactions

Sometimes the biggest challenge a leader can face is changing themselves, so encouraging the team leader to explore their own experience will help them understand the experience of others.

Try prompting them to open up about their personal experience in the group. What feelings or reactions do their interactions provoke? Do they just try and get through it? Is the group, or a particular person, triggering a feeling? If you can help them explore their own emotions in specific situations and pull apart why and how they’re reacting, you might get a greater insight into why the team isn’t aligning.

Having group coaching methods and experience in your coaching toolkit can be the difference between leading a good team and a high performing team.

In an increasingly dynamic and ambiguous business environment, the ability to reflect, communicate, and quickly resolve problems as a team can be a significant competitive advantage, which is why hiring a coach with group coaching skills and qualifications can be incredibly valuable to an organisation.

At KDVI, we’re pioneers of group coaching. Our methodology is underpinned by academic rigour and decades of experience, developed to tackle the emerging challenges leaders face.

The Group Coaching Practicum is one of our signature professional development programmes. This transformational and highly practical 10-day programme is paced over seven months, and combines theory, technique, and supervision while enabling participants to develop their own style as a coach.

Delivered entirely online, the course brings together professionals from across the globe, providing a safe space to not only learn and sharpen understanding of the transformative impact of psychodynamic-systemic group coaching, but also to live it – working together to experience the tipping points required for transformative change.

 

Oriane Kets de Vries:

Oriane Kets de Vries is CEO and owner of the Kets de Vries Institute. She leads a global team of coaches, consultants and educators dedicated to developing reflective, emotionally intelligent leaders and cultivating workplaces where people can thrive. In her faculty role, she draws on extensive experience designing and directing leadership programmes for senior executives, contributing her expertise in psychodynamic coaching, organisational culture, and transformational leadership development.

Oriane has served as consultant, coach, and programme director for clients including Pictet, Deutsche Bank, Merck, UBS, Mishcon de Reya, and Engie, and she has taught on open-enrolment programmes with leading institutions such as Cambridge Judge Business School, Oxford Saïd, INSEAD, ESCP, ESMT and CEDEP. Her interests centre on the human side of leadership, particularly identity, creativity, entrepreneurship and gender dynamics. She holds an MBA and Executive MA in Coaching and Consulting for Change from INSEAD, has trained at the Harvard Kennedy School, and brings more than a decade of professional experience in creative and entrepreneurial industries into her work with leaders.

Manfred Kets de Vries:

Manfred Kets de Vries is a pioneering authority in leadership development, coaching, and organisational change. He is a founder and director of the Kets de Vries Institute (KDVI) and served as Distinguished Clinical Professor of Leadership Development and Organisational Change at INSEAD. With academic credentials in economics (University of Amsterdam), management (MBA and DBA, Harvard Business School), and psychoanalysis (trained in Canada), he brings a uniquely interdisciplinary perspective to leadership. His work bridges management theory and clinical insight, establishing him as a global thought leader in executive coaching and transformation. At INSEAD, he founded the Global Leadership Centre and led the flagship programme The Challenge of Leadership for 31 years. He also served as scientific director of Coaching and Consulting for Change, an 18-month Executive Master’s programme that has shaped over 3,000 senior leaders and executive coaches worldwide. He has advised and coached senior executives at global firms including Goldman Sachs, BP, Shell, Unilever, McKinsey, and Volvo. A prolific author of over 60 books and 400 articles, his work appears regularly in The Financial Times, The Economist, and Harvard Business Review. Recognised by Le Capital, Wirtschaftswoche, and The Financial Times as one of the world’s top 50 management thinkers, he is widely regarded for advancing more human-centred approaches to leadership.

Yulia Chupina:

Senior Adviser (Luminary) at Accenture and executive coach with over 12 years of board experience. Formerly a banker and McKinsey consultant, Yulia has led banking transformations in digital, agile, organisational change, and talent development. Her coaching spans the finance, tech, and consumer goods sectors, blending technological insight with emotional intelligence to guide leaders through transformation. Recently, she advised BBVA on agile methodologies and senior talent development. Influenced by thought leaders such as Manfred Kets de Vries and Gabor Maté, Yulia brings an analytical, reflective approach to leadership. She has lived and worked across the UK, Spain, the US, and Russia.

Elizabeth Florent:

Elizabeth has worked closely with Manfred Kets de Vries for many years and has served as a Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow at INSEAD. Her extensive background in leadership development spans organisational consulting, executive coaching, and academic research. She holds advanced degrees in Organisational Development and Clinical Organisational Psychology and is a certified Coaching Supervisor through the Tavistock Institute. Her doctoral research explored experiential domains in executive education, and she has authored or co-authored numerous academic articles, case studies, and books on leadership and organisational dynamics. Elizabeth led the development teams behind KDVI’s diagnostic instruments, including the GELM, OCA™, and ITI. Drawing on her diverse training and global experience, she brings deep cross-cultural insight to her work with leaders worldwide. Originally from California, Elizabeth has made France her home for over 30 years.