In completing this thesis I am interested in two broad questions; what is coaching and how do we develop it? Surprisingly after nearly forty years of coaching research there is no agreed answer to these questions in the literature. This is perhaps not that surprising since other more established roles such as teaching are still struggling with answering this sort of ontological question after many more years of research. Despite this struggle, I focus my attention on applying the theory of Professional Judgement and Decision Making (PJDM) to understanding what coaching is and what the implications are for coach development. In taking this approach and seeking answers to the broad questions I present five substantive chapters, two of which are critical desk top studies, the other three being empirical studies. These are wrapped in introduction (Chapter 1) and conclusion (Chapter 7) chapters. Chapter 2 presents what PJDM is and how it can work as a parsimonious theory to draw in current coaching literature to understand what coaching is and how it can work. Chapter 3 presents data from long jump coaches that suggests that coaches are capable of engaging and do engage in PJDM but only when pressured to do so. Prior to this, the coaches preferred to take more of a folk, experiential, gut feeling approach to solving a contextualised coaching problem. Building from Chapter 3, Chapter 4 identifies how individual differences in how coaches view knowledge and learning can explain their willingness to engage in PJDM and aligned formal coach development activities. More specifically, that coaches with a dualistic view on learning and knowledge will shy away from or even disrupt coach development that confuses their view on the world. Alternatively, coaches with a more relativistic view will actively seek out new knowledge to improve their understanding of coaching and athlete development. Drawing on the findings of the thesis to this point Chapter 5 identifies that to improve coaches’ willingness and capacity to engage in PJDM the biggest impact must come from formal coach education. As such Chapter 5 offers a summary of a broad range of empirical and theoretical research and how an aligned application of this research can lead to more impactful formal coach development. Chapter 6, builds from Chapter 5 by noting that more impactful formal coach development will require more professional coach developers. As such, in this chapter I define what a high performing coach developer should know and be capable of. This definition was subsequently used to develop of Postgraduate Certificate in Coach Education for The Football Association. To conclude therefore, I deliver answers to the two broad questions set at the beginning of the thesis. Firstly and briefly, coaching is a PJDM process that draws on formal, theoretical knowledge to solve coaching problems and make decisions leading to the achievement of goals. Secondly, that to develop coaches capable of PJDM, coach development must practice what it preaches and engage in creating development programmes that are supported by theoretical and empirical research relating to programme development, adult learning, curriculum building and individual differences.

D.Phil. / There is an unprecedented crisis in the leadership of contemporary large-organizations. Real leadership is rare – that is, leadership which is effective and authentic, having the courage to serve others even under trying circumstances. Perhaps the prime reason for this is that management and leadership per sé, have never been professionalized, in that there is no definite body of theory and knowledge which leaders must understand and use. There are no entry requirements, expectations or professional standards. There is no continuing learning and no competence reviews. The evidence of this is overwhelming – at individual, relationship and team levels of the organization – but ultimately, it is apparent at the organizational level where culture and character exist, which, if research is correct, is the single biggest determinant in any organization’s success or failure. In the executive leader realm, things move at warp speed. Things are changing at such a dizzying rate, and there are so many stakeholders competing for the leader’s time and energy, that there is any wonder there are in fact any healthy, effective executives around. Unfortunately, many of them fall prey to the myriad challenges, dilemmas and struggles that confront them, and the result is an abundance of dysfunctional, distressed and impaired executives, the effects of which ripple throughout the company; as the Spanish saying goes, “Fish start to smell at the head.”

With the growth in the use of technology in sports, there has been an improvement in sporting performances. Some may argue that the two go hand in hand, while others will write it off as coincidence. Nevertheless the use of technology in sport is seen on a daily basis. Cricket uses Hotspot, tennis uses Hawk-Eye and rugby uses slow motion video replays. In these sports codes, technology is already an aid to umpires. Little is known, however, about the technologies used to assist coaches in sports codes such as netball. This study investigated the factors impacting the introduction of information technology in the coaching of netball. The study commenced with using the term technology in the broader sense of the word to gain an understanding from netball coaches as to how technology could be incorporated into the sport. It was later narrowed down more specifically to computer technologies. The investigation was done at the Spar National Netball Championships in 2012, where coaches were surveyed about the preparation for the tournament of the provincial teams. The surveys included questions to coaches regarding the technologies used in preparation for a national tournament. The results obtained from the coaches were used to identify the current technologies used. Interviews were conducted after the analysis of the initial results to probe into the potential use of social media as a tool to assist coaches. Based on the results of the study, a number of factors that impact on the introduction of technology in the coaching of netball were identified. The factors and basic guidelines were validated through expert focus groups. Based on the findings from the experts, the factors and guidelines were refined. It is envisaged that the findings from this research can be used to assist netball coaches in deciding how to introduce the use of information technology into the sport.

The inter and intra-observer reliabilities of data collected by observers trained in the use of the Coach Analysis Instrument (CAI) are reported. The CAI is part of the Computerized Coaching Analysis System (CCAS). The CAI collects data related to the learning environment created by the coach in a team-sport practice situation. Both inter and intra-observer reliabilities are reported for each of the instrument's seven dimensions as well as for the overall instrument. The reliability measures reported are Total Percent Agreement (T) and Cohen's kappa (K). Recommendations pertaining to the development of systematic observation instruments, training program considerations, and reliability measures are presented and discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

Three general coaching methods have been developed to help increase the effectiveness of soccer coaches through appropriate training sessions and game analysis. This project examines and compares the different coaching courses and strategies sponsored by the American Youth Soccer Organization, National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and United States Soccer Federation.

This study explores the nature of the communication between parent and child as the context changes to place them into the roles of coach and member of the team. Previous studies of parents coaching their own children are limited, suggesting the need for further examination in this area. The parent/coach is becoming far more common in competitive contexts due to the growing number of programs available for children without a corresponding growth in the number of adults able and interested in coaching (Turman & Schrodt, 2004). The study examines and extends role theory, conflict theory, and communication privacy management (CPM) theory.

The shortage of blacks in senior management and executive positions is a South African phenomena. Following decades of academic and economic segregation by the apartheid regime, many black individuals find themselves lacking the necessary technical and soft skills to operate effectively in organisations. This study explores whether executive coaching can be used to bridge the soft skill gap. The study further explores the characteristics of the coachee, the coach and the coaching relationship required for a successful intervention. A qualitative exploratory research was undertaken with fifteen one-on-one interviews conducted with qualifying black managers to capture their perceptions about the use of executive coaching as a developmental tool. This research has shown that executive coaching can be used as a viable developmental tool to prepare black managers for senior positions. A profile of an ideal candidate, an ideal coach, and an ideal coaching environment has been put together in a proposed framework that will hopefully facilitate the achievement of the goal. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

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