How coaching can help people with concealable stigmatised identities (CSIs) navigate inclusion challenges in the workplace

Organisations have increasingly considered inclusion as part of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) management practices, but these may overlook individuals with concealable stigmatised identities (CSIs). CSIs can be hidden from others and are socially devalued and negatively stereotyped. Workplace consequences include exclusion, discrimination, and job loss. Coaching has been used as part of EDI initiatives, and this research explored how coaching can help individuals with CSIs navigate inclusion challenges in the workplace. Using constructivist grounded theory methods, 11 coachees and 10 coaches were interviewed and a conceptual model developed encompassing three interrelated processes. Seeking Belonging and Becoming explained the challenges coachees faced and the context for engaging with coaching; Shaping the Possibility Space identified dynamics influencing the coaching space; and Co-creating Inner and Outer Change explained the changes which coaching facilitated. The findings contribute to theory by extending the conceptual counterspace framework to coaching; proposing that coaching could function as a counterspace in oppressive circumstances and challenge deficit-based narratives. Intersectionality is emphasised, as this creates unique experiences and coaching needs. An intersectional and counterspace-informed perspective enables a better understanding of how coaching interacts with oppression and privilege within work contexts. Coaching people with CSIs may require adapting approaches, beyond commonly held perceptions of traditional coaching. This research has valuable implications for coaches, coach educators and organisations, and provides practical guidance which could support inclusion for individuals with CSIs through coaching.

Grantor dc:publisher

Oxford Brookes University

Author dc:creator

• Andeh, Sophia

Contributors dc:contributor

• Iordanou, Ioanna
• Tzanakou, Charoula

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved

Language dc:language

en

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.24384/0kwy-f982

OAI identifier oai:identifier

tle:4c6f9b23-6583-401a-b479-0426e35260ae:d6bd9758-527a-46cd-bfe2-c433766e8fca:1