Many coaches use rituals in preparation for their work, but could the cathartic nature of rituals help clients move through pain, too, asks Dr Angélique du Toit, senior lecturer, Sheffield Business School
It is evident from conversations I have had with many coaches that everyone has their own particular ritual they engage in before a coaching session. The purpose is to prepare themselves mentally for the client and to metaphorically put aside any thoughts or distractions that may interfere with them being wholly present with the client in the coaching space.
However, ritual has the potential to play a more significant role in coaching.
It was following a session with a client and the support that ritual gave her in dealing with painful organisational change, that I decided to research the possible relationship between coaching and ritualistic practices.
Serving a purpose
At first, the practice of ritual seems at odds with the characteristics we have come to associate with organisations, namely: rationality, effectiveness and the drive for efficiency.
However, rituals within an organisational context serve a number of purposes, as suggested by Smith and Stewart (2010), and include the process through which organisational members create shared meaning, management of anxiety, reinforcing a particular social order within the organisation, creating and communicating shared values, enhance group solidarity, serving as a way of including or excluding others, signal commitment, manage work structures and prescribe and reinforce significant events. It is the latter that,
I suggest, has potential value for inclusion in the coaching practice.
Powerful transformations
The enactment of rituals is invariably accompanied by strong emotions that allows for the anchoring of cognitive content (Smith & Stewart, 2010).
Furthermore, the performance of ritual has the power to amplify beliefs and stimulate the emotional anchors that contribute to establishing shared beliefs in organisations, or more widely in society. Establishing successful rituals depends on both repetition and emotional arousal.
Ritual has dominated the study of religion by anthropologists. They perceive rituals as practices that contribute to social organisation, cohesion and solidarity. It is also well-documented that rituals continue to play a significant role in organisations.
The perception that rituals are powerfully transformative (Turner, 1969) warrants an exploration of the contribution they can make to the practice of coaching.
The enactment of rituals often serve to acknowledge the past before it is discarded, thereby providing the opportunity for change by moving from one state to another. We also use rituals to commemorate significant losses, achievements and life transitions, such as wedding ceremonies, funerals, and so on.
Organisations undergoing significant change often underestimate the emotions associated with loss felt by individuals involved in the change, particularly when they or colleagues are made redundant, which may lead to potentially life-changing experiences.
The coach, supporting individuals or teams through what is often a painful process, may find the transformative power of ritual a cathartic experience for the client(s). It may facilitate the acknowledgement and celebration of the past while signalling the emergence of a new reality.
Further exploration into the practice and enactment of ritual may benefit the coach in supporting their clients in dealing with ambiguous and challenging situations. Ritual may offer another layer of understanding and support for the transformative journey of the client.
References
A C T Smith and B Stewart, ‘Organizational rituals: features, functions and mechanisms,’ in International Journal of Management Reviews, 13(2), pp113-133, 2010
V Turner, The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure, Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1969
Coaching at Work, Volume , Issue 6