ABSTRACT

In this chapter the authors explore three main areas of enquiry:

How do we, as coaches, enable greater ethical maturity in our clients, individual and organizational, and help them in their ethical challenges?

How do we as coaches, mentors, supervisors, consultants, leaders manage our own ethical issues?

How can supervision help us in developing our ethical maturity and ability to manage those issues?

Ethical decision-making is inherently systemic: it is influenced by our backgrounds, not just nationality or race but by, for example, family background, community, religion, class, sexual orientation, gender and organizational cultures, and our own stage of personal development. This makes up the lens through which we see the world. Research and relevant literature demonstrate the importance of developing ethical maturity to ensure we notice ethical dilemmas, remember the organizational client and avoid collusion. The seven levels of coach maturity are explored (based on Rooke and Torbert, 2005) to help us understand where we and our supervisees are in our own development. Case studies are drawn from practice and the role of professional bodies is examined. Two ethical decision-making models are offered which can support developing practice: Carroll and Shaw (2013), Passmore and Turner (2018).