Page - 42 - in Coaching im digitalen Wandel

Kanatouri42 media. Even though face-to-face media allow verbal and non-verbal commu- nication, and thereby for more information to be transmitted at a time, leaner media, such as computer-mediated communication via text, could lead to equally strong relationships, self-disclosure, trust and social presence as face-to-face communication (Gunawardena, 1995; Gunawardena & Zittle, 1997), despite the fact that relationships over computer-based text media may indeed take lon- ger to be established (Walther, 1990, 1992). These observations have also been empirically supported by counselling and psychotherapeutic research (a.o. Barak, Hen, Boniel-Nissim, & Shapira, 2008; Cook & Doyle, 2002; Murphy, Mitchell, & Hallett, 2011; Rice & Love, 1987). Besides, it is worth noting that visual con- tact is not always appropriate for all tasks – for instance, in some cases it might be less comfortable for discussing embarrassing issues (Amichai-Hamburger, Klomek, Friedman, Zuckerman, & Shani-Sherman, 2014). Given that a supporting relationship to the client is fundamental to coach- ing (Rogers, 1959; Schmidt, Thamm, & Greif, 2008; Stober, 2006), the empirical insights about the viability of leaner media to support equally strong rapport to rich media are very relevant, as they increase confidence that technology-medi- ated communication involving limited sensory cues does not necessarily con- strain the coaching relationship. Whilst empirical research specifically about the efficacy of technology-based forms of coaching is scarce, there is at least some evidence to suggest that leaner media (such as telephone and online text) can be viable for developing strong rapport and for facilitating positive coaching outcomes (Berry, 2005; Geißler, Hasenbein, Kanatouri, & Wegener, 2014; Ghods, 2009; McLaughlin, 2012; Poepsel, 2011). With this evidence in mind, it is worth exploring the potential of diverse media that can be used to support coaching and considering the different roles they may play in the coaching process, as they display different functions, qualities and structures. Mapping coaching media Digitalising the coaching process or certain aspects of it can take different forms, ranging from (i) face-to-face coaching combined with digital media use, (ii) blended coaching, which involves alternating face-to-face with remote sessions, (iii) remote coaching processes (iv) to online self-coaching programs, which may or may not be combined with coaching facilitated by a coach (Kana- touri & Geißler, 2016, p. 714). Technological media can be used to facilitate the coaching conversation (basic media) or to complement and enrich the client’s problem-solving and reflection process beyond the coaching dialogue (prob- lem-solving media) (Geißler, 2014, p. 149). Basic media such as, for instance, tele- Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY-NC-ND 4.0