Understanding the Change Process: Valuing What it is That Coaches Do

Abstract

When coaching is viewed as a rational process it is often assumed that coaches can reflect upon and, where necessary, change their behaviour. In this commentary, it is contended that using a rational argument to change practice is limited if consideration is not given to the way coaches learn how to coach. Knowledgeability is a generative concept for understanding why it is difficult to change time-honoured practices or day-to-day conventions that have often become taken for granted. The aims of this article are to introduce the concept of ‘knowledgeability’ and associated ‘practical consciousness’, and to highlight the explanatory power of the latter for understanding the change process.