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INSPIRE AND BE INSPIRED
supervision and coaching as a profession to be recognised on the European
level. To that end, ANSE promotes the cross border exchange of information
on professional developments between national organisations for supervision
and coaching, training institutes and sister organisations. Consequently, the
ANSE community supports cross border exchange of professional knowledge
and experience between practitioners, the dissemination of practical and
theoretical materials, and he formulation and implementation of (Europe¬
an) quality standards as well as reliable quality assurance systems. Research
on supervision and coaching, preferably cross border, is considered to be a
potentially fruitful — and even necessary — means to strengthen our profession.
ANSE therefore aims to initiate, support and sustain research as much as
possible.
Support is needed, because research in this field is challenging to researchers
and practitioners alike. Supervisors and coaches offer services which are
hopefully useful to their clientele, and for which they expect to be publicly
legitimised. But how shall they convince relevant stakeholders and authorities
of the quality of their services? What can be said of their pretences, what of their
methodology, what of the efficiency of supervisory and coaching processes, and
what of the effects?
‘Hard evidence’ would help, based on both empirical and practice oriented
research, such as case based reasoning, case based research or action research,
supported by reliable quantitative studies and sound statistics. But various
forms of qualitative research, however remote from the immediate usefulness
these sometimes may seem, are just as well indicated, such as fundamental
(sociological) research (why do coaching and supervision exist?), anthropological
research (what do these — perhaps ritualised — practices say about our society?)
and philosophical reflection (what does coaching/supervision tell us about the
human condition?). This book offers a sample, and can as such be taken for a
starting point on the road to further research in order to raise the quality and
reliability of our services in Europe.
That is the intention. But it leaves open the question how to synchronize our
efforts and at the same time pay our due respect to the cultural and institutional
diversity of our continent. Europe is a continent of many speeds, and this
certainly goes for the diverse tempi, directions and ways of implementing
supervision, and to be sure, coaching as well. There are marked differences
in history, culture, institutional developments and systems of financing
professional guidance, in the views on, and the definition of, supervision and
so on.