Table of Contents

• Executive Summary
• What is Coaching?
• The Domains of Competence model
  • The Meaning of this model
  • Essential Competencies of Leaders in each Domain
• Helping a Leader Develop and Become More Powerful in each Domain
  • Understanding the Job and the Person
  • Ways of Becoming More Powerful in Each Domain
• Summary
• Bibliography

What is Coaching?

Effective coaching occurs when the client is able to demonstrate long-term excellence in performance, is self-correcting, and is self-generating. (Flaherty, 1999) Long-term excellence in performance refers to performance in the area being coached. Self-correcting means that the clients are able to self-observe, know when their performance is off and make the necessary adjustments to get back on track. Self-generating involves being able to take the competencies developed in the coaching program of self-observation, self-assessment and self-correction, and applying them to other realms of their life on an on-going basis.

If the purpose of coaching is to change behavior, then the coach's mission is to find what affects behavior in a way that will bring about the desired change. The following diagram shows that behavior follows from the structure of interpretation of the client. (Flaherty, 1999) This means that the way we see the world at a particular moment determines the actions we take. (Heidegger, 1962; Dreyfus, 1991) We walk into a building that we recognise as a restaurant and we immediately do the series of routine actions that we consider to be consistent with being in a restaurant. In addition to the physical surroundings, it is also the meaning that we bring to those surroundings that have us take the actions we take. (Heidegger, 1962; Dreyfus, 1991) The structure of interpretation, or the way the observer sees the world, includes the commitments, projects and relationships that make up the world of the observer, as well as the environment in which the observer finds himself.

Since we are usually unaware of how our structure of interpretation is influencing our behavior, the role of a coach is to find ways of making the client's own structure of interpretation explicit and accessible to himself. (Flaherty, 1999) This is done through the use of language (speaking and listening) such that new distinctions are made which allow for new observation, and lead to new action. (Heidegger, 1962; Schon, 1983) Through practice, this observation becomes part of the client's structure of interpretation, his new way of seeing the world, and the client is able to respond to all similar situations in the future without need for the coach. (Heckler, 1997; Schutz & Luckman, 1973)

The Domains of Competence model

Part of a coach's discipline is being able to use models to understand the structure of interpretation of a client as well as to assess the level of competence of the client. (Flaherty, 1999) The Domains of Competence model provides a way of looking into these two aspects of assessment. This section describes this model and its relevance to leadership and identifies essential competencies of leaders in each domain.

The Meaning of this model

This model is derived from Habermas's theory of communicative action, which defines the general structures of communication that enable competent speakers to engage in successful interaction. (Braaten, 1991) He explains that there are three domains of reality in the world that exist concurrently and that to be able to function effectively in this world, we need to have developed competencies in all three of these domains. The three domains are those of the individual (I), the collective or community (We) and the external or objective world (It). (Wilber, 1996). (Note:I removed the sentence that was highlighted in yellow)

The "I" domain is the world that the individual alone is in. A subjective experience can only be fully known by the person living a particular life, with a particular body -- how "I" see the world and what it all means to me. (Wilber, 1996) Self-knowledge is the key to undoing the suffering endemic to the "I" domain, and no amount of understanding of the "It' or "We" domains can supplant its importance in bringing happiness and serenity to the individual. Access to this domain is by self-observation, which can reveal patterns of experience and response when done consistently over a period of time. (Heckler, 1997; Schon, 1983) No one else has access to this domain other than through conversation with the individual. (Braaten, 1991) Therefore, individuals will always be mysterious. Whether initiated consciously or unconsciously, practices that people engage in keep recreating the "I" domain. (Schutz & Luckman, 1973) Positive intentional changes in the "I" domain are only possible when an individual feels / believes that such change can happen and that they have, or can access, the resources necessary for the change. Finally, each "I" domain feels that it is acting wisely, consistently and in it's own best interests. Denial, defensive and strong emotion will arise when this interpretation of reality is threatened. (Wilber, 1996)

The "We" domain is the domain of how "We" see the world. It is the collective view of a particular time and place. It is the socially generated practices, roles, and rituals, meanings, narrative and values that determine what is possible, worthy and true within groups. ((Wilber, 1996) All of which tends to be in the 'background' of those within a given group, and can thereby be unseen and/or taken for granted. (Braaten, 1991) The "we" domains are the way they are regardless of one's opinion and operate according to their own traditions. (Wilber, 1995) Our effectiveness depends upon our realising and acting consistently with that reality. Additionally, not everyone in the domain has equal power. Understanding this domain can only come from actually being in and participating in that particular "We" domain. In other words, it cannot be fully understood by studying from the 'outside'. Access to the domain is via dialogue, conversation and relationship. (Braaten, 1991) No one can fully reveal the domain to anyone else. Rather, we find out about the domain by violating its rules, values or norms. The transformation of a "we" domain requires more than someone having found the "truth" and trying to convince others of this "truth". Rather, a paradigm must be invented where there is something to observe, a process for observing it, and a way of verifying that observation so that people can see this "truth" for themselves. (Wilber, 1996) Finally, "we" domains flourish when members both make their individual contribution and attend to maintaining and improving the common environment. (Wilber, 1995)

While both the "I" and "We" domains are domains of interpretation, the "It" domain is the domain of science and technology, objective nature, empirical forms, and processes. (Wilber, 1996) It deals with objects, with "its", with empirical patterns. The 'it' domain cannot be expanded to explain the "we" or "I" domain, e.g. 'blue' can be described as a frequency of light, but what it means to us as the colour of our daughter's eyes will never be measurable. (Barrett, 1979) Tools, machinery, chemical and physical process are invented by understanding the laws of the "it" domain. We enter into this domain by learning to observe with particular distinctions and by understanding how observations are described. (Borgmann, 1984) Properties of things in the 'it' domain remain as they are until a force acts upon them. (Wilber, 1996) Understanding these properties and forces in time is the aim of science. This domain involves that which is without, or 'outside' of interpretation.

Table 1: Domains of Competence model

Domains	Basis of Reality	Illustrative Characteristics	Competencies of Domain
"My" World of Internal Nature(I)	Interpretive	Consciousness, subjectivity, self, self-expression, truthfulness, sincerity	Purpose, Self-knowledge, Self-correction, Persistence
"Our" World of Society(WE)	Interpretive	Ethics and morals, common context, culture, worldviews; mutual understanding, appropriateness, justness	Relationship, Communication, Leadership, Inspiration
"The" World of External Nature(IT)	Objective	Science and technology, objective nature, empirical forms	Processes, Technology, Measurement, Statistics

As these three domains are present in all organisations, the more leaders are able to function effectively in all three domains and, the better they are able to discern when a particular domain is more important in a given situation, the greater the possibility of effectively leading an organisation. The following section describes specific competencies (qualities and skills) necessary to function effectively.

Essential Competencies of Leaders in each Domain

Each domain requires a distinct set of qualities and skills to be effective in that domain. The more developed and balanced the qualities and skills are across all three domains, the more competent the leader can be in leading their organisation. In contrast, what tends to happen in many cases is that a leader is strong in one or two domains. Through the years, the leader will tend to compensate, knowingly or unknowingly, for that underdeveloped area by getting staff around him who have those qualities, ignoring certain realms claiming that they aren't necessary, or working extra hard in the realms that he is stronger in. These strategies work for awhile, but at some point either through job changes, personnel changes or simply the effect of time, the underdeveloped areas start to show. Things just don't seem to be working very well and the leader wonders why. For example:

• The leader whom everybody loved. Charming, got along with everyone, could articulate a vision that was so compelling that the whole organisation would follow. Unfortunately, this leader would ignore the information about the rising performances of competitors, of advances in technology that would improve processes and services. Etc. And then one day, the business results started showing what had been creeping up, the competitors were progressively taking over the company's market share and there were no substantial business strategies in effect to counter the situation.
• The CFO, who became CEO, knew the financials and operations of the company inside out. Unfortunately, this leader was motivated by and tried to motivate others towards improvements in the bottom line. People could not get behind this leader and the sense of direction and morale of the company declined.

The following table provides a listing of essential qualities and skills relative to each of the three domains.

Table 2: Essential Qualities and Skills

Domain	Quality	Skill
"I"	Vision	Self-Observation
	Passion	Self-Knowledge
	Integrity	Self-Management
	Trust	Self-Remembering
	Curiosity	Self-Consistency
		Daring
"We"	Empathy	Listening (team/concerns)
	Reliability	Speaking (possibilities/inspiration
	Openness	Setting Standards (developing others)
	Faith	Learning
		Innovating
"It"	Rigor	Analysing (inhibiting factors/sources)
	Objectivity	Predicting (long & short term effects)
	Persistence	Simplifying
	Creativity	Building Models
	Focused	Organise/Prioritize/Release

Helping a Leader Develop and Become More Powerful in each Domain

There are a number of ways that this model can be used in coaching. First, it can be used as a way of assessing a leader's competencies and ascertaining what is the subject or area of coaching for this leader. Secondly, it can provide ways of making new distinctions and practicing new actions that enable a leader to become more powerful in a particular area.

Understanding the Job and the Person

Every job requires operating in these three domains. The proportionality, however, can vary from job to job. As part of understanding a client's competencies in these domains, it is important to understand the emphasis of those competencies in a given job situation. One way to do this is to 'map' the importance of the domains in a given job. Distributing 100 points across the domains, with the points being units of importance is one way of doing this. These units of importance reflect what is important to be successful in that job. For example, a Marketing job may have a ratio of 20:70:10 for the three domains of I: WE: IT, whereas a Finance job may have a ratio of 20:10:70. When doing this sort of analysis, consideration can be given to the following tendencies:

• The more autonomous the position, the more important the "I" domain
• The more leadership, communication, team building needed, the greater the importance of the "we" domain.
• The more technical, process-oriented the position, the greater the importance of the "It" domain.

Once the proportions of importance of each of the three domains for a given job are mapped, the same thing can be done for the person performing that job. Where does the person place importance and emphasis in performing their job? The following chart can be used to summarize this information.

Table 3: Summarized Profile of Each Domain

Domain	I	WE	IT
Domain	I	WE	IT
Characteristics	Purpose Self-Knowledge Self-Correction Persistence	Relationship Communication Leadership Inspiration	Processes Technology Measurement Statistics
Job	% _______	% _______	% _______
Person in the Job	% _______	% _______	% _______

Contrasts between the mappings of the job and the person's emphasis in the job provide useful information in discerning where to work with the client. For example, if a Marketing job requires 70% of the effort be in the realm of the "We" domain and the leader performing the job spends 70% of their time in the "It" domain, there is clearly something worth looking into. Such a contrast provides insight into the client's structure of interpretation and suggests that the leader's competencies in the "We" domain need further development.

As a next step in determining a leader's competencies in each of these domains, the following questions can be examined:

• What is the recurring breakdown in the leader's performance?
• What seems to be missing in the leader's performance?

These models are helpful not only in understanding how a client is performing and something about their structure of interpretation, but also in ascertaining what is missing that is hindering their effectiveness. (Flaherty, 1999) This information provides a pathway to designing a coaching program for a client as well as a way to talk to the client about where the coaching work needs to occur.

Ways of Becoming More Powerful in Each Domain

Knowing where to work with a client, and having such a model to speak from provide ways to make new distinctions with the client. It is then a matter of determining what exercises or practices would be useful for the client to engage in. The details of a given design would of course be built based on the specific needs of the client and what else is part of their coaching program. The following list provides various ways to further your development in each of the three domains.

The "I" Domain

1. Commit to continuous self-development.
2. Engage in a rigorous practice of self-observation.
3. Learn of your own prejudices, predilections, and preferences and take them into account when communicating, evaluating others or making decisions.
4. Discover the particular form suffering takes in your own life and employ that in compassionately connecting to others.
5. Remember death.
6. Establish goals, make promises and be ambitious while simultaneously cultivating forgiveness and kindness for yourself.
7. Learn the specific ways that denial, self-justification, and dismissing of others occur and diminish power in your life.
8. Make self-care a top priority and attend to yourself in all aspects each day.
9. Discover how projection (assigning our own often unconscious motives to others) and transference (unconsciously making a current relationship an extension of an earlier one) play out in your life.
10. Remember that one's point of view, including yours, however heartfelt, can only partially grasp reality and that admitting that is an indication of wisdom, not weakness.

The "We" Domain

1. Power is accumulated by understanding the particular "we" domain
   • What's valued - roles, expertise, money?
   • What's the mood - fear, resentment, confidence?
   • Speaking as a concerned member of a 'we' domain who's competent, sincere, reliable
   • Being able to predict events and warn members of a 'we' domain in advance
2. We become more powerful by building a social identity as an expert who can clearly communicate and who is seen as well intended.
3. The "we" domain is a world of interpretation, not of "fact". Using rhetoric, ways of speaking that persuade and move people to action, is more powerful than being only accurate.
4. Our social identity determines how we'll be heard and it's important consequently to consciously attend to it. Our bodies, clothing, mannerisms, and body language all contribute to our social identity.

The "It" Domain

1. Learn the vocabulary.
2. Learn the math.
3. Learn how to do the process (es).
4. Stay current by reading at one's level of interest from most technical (e.g. studies in university journals) to most applied.
5. Practice translating from the "it" domain to the "we" domain.

As a way of getting an idea of what a practice might be that supports the development of a particular competency, a couple of examples are provided as follows:

Table 4: Examples of Practices

"I" DOMAIN: A Practice to Support Continuous Development Part 1: At the end of each day, take 15-20 minutes to answer the following: How did circumstances give you a chance to work on _______ (quality / virtue selected)? How were your actions/conversations an example of your progress? What did you learn about the steps for you in working on ________? What action will you take from what you observed in this exercise? Part 2: At the end of each week, examine what you observed this week: What progress did you make in working on _________? What insights did you have about yourself/others/life from working on _______? What progress do you intend to make in the upcoming week on ________?

"WE" DOMAIN: An Exercise of Being in Others' Shoes In at least 3 major encounters each day, do the following: Imagine you are the person to whom you are speaking. Experience the world fully as this person. Maintain this point-of-view as long as you can during the encounter. When you find yourself upset, disappointed, or frustrated with someone during the term of the exercise, follow the instructions of #1. Each day, record what you learned about yourself and others from doing this exercise. Each week, summarize what you have learned.

"IT" DOMAIN: Definition of Performance Criteria Establish performance criteria in the "it" domain for everyone for whom you are responsible. Remember that the criteria will be interpreted by both the "I" domain and the "We" domain and that, consequently you'll have to: Give many, many examples Clarify individually for people how to recognize the criteria, and Make the distinction between explanations ("we" domain) and outcomes ("it" domain)

SUMMARY

As with any model, The Domains of Competence model is simply a way to help understand what is going on for a person, a group, in a situation, etc. It presents distinct perspectives that provide a particular lens through which to see and understand. Neither this model nor any other can ever be "the" model that unveils "the" answer. There is no way to obtain the complete and ultimate answer. Working with human beings always involves working within a context of mystery. Thus, the timing and value in using this model is based on its effectiveness in helping the coach understand the client and determine what the subject of coaching should be to support the client's objectives. To be able to discern the value of this model, we suggest that it be used in a practice setting before using with a client.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Barrett, William. The Illusion of Technique. New York: Anchor Books, 1979.
2. Braaten, Jane. Habermas's Critical Theory of Society. New York. State University of New York, 1991.
3. Borgmann, Albert. Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1984.
4. Dreyfus, Hubert L. Being-in-the-World. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1991.
5. Flaherty, James. Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others. Butterworth, 1999.
6. Heckler, Richard Strozzi. Holding the Center. North Atlantic Books, 1997.
7. Heidegger, Martin. Being in Time. Translated by John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson. New York: Harper & Row, 1962.
8. Schon, Donald A. The Reflective Practitioner. New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1983.
9. Schutz, Alfred and Thomas Luckmann. The Structures of the Life-World. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1973.
10. Wilber, Ken. A Brief History of Everything. Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1996.
11. _____. Sex, Ecology, Spirituality. Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1995.