Maternity Insights: independent research into the impact of a group maternity coaching programme

Jennifer Liston-Smith, Director, Managing Maternity
interviews Margaret Chapman

First published in Managing Maternity's newsletter, in October 2008

Independent researcher in coaching and emotional intelligence, Margaret Chapman observed a series of AXA ICAS in partnership with Managing Maternity Ltd group coaching workshops at Citigroup earlier this year to gauge their impact on the women involved.

In this article, Managing Maternity Director, Jennifer Liston-Smith, interviews Margaret Chapman to draw out some of her main observations.

A joint paper covering the research was presented by both authors at the Equal Opportunities International conference in Norwich in July 2008. Plans for publication of the paper are in hand and we would welcome requests for reprints.

Jennifer Liston-Smith (JLS):
What struck you most strongly about the experience of the transition to motherhood for the women on the programme?

Margaret Chapman (MC):
What struck me was the sense of empowerment, a real sense of personal growth and yet paradoxically, a feeling of lack of confidence in their roles as executives. What hit me most was the lack of awareness of how in fact they had, through this transition, acquired a whole new set of skills and capabilities that were new talents vital to successful leadership.

JLS: What would you say the women most needed, and got, from maternity coaching, both during pregnancy and on return to work?

MC:
The time to be with other women – again, observing their interactions in the group coaching session, just an opportunity to share a common language and experience, was vital. What is needed both during pregnancy and on return to work is support, peer support to feel connected and part of a community.

JLS: What, in your view, do you think organisations stand to gain from paying attention to maternity and parenting in this way?

MC:
Top talent is scarce and although the economic climate is uncertain, there is still a need to capitalise on executive talent. What struck me about coaching to support women in this way is just how much the women felt valued and this had an impact on their decision to return.

JLS: What are the areas you think need further research in this field?

MC: There is an extensive body of research that looks at ways in which to develop careers, typically this has been influenced and driven by the experiences of male managers.

One aspect of developing talent is transitions, motherhood is a key transition in a woman’s life and the women in our study clearly had developed new competencies and talents, vital to leadership success, virtually overnight. Some longitudinal work would reveal just what talents are evoked by this transition, which is current overlooked, perhaps it is because it is nature and something that just happens!

JLS: Many thanks, Margaret, for these insightful comments.

Margaret has researched and published widely on emotional intelligence and coaching, she is author of The Emotional Intelligence Pocketbook and can be contacted at: mc@eicoaching.co.uk