Associate Professor Paul Stokes PhD
Associate Professor of Coaching & Mentoring
Summary
My main area of academic specialism is coaching & mentoring theory and practice. I designed and co-founded one of the first Masters courses in the UK in 2002, which is accredited by the European Mentoring & Coaching Council, which he leads and delivers on today. I am also very active in terms of external & professional engagement on behalf of the University and am currently the Business & Enterprise Portfolio Lead for the Department Of Management in Sheffield Business School. In addition, I am an active researcher and research supervisor, currently supervising 3 DBA students and 2 PhD students.
About
I am currently Associate Professor of Coaching & Mentoring and a Master Practitioner with the European Mentoring & Coaching Council. For the last 25 years, I have worked with many different organisations and their leadership teams on the development of their staff using a range of group and team based interventions including action learning, open space methodologies and appreciative inquiry. I am also an experienced researcher and, using action research methodologies, have developed impactful interventions within organisations on creating a culture, organisational learning and organisational design.
As a coach and mentor, I have worked with a range of individual coachees and mentees, as well as teams, from the public, private and third sectors and with first line managers up to senior executives. As a teacher and people developer, I was instrumental in setting up one of the first Masters courses in Coaching & Mentoring in 2002. I have worked on numerous leadership development programmes with clients such as Diageo, BP, Health Education England, Norgren, Sheffield City Council, South Yorkshire Police, Barnsley Hospital, Sheffield University and Robert McBride Ltd. I am also an experienced supervisor of coaches and mentors, with both individual and team supervisees. I have co-written two best selling books on coaching & mentoring: Mentoring in Action (Kogan Page) and Coaching & Mentoring Theory & Practice (Sage) as well as several book chapters and journal articles.
Teaching expertise
- Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management
Research
- Action Research
- Coaching & Mentoring
- Leadership Development
Industry Links
- Action Learning Set Facilitation
- European Mentoring & Coaching Council
Teaching
Sheffield Business School, Business, Technology and Enterprise
Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management
MSc Coaching & Mentoring, MSc HR & OD, BA in Business Studies, BA in Business & HR
Coaching & Mentoring Skills, Coaching & Mentoring Psychology, Coaching & Mentoring Leadership & Change, Coaching & Mentoring Supervision, Team Coaching & Facilitation, Research Methods, Organisational Leadership
Research
Reciprocal mentoring, the sociology of coaching, autoethnography
Book on Reciprocal Mentoring, Global Conference on Coaching Ethics Working Group, Member of the Researcher Concordat Operations Group for the University
Publications
Key Publications
Garvey, R., Stokes, P., & Megginson, D. (2017). Coaching and Mentoring Theory and Practice. Sage Publications Limited.
Journal articles
Dennison, M., Stokes, P., & Sullivan, P. (2021). Smorgasbords, Cracked Pots and Potholes: The Role of Chronotopes in Shaping Coaching Conversations. Philosophy of Coaching: An International Journal, 6 (1), 30-51. http://doi.org/10.22316/poc/06.1.03
Bull, M., & Stokes, P. (2020). Creating a coaching culture through reflective practice to reduce organisational blame culture. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching, 12 (1). https://www.emccglobal.org/journal/journal_library/
Stokes, P., Fatien Diochon, P., & Otter, K. (2020). "Two sides of the same coin"? Coaching and mentoring and the agentic role of context. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. http://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14316
Fatien Dichon, P., Otter, K., Stokes, P., & Van Hove, L. (2019). Let’s sculpt it! Experiencing the role of context in coaching. Management teaching review. http://doi.org/10.1177/2379298119833692
Stokes, P. (2003). Exploring the relationship between mentoring and counselling. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 31 (1), 25-38. http://doi.org/10.1080/0306988031000086143
Conference papers
Stokes, P., & Merrick, L. (2018). Do Coaches Get Coached. European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) Conference. https://www.emccouncil.org/conference/24th-annual-mentoring-coaching-and-supervision-conference/
Book chapters
Merrick, L., & Stokes, P. (2021). Supervision in Mentoring Programmes. In Tatiana, B., Jackson, P., & Clutterbuck, D. (Eds.) Coaching and Mentoring Supervision: Theory and Practice. McGraw Hill Open University Press: https://www.mheducation.co.uk/coaching-and-mentoring-supervision-theory-and-practice-2e-9780335249534-emea-group
Stokes, P. (2017). From Principles to Practice: practitioners reflection. In Values and Ethics in Coaching.
Stokes, P., & Merrick, L. (2012). Designing Mentoring Schemes for Organizations. In The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of the Psychology of Coaching and Mentoring. (pp. 195-216). http://doi.org/10.1002/9781118326459.ch11
Stokes, P. (2011). Supervision in Mentoring Programmes. In Bachkirova, T., Jackson, P., & Clutterbuck, D. (Eds.) Perspectives on supervision for coaching and mentoring.
Stokes, P. (2010). E-Development in Coaching & Mentoring. In Hussain, Z., & Clutterbuck, D. (Eds.) Virtual Coach, Virtual Mentor.
Megginson, D., & Stokes, P. (2003). Mentoring for export success. In HRD in Small Organisations: Research and Practice. (pp. 265-284). http://doi.org/10.4324/9780203643273
Books
Stokes, P. (2014). Coaching and Mentoring: Theory & Practice. (2). London: Sage Publications.
Theses / Dissertations
Stansfield Evans, L.M. (2020). A Positive Psychology Coaching Programme to Develop Police Executives: A Realist Approach. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Stokes, P. http://doi.org/10.7190/shu-thesis-00278
Stokes, P. (2015). The skilled coachee: An alternative discourse on coach. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Coule, T.
Presentations
Stokes, P. (2018). Ethical Dilemmas in Action Research.
Patmore, B., & Stokes, P. (2013). What is the impact on service users of developing a coaching culture for health service managers?
Stokes, P. (2013). Coaching & Deliberate Action.
Stokes, P. (2012). Organisational Mentoring.
Stokes, P. (2012). To What Extent Will the Development of a Mentoring and Coaching Culture Improve Staff Engagement, Motivation and Team Effectiveness.
Stokes, P. (2011). The Coach's Ego.
Stokes, P. (2010). Intimacy in Coaching & Mentoring.
Other activities
I am currently Master Practitioner in coaching & mentoring with the EMCC. I am also part of a working group delivering a international virtual conference on ethics & coaching in Jan 2022.
Postgraduate supervision
Currently supervising 3 DBA students and 2 PhD students. Topics include servant leadership & organisational culture, spirituality in the workplace, cluster leadership & culture, leader as coach, narrative approaches to coaches and their performance.