Exploring the potential for coaching as an approach to support Zambian women leaders: a focus on socio-cultural barriers

The complexity of “customary cultural traditions” that characterise African women’s family obligations in addition to their work roles creates potential challenges for supporting leadership development, (Nkomo and Ngambi, 2009, p.215). Organisations in the West have embraced coaching as an approach that can facilitate women to progress to senior executive leadership roles. Current coaching studies on women’s executive leaders are marginally increasing and focused on understanding how women can navigate glass ceiling barriers and progress to senior executive levels. By comparison, in non-Western regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa, coaching has been introduced but reflects an uneven stage of development and application. There is a perception that African women encounter significant challenges due to influences within the societal environment that impede leadership progression, yet there is limited insight as to how such influences may or may not contribute to navigating glass ceiling barriers in sub-Saharan Africa. In an underdeveloped coaching environment, such contextual perspectives could provide deeper insight into coaching women executive leaders in the region. This study critically appraises coaching literature, including insights from non-Western environments, highlighting the importance of personal experiences and narrative in appreciating socio-cultural factors affecting women leaders in Zambia. A contextual focus is taken to explore the potential role of coaching to support women leaders in Zambia, one of 48 countries in the sub-Saharan region. Country reports on Zambia highlight that women continue to be poorly represented in senior leadership positions. With less than a decade to meet the SDG Agenda 2030 goal on gender equality, more innovative approaches are needed to accelerate women into leadership roles. This research creates a unique opportunity to gain deeper insight into women’s leadership experiences and to explore if and how coaching can play a role in accelerating women leaders. Zambian women (18) in senior executive leadership roles share their leadership stories. An indigenous research approach is applied, and data collection methods include storytelling and focus sharing groups. Particular consideration is given to understanding the challenges women leaders face within their societal environment, as well as acknowledging the pertinent leadership barriers experienced in the workplace. Key findings reveal the prominence of women’s roles in the wider community and the study concludes that individual and collective coaching should be considered when supporting women leaders in Zambia. Socio-cultural influences that supported or hindered the women’s leadership progression are identified as: respect (obeisance), religion, marriage rites and gender socialisation, spirituality, education; and the importance of relevant stakeholders in the wider community, such as parents and elders, in overcoming self-limiting beliefs concerned with non-conformity and fear of failure. The study proposes that approaches modelled on principles of narrative, integral and systemic coaching could be a powerful basis on which coaches can develop coaching philosophies; and that the use of narrative through personal leadership stories, to recognise how and when socio-cultural factors can be an anchor and when they act as a barrier, is important in facilitating the coachee. The main contributions acknowledge that addressing these socio-cultural factors requires a more systemic and holistic approach that takes into consideration the wider influences within the societal environment and the proposal of a collective coaching practice framework underpinned by narrative, integral and systemic coaching principles. The strengths of this framework are in its flexibility to work with individual and collective perspectives and leadership narratives, as well as recognising the implications of wider stakeholders in the societal environment. Keywords: Women leaders, Socio-cultural barriers, Indigenous methodology, non-Western environmen