Building an Ethical Framework in the Volleyball Team Environment

by Darlene A. Kluka, Ph. D., D Phil, Barry University, Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences and
JGU van Wyk, Ph. D., University of Pretoria, South Africa, Department of Biokinetics, Sport and Leisure Sciences

originally published in Coaching Volleyball Magazine

Codes of Behavior of USA Volleyball as well as the Coaching Code of Ethics of the United States Olympic Committee mandate the need for professionals in coaching who will consistently maintain and improve professional knowledge and competence, striving for professional excellence through regular assessment of personal and professional strengths and limitations and through continuing education. Although coaching is not an officially registered profession in the United States, the need for standards in coaching is universally accepted (ICCE, 2007; NASPE, 2009). Through regular self assessment of strengths, limitations, effectiveness and efficiency, coaches can build an ethical and professional coaching framework in the volleyball team environment. Maintaining, improving and demonstrating professional excellence through two means, self-assessment and continuing education, are paramount to successful coaching and positive athlete experiences.

The Need for Self-Evaluation
The discussion about the purpose of self-evaluation begins with asking what might happen if a coach does not go through the process of assessing and evaluating strengths and limitations. Frequently a lack of self-awareness and self-knowledge results in violations of ethical boundaries. The vulnerability to ethical violations can be successfully addressed by knowing personal strengths and limitations. Then coaches can choose personal growth and improvement resources. It also allows choice of continuing education that supports strengths and addresses limitations.

Meeting Individual Needs
Everyone has needs and vulnerabilities, whether they are related to current life events or to past history. Whether coaches are aware of these needs and vulnerabilities or not, they affect daily life, behavior, decision making, and interactions with others. If coaches are self-aware, they can be intentional about where, how, and with whom needs are met and vulnerabilities are addressed. If coaches are unaware, it is possible that they may look for these needs and vulnerabilities to be taken care of at inappropriate times and in inappropriate ways. Specially, if coaches knowingly (or unknowingly) use relationships with team members to satisfy personal needs, coaches will certainly overstep ethical boundaries.

Personal Strengths and Limitations
There are personal strengths that will support a health relationship with team members. These include characteristics such as genuine liking for people, the ability to actively listen, reliability and trustworthiness. Being confident and well-grounded in who one is and what one can do, without being arrogant, allows the opportunity for relationship building. Knowing personal strengths boosts confidence in abilities to effectively relate to team members in a way that will be growth-producing to all. It also helps to identify the gifts one has to offer coaching and the professional coaching organizations in which coaches participate.

Professional Strengths and Limitations
Assessing professional strengths and limitations allows coaches to know where their best skills are as field-based professionals. This helps the identification of specialty areas in which coaches might want to focus within the team organization. This assessment will also identify areas of limitations. Coaching through limitations rather than strengths opens coaches up to not only the possibility of ethical violations, but also to the possibility that they will harm rather than enhance the team. If limitations are known, how to adjust management accordingly becomes available. Coaches will also know where to focus continuing education to help eliminate limitations and turn them into strengths.

Types of Personal Vulnerabilities
Personal neediness can make a coach vulnerable to ethical violations. There are some danger sign and symptoms of vulnerability that are important to identify. These include burnout, insecurity, need for control, personal life crisis, stress, limited social/sexual outlets, and unexamined personal fears or desires.

     • Burnout
Burnout is common in all coaches. It is a state of exhaustion and disinterest, usually arising from overwork or too much stress. This frequently happens with field-based professional who feel compelled to make the team the total focus of life, working days, evenings, and weekends. This does not leave much time for any kind of life beyond work. The result can easily be a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion, often accompanied by apathy about the team and team members. This is implies no energy left and, in this, state, the need is greater than the investment. The danger is that the coach looks to the team to help fill the gaps.

     • Insecurity
Insecurity can be a general state of mind that spills over into team management. It may come from long-standing low self-esteem or recent life experiences. There may be some insecurity about abilities and lack of confidence in what the coach is able to do well. Insecurity may cause an inappropriate crossing of professional boundaries and looking to team members for validation of skills and affirmation of personal or professional worth.

     • Need for control
Some people, for whatever reason, have a desire or need for control. Perhaps it makes them feel safer, more secure and more confident. Demanding control or power over team members can result in actions that team members can interpret as a lack of respect.

     • Personal life crisis
A personal life crisis can leave anyone needing comfort, support and reassurance. It is important to get these needs met. Being aware of these needs allows the coach to get them met outside of the team environment and without the involvement of the team, thereby avoiding the potential for boundary violations.

     • Stress
Stress wears the body down physically, mentally and emotionally. As with burnout, stress leaves a need to receive more than give. It can also distract, causing less than optimal service and attention to the team. Feeling stressed out, exhausted or apathetic can lead to a disregard for team members. An indifferent attitude leaves the coach open to using and abusing team members, even unintentionally. All of this places the coach invulnerable and needy positions.

     • Limited social/sexual outlets
Human beings need social contact, the support of family and friends, and appropriate sexual intimacy. If the coach has limited social and/or sexual outlets, is not aware of this need, and does not provide for it in life, there is a danger of violating professional boundaries. Seeking social and/or sexual fulfillment from team members is a violation of ethical boundaries.

     • Unexamined personal fears and desires
Unrecognized and unexamined personal fears, desires and longing may lead the coach into ethical boundary violations. The fear may be of failure, of trying something new, or making a mistake or even a fear of success. It may be a desire to be important and successful. The longing may be for validation or just to be noticed and appreciated. Self-awareness allows the coach to know and understand these things. Then the coach can hold them in a place where they cannot interfere with the ethics of relationships with team members.

     • Professional strengths and limitations: Identifying professional skills
Assessing and evaluating professional strengths and limitations allows the coach to identify the best and most effective skills, the ones needed to improve and others that can be learned. Identifying the professional strengths lets the coach see how to best serve team members and how to market the team and self to the community. Knowing professional limitations allows the coach to seek relevant opportunities to learn and grow. This will benefit the coach, both professionally and personally.

     • Best professional skills
There are several ways to assess the best and most effective skills. One way is to look over notes to see what has worked best. What techniques have been most beneficial to team members? What drills have had the best results? With what conditions and presentation of challenges have been successful? If the coach knows what skills (s)he is known for, these can also be highlighted. Has the coach gained a reputation among the team as particularly effective in some area or with some condition?

     • Professional skills to improve
Looking over notes and reviewing team files can provide useful information about what skills need improving. Perhaps there were team members with whom the coach was not particularly successful. Is there something that can be learned that would allow the coach to better serve similar team members in the future? Reading professional journals and continuing education advertisements that cross the desk can help keep the coach up-to-date on what is going on in coaching and performance enhancement. Sometimes research and experience will give rise to new and improved versions of existing techniques and coaching strategies. One way to improve skills is to take advantage of opportunities to learn new things about what is already done. Another way to improve skills is to simply go to the AVCA Convention. Just because the coach knows something does not mean that the coach knows everything. If the coach attends the convention, seminars, and/or clinics, something different would be learned. It is easy to get into a rut, doing the same thing the same way. Hearing perspectives of others or watching how they do things is a good way to refresh skills and keep sharp.

     • New professional skills to learn
Perhaps the coach realizes that (s)he is not effective with a certain technique or situation. Learning a new technique or approach could serve as an opportunity to turn a limitation into a strength that will improve effectiveness for working with the team.

The charts below can be used by the coach and team members to evaluate the coach's professional skills.

The result should be a much clearer picture of who the coach is and how the coach can best serve team members, the community and the profession. From this, the coach can develop a plan of action that will permit the continuation to reach and even surpass, both personal professional potential.

References...

International Council of Coach Education (ICCE). (2007) Code of Ethics. Retrieved June 4, 2009 from www.icce.org.

NASPE. (2008). Coaching standards. Retrieved June 4, 2009 from www.aahperd.org.

Taylor, K. (1995). The ethics of caring. Santa Cruz, CA: Hanford Mead.

United States Olympic Committee (USOC). (2006). Code of Ethics. Retrieved June 4, 2009 from www.usoc.org.

USA Volleyball (USAV). Codes of Behavior. Retrieved June 4, 2009 from www.usav.org.