Coach Hoax continues in municipalities and unions – Aftonbladet

The latest trend in leadership and management development seems to be communicology. In direct translation, it means “the science of what is common”, a kind of summary of everything we know about human and organizational development.

Swedish municipalities have paid tens of millions of courses in just communicology. It told Swedish Radio Science editorial yesterday.

In addition, the Union – the largest union of private sector employees – has invested million of members’ money to let almost all the union’s 900 employees take courses in communicology.

pseudoscience

The problem is that researchers such as psychologist Mattias Lundberg Vetenskapsradion spoken to, call the whole thing for pseudoscience. Scam could be a different word. The method’s supporters think, for his part, requiring no independent evaluation. Course participants’ opinion is enough.

The only thing that seems quite certain is that communicology become a trademark for leadership training.

Participants talk about exercises that expired on on all fours to crawl really slowly through a room. It does not sound scientific.

Norrköping is one of the municipalities that bought courses in communicology, four million. Just what the courses passed at the managers, however, difficult to answer. Maybe the employees have become better at communicating.

Almost all be procured

In other contexts, the requirements for documentation and references become increasingly stringent, particularly in the public sector. Everything from pencils to the government plan will be procured, and obviously it must be documented.

But when it comes to leadership and coaching applies apparently none of this.

The good memories will recall when the labor market policy would be about for seven, eight years ago. The then Labour Minister Sven Otto Littorin expect much from coaches, and most of those were private.

The Employment Service signed the contract for dear life, and could suddenly unemployed turn to experts on hypnosis, healing or “liberating painting” for To get help with their job search.

Crystals and laying on of hands instead of employment training or work experience.

When it comes down to it, perhaps we should not be surprised when the union ombudsmen or municipal planning officials slowly creeping across the floor.