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Marginal Mentoring: The Effects Of Type Of Mentor, Quality Of Relationship, And Program Design On Work And Career Attitudes
Abstract
Employing a national sample of 1,162 employees, we examined the relationship be-tween joh and career attitudes and the presence of a mentor, the mentor's type (formal or informal), the quality ofthe mentoring relationship, and the perceived effectiveness and design of a formal mentoring program. Satisfaction with a mentoring relationship had a stronger impact on attitudes than the presence of a mentor, whether the rela-tionship was formal or informal, or the design of a formal mentoring program. Mentoring has been the focus of much research and discussion over the past decade. Comparisons of nonmentored and mentored individuals yield consistent results: compared to nonmentored indi-viduals, individuals with informal mentors report greater career satisfaction (Fagenson, 1989), career commitment (Colarelli & Bishop, 1990), and career mobility (Scandura, 1992). Informal proteges also report more positive job attitudes than nonmen-tored individuals (cf.. Many organizations have attempted to replicate the benefits of informal mentoring by developing formal mentoring programs (Burke & McKeen, 1989). Formal mentoring relationships develop with organizational assistance or intervention, which is usually in the form of matching mentors and proteges. A third of the nation's major compa-nies apparently have formal mentoring programs (Bragg, 1989), and formal mentoring has been iden-tified as an emerging trend in the new millennium (Tyler, 1998). Three questions come to mind when viewing these emerging trends. First, are all mentoring re-lationships created equal? Existing studies imply this assumption by comparing mentored and non-This study was supported by a 1991 grant from the Women's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor. We would like to thank the editor and the three anonymous reviewers for their excellent feedback and help with our manuscript: this was reviewing at its best.
Workplace well-being is an important component of good organizations. But workplace well-being does not happen in a vacuum—it takes leadership. The stage for success is set when leaders and followers participate in self-development that leads to self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses. Knowledge of the self allows for positive relationships among coworkers, which allows for the creation of workplace well-being. When there is workplace well-being, there is a greater likelihood for success in job outcomes such as improved job performance and lower turnover. To examine the relationship between leadership, self-awareness, workplace well-being and job outcomes, we will define each of these main concepts and place them in a model that connects them with related ideas such as self-development and resilience.
Mentoring literature is skewed towards positive experiences, and we have limited knowledge about negative mentoring experiences (NMEs) and the value such experiences bring to protégés. Hence, scholars have sought more research on the case of NMEs including their outcomes for protégés.
This qualitative study, conducted with 12 protégés in India, bridges the above gaps and makes significant contributions. First, it pioneers in informing us about the strategies adopted by protégés in handling NMEs and extends the literature by discovering relational outcomes from NMEs for protégés. Second, it suggests a new expanded model of mentoring, with dimensions beyond the classical phases of mentorship postulated by Kram (1985 , Mentoring at Work: Developmental Relationships in Organisational Life). Third, it extends the NME literature beyond the Western models and introduces Indian values in handling NMEs. This article suggests avenues for further research on the new models of mentoring and the applicability of Indian management principles in mentorship practice.
This research challenges assumptions about the career support and respect provided in mentoring programs and the role of gender in these relationships. Our set of dyadic field studies found that mentors showed less interest in their protégés’ careers, provided less career guidance, experienced less respect, and were less satisfied with their relationship when they believed their protégé had low advancement potential. Protégés also experienced less respect in their relationship when their mentor perceived them as lacking potential. While mentors saw female and male protégés as having equivalent advancement potential, female protégés were seen as having less potential and experienced less respect when assigned a male rather than a female mentor. Compared to their female counterparts, male mentors felt more respected in their relationship when they believed their assigned protégé had high potential. These findings offer a realistic appraisal of the price and promise of formal mentoring relationships.
Engaging in undergraduate research experiences is known to have broad and positive impacts on college students. Despite the benefits, achieving faculty buy-in and support can be challenging even when faculty have strong research funding. In order to understand how to better support undergraduate research programs, we applied quantitative models to explore how the impact of research funding is mediated by faculty beliefs about undergraduate research mentoring in STEM disciplines. The results indicate that faculty characteristics and beliefs about the benefits and barriers of mentoring undergraduate students in research impact the number of students mentored even when accounting for research funding levels of the individual faculty. Practical recommendations are presented based on the models from this research project in order to provide insight into how centers or units on a campus may work with faculty to support and encourage mentoring of undergraduates in research in the biomedical sciences.
Background
Mentoring plays a pivotal role in mentees’ professional advancement. However, the factors that affect career progression in informal mentoring relationships, especially with respect to faculty members, have not been extensively explored. This study aimed to explore the factors that affect career progression in informal faculty mentorings within mentor and mentee relationships.
Methodology
A Qualitative Exploratory Study was designed and conducted from May to October 2023. Faculty members with informal mentoring relationships were recruited through purposive sampling. Seven faculty mentors and eight faculty mentees from various institutions participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, which were audio-recorded and verbatim transcribed. The transcripts were then analysed using NVivo Software and coded. Braun and Clark’s framework was used for the thematic analysis. The study adhered to the COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research) checklist to ensure comprehensive and transparent reporting of the qualitative research process.
Results
A total of 76 codes emerged which were classified into six themes: (1) an ideal mentee, (2) an ideal mentor, (3) factors promoting the relationship, (4) the role of gender, (5) factors deteriorating the relationship, (6) overcoming barriers / trust-building strategies. Within each theme, mentor–mentee needs and behaviours were identified, which could lead to positive or deteriorating outcomes.
Conclusion
Factors affecting career progression in informal faculty mentoring sessions include mentees' positive mindset, internal motivation and clarity of vision, mentors' skills, reputation, and role modelling. Effective communication, trust, respect, and clear goals are also essential. Challenges, such as busy schedules, cross-gender mentoring, and societal biases, affect these relationships. Overcoming these barriers involves sharing experiences, psychosocial support, empathy, active listening, and feedback.
This conceptual review explores the full potential of mentoring
for diversity initiatives. Using a positive relationships lens, I
describe how focusing on average relationships obscures the
benefits of high-quality mentoring and how traditional views of
mentoring as hierarchical, one-way relationships limit our understanding of its role in advancing social justice.
Addressing these limitations, I extend relational mentoring and diversified mentoring theories to introduce the Triple A Model of Social Justice Mentoring. This model holds that the effects of high quality mentoring extend beyond the relationship to influence
social justice outcomes. Both members can learn about diversity
and experience relational dynamics that foster allyship,
agentic empowerment and authentic identities. Implications for
formal mentoring, diverse friendships, mentoring episodes and
high-quality connections are discussed.
The concept of mentoring was introduced in February, 2010 at a training conference for all SETs in the Batinah South Region. In the study, it was shown that SETs have a limited understanding of mentoring due to the lack of knowledge they have of the process. This has been inferred from the limited definitions of the process the participants presented and from the few examples given by the SETs on the requisite skills and the kinds of support needed for the teachers. None of the participants mentioned the concepts of professional and personal development or professional and personal support. Moreover, none of the participants mentioned professional and personal development as the main purpose of their mentoring work, but they did mention examples that lead to either development. Participant F mentioned professional development when she said, "as you know. .. peer observation is part of the professional development of the teacher." Furthermore, most of the participants' responses are attributed to either the experience they gained from working as SETs or from their knowledge of the duties they are expected to perform as SETs, especially in their descriptions of how to conduct PLDs, which was found to be the same with the both groups.
The personality configuration of mentors and mentees is important in understanding mentoring outcomes. While the best mentors appear to have higher degrees of agreeableness and conscientiousness, entrepreneurs generally score lower on agreeableness and have higher degrees of narcissism, a personality trait that could be detrimental to mentoring. We investigated the interaction of narcissism with two traits from the Big Five Inventory, namely agreeableness and conscientiousness, to see how this interaction influenced learning from the relationship of mentee entrepreneurs. Our findings suggest that mentee narcissism negatively influences learning, and mentor agreeableness mitigates the negative effects on mentee learning. These findings show certain beneficial personality configurations in entrepreneurial mentoring and provide elements to consider in managerial practice when pairing mentors and mentees in this context.
Direct support professionals (DSPs) and frontline supervisors (FLSs) have critical roles in home and community-based services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Recruitment and retention issues have plagued the workforce in long-term supports and services and were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from the fourth Direct Support Workforce COVID-19 Survey provided national DSP and FLS perspectives on factors contributing to turnover and retention challenges and their effects on the workforce and people supported. Participants identified obstacles with recruitment and retention, workplace outcomes related to turnover, and negative impacts on the supports and services people with IDD rely on to live and work in their communities. Policy and practice recommendations to address the workforce crisis are provided.
This study examines instances of negative mentoring among undergraduate researchers within STEM education, and specifically, the common yet subtle issue of inadequate mentoring characterized by a faculty mentor's failure to provide their mentee with adequate research, educational, career‐related, or emotional support. Using data from the Mentor‐Relate survey of 514 participants in the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, we identify prevalent patterns of inadequate mentoring and examine protective factors against it. Results indicate that inadequate research support is the least prevalent form, while inadequate educational and career guidance is more common, and inadequate emotional support is the most prevalent. Enhanced faculty mentoring skills emerge as a protective factor, with culturally responsive mentoring and gender concordance also playing significant protective roles. Less hierarchical mentoring structures, such as multiple faculty mentors, offer better emotional support. These findings underscore the importance of comprehensive mentor training and culturally sensitive practices to mitigate inadequate mentoring in undergraduate research experiences. By promoting inclusive and supportive mentoring environments, institutions can maximize the transformative potential of undergraduate research experiences for all participants.
Using a sample of 119 registered nurses from a large urban hospital, this longitudinal study investigated the nomological network of career commitment by: (a) determining if a distinct measure of career commitment could be operationalized, and (b) examining whether such a measure showed a different relationship to withdrawal cognition scales than measures of other work commitment concepts. The study also tested the importance of situational and individual difference variables in predicting career commitment.
Reports a survey of 30 UK mentoring scheme organizers by
questionnaire, concerning how long schemes had been established, mentor
roles, reasons for schemes being introduced, how mentors are selected,
how mentors and prot\?\g\?\s are matched, and about various aspects of
other formal features of the schemes, including confidentiality, mentor
development, rewards for mentors, mentor training, fixed periods for
mentoring, the use of learning contracts, seniority of managers,
mentor/prot\?\g\?\ ratios, the evaluation of mentors and schemes,
organizational benefits, strengths and weaknesses of schemes and
mentoring policies. Proposes a new agenda for those involved in such
schemes and for further research.
The process used by Douglas Aircraft in implementing their mentoring program identified the following success factors: (1) identify high-performance employees; (2) introduce them to the mentoring process; (3) match high performers with executives; and (4) have the mentor and mentoree determine goals for the relationship. (JOW)
Mentoring is being increasingly used by companies as a means of fostering employee learning and development. Limited research exists from the perspective of the mentor on these relationships. Using interview data from 27 mentors (aged 26–62 yrs) from 5 different organizations, this article presents the results of a qualitative study that investigated the characteristics that the ideal mentor should possess and ways that both mentors and protégés can make mentoring relationships most effective. Findings from the study are used to frame suggestions for future research and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Mentoring programs have been advocated for a variety of higher educational settings, including medical education. Reviewing the literature suggests that consensus is lacking on definitions of mentoring, resulting in difficulties with evaluation of mentoring programs. This article describes a systematic approach to designing a mentoring program for medical students that addresses questions of goals, mentor functions, mentor selection, preparation and matching to protgs, and evaluation of mentoring programs. Student participation in all phases of program design and implementation is emphasized.
Is a mentor program in your future? Sales and Marketing Management
- A Bragg
Bragg, A. 1989. Is a mentor program in your future? Sales and Marketing Management, 141(September):