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Mentoring and African American Army Captain Success: A Case Study
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Relationships are vitally important in all aspects of life, and especially in the Army, when sometimes life or death decisions are required. Mentoring is a developmental relationship where experiences are shared between two people, one with greater experience and one with lesser experience, based on mutual trust and respect. The purpose of this qualitative explanatory case study was to explain mentoring and African American Army Captain
success. The impacts are well beyond the primary problem under investigation, of subpar promotion rates to Major for minority and female officers. A systemic problem spanning over the last 40+ years, and what may contribute to the diversity imbalance at senior Army officer levels, requires a holistic performance improvement strategy. Through conducting surveys, in-depth semi-structured interviews, and reviewing previous studies, the views of
African American Army Captains and Majors as mentees, and all Army Lieutenant Colonels and Colonels as mentors were gathered. The perspectives identified several themes requiring recognition before executing an Army mentoring strategy. One pattern that led to a theme was that mentoring occurs in the Army, but not through the
Army Mentoring Program, because few officers are registered, use, or know of the program. Those patterns were parallel to three other patterns that indicated: lost mentoring time for junior officers, only 1-5 mentee experiences in an Army career, and an ardent desire for mentoring relationships. Based on the research findings, patterns
identified, and themes developed, mentoring may have greater impact on African American Army Captain success and promotion potential when initiated at the onset of an officer’s career.
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This study is a collaborative investigation that melds traditional qualitative social scientific and contemporary autoethnographic methods to examine diversified mentoring relationships at a midsized midwestern state university (MMSU). The first author conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with MMSU faculty members and professional personnel who were members of underrepresented minority (URM) groups. A thematic analysis of the data, informed by the literature on developmental relationships and intergroup communication, reveals a number of problems with MMSU's formal mentoring program and intergroup communication climate. Moreover, the findings indicate that the quality of mentoring relationships affects protégés' cocultural communication practices. The second author, who is also a participant in the project, interjects her personal reflections about diversified mentoring relationships throughout the analysis. Together, the authors give voice to participants' suggestions to improve the quality of mentoring that occurs in MMSU's contact space and explore the implications of the findings for future research about diversified mentoring relationships. copy; 2013: Marcy Meyer, Kiesha Warren-Gordon, and Nova Southeastern University.
Due to the variations of design and protocol in qualitative inquiry, researchers may inadvertently create problems for themselves in terms of the trustworthiness of their research. Miscommunication between participants and researchers can especially arise from the unique and unpredictable nature of human dynamics. In this paper I contend that such problems, or traps, can easily and at times unknowingly be set during the qualitative process known as member checking, threatening the researcher/participant relationship and possibly the stability of the study. In this paper, I examine member checking through five vignettes personally experienced. These vignettes are preceded by a presentation of common procedures for increasing trustworthiness, and are followed by several recommendations for avoiding the setting and triggering of member checking traps.
This paper examines Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Theory and Learning Style Inventory, presents a summary of some research examining accounting students’ learning style preferences, and provides examples of activities to incorporate into the instructional environment that encourages learning through experience.
Mentoring relationships in psychology and other fields are often long-term, complex, and multifaceted. Although mentoring is associated with a host of benefits and positive outcomes for proteges, excellent mentoring requires careful attention to potential ethical concerns. In this article, we review mentoring literature from the education and management fields, as well as spiritual-direction literature, with attention to the traits and virtues of mentors. We argue for the relevance of mentor character virtues and propose that three central virtues (integrity, courage, and care) offer a solid starting point for theory and research relevant to the significance of mentor character. We conclude with a discussion of implications for training and research in psychology.
Diversity has become a top priority in corporate America. Despite corporations' best intentions, however, many have failed to achieve a racial mix at the top levels of management. Some have revolving doors for h talented minorities, recruiting the best and brightest, only to see them leave, frustrated by their experiences. Others are able to retain high-potential professionals of color but find them mired in middle management. To understand the different career trajectories of whites and minorities, David Thomas studied the progression of racial minorities at three large U.S. corporations. Here, he explains the three career stages that all professionals advance through, and he discusses why promising white professionals tend to enter fast tracks early in their careers, whereas high-potential minorities typically take off after they have reached middle management. Thomas's research shows that minorities who advance the furthest share one characteristic: a strong network of mentors and corporate sponsors. He found that minorities who plateaued in middle management received mentoring that was basically instructional; it helped them to develop skills. By contrast, minorities who became executives enjoyed fuller developmental relationships with their mentors. Thomas explains the types of support mentors provide for their proteges and outlines the challenges of mentoring across racial lines. Specifically, he addresses negative stereotypes, public scrutiny, difficulty with role modeling, and peer resentment. Finally, Thomas challenges the notion that the job of mentors begins and ends with their one-on-one relationships with their proteges. He offers concrete advice on how mentors can support broader initiatives at their organizations to create and enhance conditions that foster the upward mobility of professionals of color.
The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of mentorship programs on African American college student's mental health and various academic outcomes. This study utilizes quantitative and qualitative analyses to gain an in-depth perspective of student's experiences in and deterrents to mentorship programs. Participants included 183 Afričan American college students (36 in mentorship programs, 147 not in mentorship programs) enrolled at a large state university in Southern California. Results suggest mentorship and non-mentor ship students did not differ in their experiences with common student life events, social support, and well-being. Surprisingly, mentorship students had lower GPA'S than non-mentorship students. Though mentorship students reported lower CPA results of qualitative data elucidated five key areas in which African American students reported receiving assistance. Based on participant's experiences we have provided recommendations for the improvement of university mentoring programs.