Developing Effective Mentoring Programs

Ardavan A. Shahroodi

Northeastern University

HRM 6040---Performance Human Resource Systems and Development

Professor Elaine M. Walker

Friday July 26, 2013

Introduction

Effective mentoring programs are valuable organizational tools that provide support,

nurturing, direction and encouragement to mentees. Through discussions, goal setting,

observations and feedback mentors assist in the growth and development of mentees as

individuals and as colleagues. Simultaneously, mentors also enrich their personhood and careers

by helping others and developing their own leadership skills. Furthermore, organizations also

reap the benefits of maintaining effective mentoring programs that facilitate the improvement of

employee morale, productivity, diversity, retention and engagement rates in addition to other

factors/metrics that are indispensable in the workplace environment.

Definition

Mentoring is an extended relationship whereby knowledge and information are

transferred from a more seasoned/experienced member (mentor) to newly hired or less

experienced member/s (mentee/protégé) of an organization. The role of mentors in mentoring is

to show the mentees “the ropes and serve as sounding boards, cheerleaders, gurus and even

confidants” (Poe, 2002, para. 10). Mentoring may also be viewed as a “career development

method” (The Mentoring Program, 2008, p. 4) through which leaders are groomed and

developed and “succession planning” (Ibid) is implemented.

Effective organizational mentoring programs are created with the goal of enhancing the

positive image of “employer brand” (Lockwood, Mentoring Series Part I, 2004, para. 1),

increasing “employee loyalty…retention” (Ibid) and the “promotion/advancement of

underrepresented [and/or] talented individuals” (Ibid). Successful mentoring programs must also

assist new employees to familiarize themselves “to job and company culture more quickly” (The

Mentoring Program, 2008, p. 7) expediting their organizational and job/work related “learning

curve” (Ibid). In addition, it must be recognized that the collective effect of mentoring programs

must be to improve “organizational performance…employee productivity/morale/creativity” (p.

7). Furthermore, mentoring programs must develop for both mentors and mentees “a greater

sense of involvement in their company and career” (p. 7) simultaneously promoting an

“innovative work” (Ibid) atmosphere and creating a “cooperative, productive and service-

oriented environment” (Ibid).

Professor Bella Rose Ragins of University of Wisconsin Milwaukee argues that

“individuals who have mentors are more likely to have greater job satisfaction and career

satisfaction” (as cited in Hastings, 2007, para. 3). She contends that as much as it is beneficial

for all to experience a mentoring relationship “it’s even more important for people from non-

dominant groups who face barriers to advancement” (para. 3). Ragins also observes that

“mentoring is the chisel that breaks through the glass ceiling; it’s one of the most critical

passports for advancement and career and life satisfaction…mentors do more than help people

advance; they help them figure out how to survive in settings that may not be hospitable to them”

(para. 4).

A distinction must be made between coaching and mentoring. Coaching is usually

performed by a colleague or trainer and is geared towards “technical support focused on the

development of techniques that employees must know and practice, and it is often focused on

learning job-related skills” (Building the Leadership Pipeline, 2008, para. 5). The

responsibilities of a coach are similar to a “tutor” (para. 5) and the relationship is “more

structured…impartial…not such deep involvement…performance [oriented]…focused on

achieving specific goals” (para. 7). As an example coaching may be utilized “by a manager to

develop a direct report” (The Mentoring Program, 2008, p. 5). On the other hand, mentoring “is

the larger context of employee development and include the breadth of professional (technical

and non-technical) and personal skills needed for success” (Building the Leadership Pipeline,

2008, para. 6). A potential mentor is similar to a “counselor” (para. 6) offering “advice” (Ibid)

and “biased in the mentee’s favor” (para. 7) with “deep involvement…focus on mentee’s

potential and performance” (Ibid).

The Design of a Mentoring Program

Prior to launching a formal mentoring program it is imperative to embark on a number of

initial steps. First, The HR Department together with executive management and other leaders

must evaluate organizational “goals and needs” (Lockwood, Mentoring Series Part II, 2004, para.

5) and assess the areas where a mentoring program is intended to address such as employee

productivity, retention, engagement and morale or strengthening institutional diversity. The

purpose of this exercise is to concentrate the energy and direction of the mentoring program in

alignment with other organizational priorities. Second, a determination must be made regarding

the level of commitment, enthusiasm and support of the organization for possessing a “formal

mentoring program” (para. 5). This is of outmost importance since the implementation of a

formal mentoring program requires a significant dedication of organizational/personal time and

energy.

Next, HR must form a committee/team that in conjunction with the said department

operate/”coordinate” (para. 5) the mentoring program. The members of the mentoring

committee must be individuals who are known to “care about the growth and development of

others” (para. 5) and are skilled in “counseling, communicating with appropriate assertiveness,

negotiating and giving feedback” (Ibid). The committee in coordination with HR will

subsequently embark in the process of nominating and selecting potential mentors and mentees.

Here, one of the most crucial features of an effective mentoring program is the very voluntary

nature of the endeavor. In a sense, the level of commitment that defines a successful mentoring

relationship demands the selection of individuals who are enthusiastically willing and able to

apply such dedication to the mentoring process. In regards to mentors, “a genuine interest in

helping others (including…time commitment)” (Lockwood, Mentoring Series Part I, 2004, para.

8) must be exhibited in addition to “strong interpersonal skills…organizational knowledge…

resources inside and outside the organization…exemplary supervisory skills…technical

competence…power/charisma…patience…status/prestige…knowledge about the profession…

ability to share credit…emotional maturity…willingness to be responsible for someone else’s

growth and advancement” (para. 8).

Protégés/mentees may enter the mentoring program at “different stages of their career”

(para. 19) and may include “underrepresented demographic groups…new recruits…recent

grads…promising employees…interoffice/interdepartmental transferees…off-site employees…

employees working abroad” (Ibid) and indeed others within the organization that may feel the

need of receiving advice from a mentor in pursuit of developing their career. Most importantly,

protégés must be prepared to exude a “commitment to learning…active listening skills…

receptiveness to receiving feedback” (para. 20).

In relation to selecting mentees, it is essential that all members of the organization be

afforded an opportunity to participate in the formal mentoring program. As Professor Ragins

argues in choosing mentees “allow everyone but particularly encourage non-dominant group

members to participate…make sure you don’t close any doors you don’t have to close” (as cited

in Hastings, 2007, para. 17). This may result in a disproportionately high number of mentee

applicants and a lack of availability of a sufficient number of mentors in the program. There are

a number of solutions that may be utilized in order to rectify this mentor scarcity challenge.

First, the program may request that mentors work with more than one mentee at any given

period. Second, mentee candidates may be encouraged to seek out intra-organizational mentors

that are willing and able to engage in informal mentoring arrangements that will be sanctioned

by the HR department. Third, the creation of a non-biased mentee waiting list will gradually

facilitate the entering of candidates into the formal mentoring program (The emphasis on

avoiding bias is highlighted by Professor Ragins as cited in Hastings, 2007, para. 17). Fourth, on

the basis of organizational needs a specific time period of six months to a year may be allotted

for the duration of the formal mentoring arrangement allowing other candidates to also enter the

program in the future.

Once the corresponding pools of organizational mentors and mentees have been created,

both groups must be educated regarding “their respective roles” (Lockwood, Mentoring Series

Part II, 2004, para. 7). This is a most crucial stage whereby “time commitments, types of

activities…relationship with the protégé’s manager and reporting requirements” (para. 7) will be

established. As a critical ingredient of this stage of the process “a written drafted plan that the

mentor and protégé discuss and agree upon” (para. 7) must be drawn and adopted. With respect

to the confidentiality aspect of a mentoring relationship, agreement must reached in between the

mentor and the mentee concerning the parameters and “level” (Code of Ethics, 2008, p. 3) of

disclosure unless “there is convincing evidence of serious danger” (Ibid). Furthermore, both

mentors and mentees must always “act within applicable law and not encourage, assist or collude

with others engaged in conduct which is dishonest, unlawful, unprofessional or discriminatory”

(Code of Ethics, 2008, p. 3).

Pease (2009) recommend a number of behavioral paradigms in a meaningful mentoring

relationship. He argues that parties must understand “the mentoring model of learning requires

participation and shared activity by both parties” (para. 13) where “mentors model, share and

facilitate, while protégés observe, question and explore” (Ibid). Second, Pease contends that

“criticism needs to be positive…with specific examples…mentors must be sensitive to the other

person’s ego…self-confidence must be maintained for people to develop” (para. 18). Third,

Pease (2009) proposes that “the mentor should pose questions to uncover assumptions and then

offer options for the protégé to test his or her analytical and problem solving skills” (para. 19).

Fourth, in a mentoring relationship, “mentors should enter agreements with protégés because

they have the passion and desire to help someone develop and grow” (para. 23) and truly accept

that they must “be constantly assessing their own effectiveness and adjust efforts accordingly”

(para. 24). Pease (2009) also encourages mentors and mentees to “establish a follow-up plan and

discuss the plan at every session…modify the plan as necessary to take advantage of changes and

opportunities” (para. 22).

Once the mentoring program is fully functional, it is imperative that full exposure and

publicity is afforded to its existence so that “everyone knows it exists, how it works and why it’s

important” (DiFlorio, 2013, para. 6). The mentoring program must also be discussed at the

“recruitment and hiring process, (including interviews) and during new-hire orientation…

onboarding” (para. 6). In regards to measuring the effectiveness of the mentoring program,

surveys must be taken inquiring from the participants “to rate the degree to which mentoring

helped them, increase their commitment or helped solve problems or challenges” (para. 7).

These surveys must also include open-ended questions in order “to uncover exactly how the

program helped the new hires” (para. 7). Many other measures may also be evaluated comparing

“retention rates, performance evaluations and promotions” (para. 7) of those who “participate in

the mentoring program, vs. those that did not” (Ibid).

Conclusion

Effective mentoring programs provide significant dividends for organizations by helping

to enhance employee productivity, diversity, engagement and retention rates. Mentoring

programs also nurture and prepare future leaders and develop the careers of other organizational

actors. Furthermore, mentoring programs generate passion and enthusiasm for the mission,

vision and goals of the organization. Here, both mentees and mentors are enriched and elevated

through engagement, productive communication, caring and feed-back.

References

DiFlorio, L. (2013, May 1). How Do We Build Loyalty in New Employees? Workforce.

Retrieved July 21, 2013, from http://www.workforce.com/articles/how-do-we-build-

loyalty-innew-employees?v=preview

European Mentoring & Coaching Council (2008, December). Code of Ethics. Retrieved July

23, 2013, from http://www.emccouncil.org/src/ultimo/models/Download/4.pdf

Hastings, R. R. (2007, March 1). Mentoring Done Right. Society For Human Resource

Management. Retrieved July 21, 2013, from

http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/Diversity/Articles/Pages/CMS_020787.aspx

Lockwood, N. R. (2004, August 1). Mentoring Series Part I: The Value of Mentoring. Society

For Human Resource Management. Retrieved July 21, 2013, from

http://www.shrm.org/Research/Articles/Articles/Pages/Mentoring_20Series_20Part_20I_

20The_20Value_20of_20Mentoring.aspx

Lockwood, N. R. (2004, August 1). Mentoring Series Part II: Formal and Informal Mentoring.

Society For Human Resource Management. Retrieved July 21, 2013, from

http://www.shrm.org/Research/Articles/Articles/Pages/Mentoring_20Series-

20Part_20II_20Formal_20and_20Informal_20Mentoring.aspx

Pease, D. C. (2009, May 1). Make Mentoring Memorable. HR Magazine, Vol. 54 No. 5.

Society For Human Resource Management. Retrieved July 21, 2013, from

http://www.shrm.org/Publications/hrmagazine/EditorialContent/Pages/0509pease.aspx

Poe, A. C. (2002, February 1). Focus on Training & Development: Establish Positive,

Mentoring Relationships. HR Magazine, Vol. 47 No. 2. Society For Human Resource

Management. Retrieved July 22, 2013, from

http://www.shrm.org/publications/hrmagazine/editorialcontent/pages/0202poe-focus.aspx

Society For Human Resource Management (2008, October 1). Building the Leadership Pipeline

Through Mentoring. Retrieved July 21, 2013, from

http://www.shrm.org/Research/Articles/Articles/Pages/BuildingtheLeadershipPipeline.as

px

Society For Human Resource Management (2008). The Mentoring Program of [Company name]

Training for Employees. Retrieved July 21, 2013, from

http://www.shrm.org/TemplatesTools/Samples/PowerPoints/Pages/TheMentoringProgra

m.aspx