¶ … Mentoring Process in a Business Setting
In most professions, the first years in a new position are fraught with uncertainties and problems. The need for supporting teachers and people in other professions was cited as far back as the Conant Report (1963). During the next twenty years, many attempts were make to put effective mentoring programming in place throughout the business world. This study will address the level of mentoring which exists in different professions, specifically, education, medicine, and law.
As early as 1962, induction programs that provided assistance to beginning teachers were being described (Shaplin, 1962). Mentoring in a business setting is described as being very desirable and conducive to interaction among the protege' and the established workers (Young & Adams, 2000). Medicine has long had a system of mentoring in place which is called residency. Whether nor not the condition of this process is optimal depends upon to whom you speak. Senior staff doctors would probably say yes; an intern who has not slept in 30 hours might not agree with them.
Various researchers have addressed the selection of mentors. Gray (1989) stressed that criteria for selection must be fair, attainable, and known. Carr and Dunne (1991) found that mentors who volunteered to participate in a one year induction program were more effective and committed to success. Manthei (1992) also support self-selection for mentors.
Bova and Phillips (1981) compiled the following list of characteristics inherent in any mentor-protege relationship:
Mentor-protege relationships grow out of voluntary interactions.
The mentor-protege relationship has a life-cycle: introduction, mutual
Trust building, teaching of risk taking, communication, and professional skills.
People become mentors to pass down information to the next generation.
Mentors encourage proteges in setting and attaining short - and long-term goals.
Mentors guide technically and professionally.
Mentors teach proteges skills necessary to survive daily experiences and promote career-scope professional development.
Mentors protect proteges from major mistakes by limiting exposure to responsibility.
Mentors provide opportunities for proteges to observe and participate in their work.
Mentors are role models.
Mentors sponsor proteges organizationally.
Mager (1989) concluded that literature on mentoring frequently lacked guidelines for the act of mentoring. He stated, "... understanding more about the mentors and the work of mentoring as they perform it will, perhaps, build a better tactic for addressing the decades-old dilemma of the first year on any job." (p.16). For this reason he advocated that mentor should be willing to help create the act of mentoring and should be able to deal with the ambiguities of their roles. Barnett, Kirkpatrick & Little (1986) found that "... The mentor relationship is a difficult one, but one worth the undertaking. The difficulty lies in the identification of a role - mentor - for which there is little precedent in schools or businesses." (p.8).
Purpose of the study
The purpose of this study were to: (a) identify the over-all feelings about mentoring from a selected group of teachers, medical personnel, and legal personnel and (b) to identify the types of assistance which are perceived by the mentors to be most beneficial in supporting and retaining new employees.
Summary
Hulig-Austin (1989) states that in spite of increased efforts to support beginners in the three professions to be investigated, overall the assimilation of new people into the teaching, legal, and medical professions has changed very little. Therefore, she identifies informing administrators at the local level of the potential benefits of mentoring as being one of the greatest needs in the field of mentoring.
This descriptive research study was conducted at the local level using volunteers from the educational, medical, and legal fields. The result will be used to evaluate and refine mentor programs which are already in place and to provide a foundation upon which to build new ones.
CHAPTER II
Review of the Literature
The following questions framed this review of related literature: (a) What does "mentor" mean? (b) What defines the mentoring process? - What are the needs of any new staff member? And (d) What are the roles and responsibilities of the mentors?
The areas of the literature review include: (a) History of Mentoring, (b) Defining the process of mentoring, and - What are the needs of beginning employees?
History of Mentoring
The origin of the term mentor is found in Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey (Fitgerald, 1961). As he prepared to fight the Trojan War, Odysseus entrusted the care and education of his son, Telemachus, to his loyal friend, Mentor. This education included every facet of Telemachus's life since one of Mentor's goals was to lead Telemachus using his own life experiences as a guide. (Odell, 1990a). Anderson and Shannon (1988) conclude from the Odyssey that modeling a standard and style of behavior is...
The Middle East, even in areas with relatively secular governments, have a strong Islamic tradition with specific strictures upon what is considered the 'correct' behavior for women, and every woman from outside the culture must decide how much she wishes to accommodate those demands. Some Western businesswomen may agree to cover their heads out of modesty during business meetings in areas where Islam plays a significant role in governance;
Training and Development Background of the Organization Customer support is the heart and soul of any business. Excellent customer support helps the business to retain the business of old customers, and gain the business of new customers through word of mouth. Offering excellent customer service is the key to business growth and stability. In the area of customer support the importance of training and development cannot be overemphasized. Customer support is directly
Mr. Masoni is now being prepared for his first trip to the United Kingdom and, as part of this preparation, he has been signed up for a course in business English. The first step in devising the course is that of conducting a language analysis through the following lenses: Job analysis The needs in terms of outcomes Target performance objectives Performance areas in terms of language Language analysis. The first step is that of understating the
Business Major A major in Business Management seems secure, and yet, it could be easily rendered an obsolete concentration. If Business Management were rendered obsolete, it would have adverse implications on the economy, on issues related to social justice, and on the ability for organizations to thrive. Especially during an economic recession, the need to develop future business leaders becomes apparent. Interviews with successful managers who were once students in an
Business Leadership What are the significant trends you found in Workforce 2020? This textbook was written in 1997 based on data the authors had at that time. Now that we are into the year 2003, do you agree or disagree with the various topics being assessed/predicted/presented in the book? Select two topics from the following list and discuss: The trends found in the book included the prediction that the United States will deal with
Business intelligence degrees are not entirely available in Canadian colleges as ‘Business Intelligence’. For example, a private university like University of British Columbia has the Business and Computer Science Bachelor’s degree. It combines a typical business degree with background and experience in computer science. “The Business and Computer Science combined major will give you the technical background and understanding to apply IT solutions in a business context and use them
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now