Page 308 - Psychological Management of Individual Performance

294 enhancing performance through mentoring
OVERVIEW: THE CONCEPT OF MENTORING

According to Greek mythological legend, Mentor, a friend and counselor to Odysseus,
was entrusted with the education of Odysseus’ son, Telemachus. As a trusted senior
adviser, Mentor was responsible for raising Telemachus and instructing him in the ways
of the world. Today, the term mentor has come to mean a person who takes a special
concern in furthering the career and development of a new (or junior) person in the
organization (Kram, 1985). By guiding the development of the junior person in various
ways, mentors may unlock the potential of those under their guidance.
There is nothing necessarily mythical about the mentoring process. Research has
shown that mentoring can be assessed, and related empirically to outcomes for mentors,
prot´eg´es and the organizations they work for. Most research on mentoring to date has
focused on prot´eg´es and the career-related benefits they accrue. However, as the field
matures, research is examining the benefits to the mentor, as well as understanding
different outcomes of the mentoring process. Mentoring models are changing. Recent
research is looking at redefining mentoring from the intense one-on-one relationship to
constellations, or networks, of mentors (Higgins & Kram, 1999; Ibarra, 1994). Research
is also examining how mentoring is related to the learning process (Lankau, 1996) and
mentoring in a team environment (Dansky, 1996; Williams, 2000). In addition, the impact
of mentoring in the international arena is another area where research is just beginning
(Scandura & Von Glinow, 1997). The benefits and outcomes of mentoring have such
potential impact for individual performance that this concept has been considered as an
organizational training and development tool (Hunt & Michael, 1983). For these reasons,
interest in mentoring research expanded in the last two decades and continues today. In
this chapter, we will review research on mentoring relationships in organizations with a
focus on findings that have implications for individual performance. For each topic, we
will note areas in need of further research.

MENTORING DEFINED

A general definition of a mentor is that of an influential individual, with advanced
experience and knowledge, who is committed to providing upward support and mobil-
ity to his/her prot´eg´e’s career (Levinson, Darrow, Klein, Levinson, & McKee, 1978).
Mentoring is thus a one-to-one relationship between a more experienced senior per-
son (the mentor) and a new entrant or less experienced person (his or her prot´eg´e)
in the organization setting (Ragins & Scandura, 1994). This traditional definition of
mentoring emphasizes an intense and emotional one-on-one relationship (Kram, 1985;
Roche, 1979). The dyadic hierarchical mentoring relationship is often characterized as
a supportive and trusting collaboration providing mutually beneficial outcomes to both
mentor and prot´eg´e. The emergence of this relationship may be formalized through
organizationally directed programs; however, it is often an informal pairing borne of
respect and interpersonal connections that connote the most beneficial mentoring rela-
tionships (Chao, Walz, & Gardner, 1992; Fagenson-Eland, Marks, & Amendola, 1997;
Kram, 1985; Noe, 1988; Ragins & Cotton, 1999). Informal mentoring relationships and
the functions they provide have been related to the individual performance and career
mobility of the prot´eg´e (Dreher & Ash, 1990; Scandura, 1992).