Although most mentoring relationships within well-designed and well-managed programmes work well, a small percentage don’t. In most cases, the cause is simply a mismatch of personality, or expectations of the relationship and this can usually be resolved without problem, if addressed early on, by re-matching. However, occasionally other, more serious problems occur and it’s important (more…)
Mentoring budgets are usually quite tight. So there is often a conflict between what you need and what you can afford. Some things are essential. For example, if you don’t have training for both mentors and mentees and some form of continued support and learning over the following 12 months, you might as well not (more…)
One of the most useful studies of mentoring programmes comes from Finkelstein and Poteet (2007), who surveyed the (primarily US) research literature and identified five critical characteristics of effective formal programmes. These were (with some additional context fro other research): Finkelstein, L. M., & Poteet, M. L. (2007). Best practices in formal mentoring programs in (more…)
What is the best way is to go about communicating the mentoring programme? If you do not have support from an internal communications department to provide guidance and/or do it for you, here is a suggested approach. It is good to think through each of the following areas: Who This will largely depend on the (more…)
Line managers sometimes resist supporting their direct reports’ mentoring. The main reasons for this are: Briefing line managers about the mentoring program is an essential part of program design. Briefings should emphasise the reasons for the program, the expected benefits for the organization, and for the team and the manager himself or herself. To counter (more…)
Few HR professionals are actively hostile to coaching and mentoring. But organisations often experience passive resistance, for a number of reasons: An education programme for HR can make a big difference. This should help them to: Some practical ways of supporting HR include: © David Clutterbuck
Measurement and Review in Mentoring One of the paradoxes of formal mentoring programmes is that the essence of the relationship is its informality – the ability to discuss in private a wide range of issues that will help the mentee cope with and learn from issues s/he encounters, putting aside any power or status differences (more…)
Summary Evaluation is an essential component to bear in mind as you design and set your programme up for success. It will be important both to inform the broader business that your mentoring programme is delivering value and has met its agreed objectives, and to ensure real value is being delivered to your mentors and (more…)
David Clutterbuck’s seminal study of the dynamics of mentoring relationships is based on an extensive longitudinal study of mentoring pairs, with data gathered from both mentors and mentees. The study, which aimed to explore the effectiveness of developmental mentoring, had four main parts: The pilot study involved non-matched pairs at three points in time. Time (more…)
Mentoring and coaching both support and are supported by a number of key business processes. In particular: Succession planning Mentoring, especially, assists employees in thinking about their careers and how to align their ambitions with those of the organisation. Senior managers also get to know the capabilities and aspirations of more junior colleagues and are (more…)