Mentoring

2021 Words5 Pages

Mentoring Like most institutions in a world of change, the age-old practice of mentoring is being influenced by new forms of work, technology, and learning. Mentoring is typically defined as a relationship between an experienced and a less experienced person in which the mentor provides guidance, advice, support, and feedback to the protégé (Haney 1997). Mentoring is a way to help new employees learn about organizational culture (Bierema 1996), to facilitate personal and career growth and development, and to expand opportunities for those traditionally hampered by organizational barriers, such as women and minorities (Gunn 1995). The benefits of mentoring are not only work related; it can provide individuals with opportunities to enhance cultural awareness, aesthetic appreciation, and the potential to lead meaningful lives (Galbraith and Cohen 1995). A traditional mentoring model is the apprentice learning from a master. In the Industrial Age, mentoring focused on career advancement within organizational hierarchies (Haney 1997). Now the Information Age demands a wide range of cognitive, interpersonal, and technical skills, and mentoring is changing to cope with these expanded needs. This Digest looks at new forms of and perspectives on mentoring and the kinds of learning that result from mentoring relationships. Mentoring and Organizational Change Organizational trends such as downsizing, restructuring, teamwork, increased diversity, and individual responsibility for career development are contributing to the resurgent interest in mentoring in the 1990s. "Downsizing has heightened the need to preserve institutional memory and to share the information and experience that remain in the company" (Jossi 1997, p. 52). ... ... middle of paper ... ... Kerka, S. Constructivism, Workplace Learning, and Vocational Education. ERIC Digest No. 181. Columbus: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education, 1997. (ED 407 573) Loeb, M. "The New Mentoring." Fortune, November 27, 1995, p. 213. Mentoring Institute. The NEW entoring Paradigm©. Sidney, BC: The Mentoring Institute, 1998. Oswald, P. "Distance Learning in Psychology." Paper presented at the 10th Annual Conference on Undergraduate Teaching of Psychology, Ellenville, NY, March 1996. (ED 405 024) Raghuram, S. "Knowledge Creation in the Telework Context." International Journal of Technology Management 11, no. 7-8 (1996): 859-870. Russell, J.E.A., and Tinsley, H.E.A., eds. "Special Issue on Mentoring in Organizations." Journal of Vocational Behavior 51, no. 1 (August 1997). (EJ 548 489-498)

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