Mentoring literature

What does research tell us about the effectiveness of mentoring in organisations?
An abstract from the original article by Jocelyn Buxton. Click here to read the full article.

Buxton brings together research from the early 1980s onwards on the effectiveness of mentoring in organizations, judged by perceived outcomes for protégé, mentor and organization. The article compares the outcomes for non-mentored and mentored protégés for informal versus formal mentoring. The principles of mentoring are discussed and how Mentor selection is important. Four phases of the mentoring relationship are defined:

  • initiation, in which the mentorship forms
  • the cultivation phase (during which the mentor is closely involved with advancing the protégé’s career)
  • the separation phase. In this period the protégé becomes increasingly independent and the functions provided by the mentor decrease.
  •  redefinition phase, which goes on indefinitely, as the relationship changes into a more peer-like relationship.
  • Finally,the paper looks at a number of outcomes including

  • greater job satisfaction
  • organizational commitment
  • better person-organization fit
  • higher levels of employee motivation
  • improved job performance
  • higher levels of organizational commitment
  • better employee retention
  • leadership development