Published: 31 October 2013

As you look back in history you realise that great leaders had great mentors. In this week's newsletter we look into the importance of mentorship programmes in the organisation. Do you have a mentor? Is your organisation using mentorship to effectively activate the potential of staff?

Do you have a mentorship programme?
Recent research, including a paper by Offstein, Shah and Gnyawali (2011), reveals that firms can fundamentally improve their value if the board, CEO and (by implication) key executives take a mentorship approach. In setting acceptable risk parameters, the board can challenge the CEO to do more in challenging markets and competitors, while also providing protection and support. This argument is extensive and it is questioned whether one of the leadership roles cannot mentor key staff over time with the aim of leading the organisation further.

The values-oriented organisation demonstrated itself to be more effective than organisations that are not values-oriented. One of the most effective ways for values-oriented organisations to absorb organisational culture is through effective mentorship. Mentor / mentee sessions can focus on the values of the organisation and how it performs in functional systems and processes. In this way, values become real to the participants and allow organisations to harness the collective energy of shared objectives. Emerging research also shows that performance management systems' real value is not in its scoring, but rather management's guidance and mentoring of the employee on the expectations of the organisation. Systems that lack scores but have higher managers' engagement with staff, generally translate into higher profits for the organisation.

As the digital age matures, a massive gap has emerged, which hinders organisations. As a result, mentoring is coming to the rescue. It is common knowledge that the younger generation is more knowledgeable of the digital world, whereas older executives are experienced in mobilising resources and leading organisations. To bridge this divide, reverse mentorship is emerging as a technique in which younger staff members play a structured role to drive organisational innovation and leadership through being mentors and not necessarily mentees (Chen, 2013). This is such a big focus area that some organisations have started "inter generational conversations" to link different parts of their organisations to each other. This tones down ageism and the impact of the experience vs knowledge debate.

Another goal is to use mentorship as a knowledge transfer mechanism and to help employees with less experience connect with tools, processes and technologies to broaden their engagement scope. As such it may be interesting to look at key skilled people and enable them to be mentors to others so as to create knowledge in that area.

Effective mentoring includes the following three primary objectives as adapted from Ofstein, Shah and Gnyawali (2011):

    Legitimising and challenging what is being done by supporting character development and growth in both the individual and team;
    Encouraging others to explore the scope of their existing role, to make the most of their current position, and to consider ways to grow in the organisation; and
    Transferring knowledge and learning.

An interesting trend emerging from research is that emotional expression in mentorship has increasingly become more significant. Studies show that mentees' key expectation is to find an outlet for otherwise unexpressed emotions about the organisation. The challenge is that mentors often lack suitable skills to address the mentorship conversation. The mentorship programme subsequently becomes an opportunity to vent for both parties - without looking at how things can change. The emotional side to the equation has traditionally been part of the coaching discussion. While it is important to realise that mentoring and coaching are two very different disciplines - it is becoming important to build coaching skills, while also offering a mentorship approach. Mentorship however is not a psychological discussion but a business discussion, focused on how to integrate and get the best out of the organisation.

As the increasingly globalised world creates more complex challenges and many more minds to work on solutions, mentorship is being widely applied in the space of technology, entrepreneurship, education and general management.

The new mentorship paradigm asks: How can a mentorship programme be structured effectively?

There are several options in terms of mentorship programmes. The most common approaches include:

Traditional mentoring
A programme is established whereby a more senior colleague is assigned to a junior colleague to "show them the ropes" and guide them through the organisation.

Reverse mentoring
A younger colleague shows an older colleague how the new system or software works, sometimes in exchange for other learning.

Reciprocal or Peer-to-Peer-mentoring
A structured programme in which mentors and mentees swap on a regular basis and both give and get feedback.

Group mentoring
A group goes through a collective mentoring process whereby they support each other to achieve set individual and group objectives.

To get a mentorship programme to be more than a policy guideline, best practices suggest the following:

    Assign a mentor to all new employees when they join;
    Have a regular get together of mentors and focus on the objectives and skills required to be an effective mentor;
    Respect anonymity and ethics - the trust between a mentor and mentee is critical;
    Not everyone will participate - some people will refuse to engage with a mentor - this is acceptable;
    Create an acceptable time limit for mentors and mentees to interact (e.g. 1 hour every two weeks); and
    Insist that mentorship engagements are documented and are not only informal. As a minimum record the date, session, duration and submit centrally.

As mentorship programmes mature, consciously make sure that mentors' skills are improved. Some organisations accept mentor applications - increasing the prestige and rigour in selection of mentors. Annual mentor training and periodic evaluation of mentors, the mentorship process and its impact on the organisation is recommended.

Conclusion
Mentorship is a powerful tool. It ensures that organisations convey to people, in a structured way, a central set of values, transfer skills and knowledge. Research shows that organisations with effective mentorship programmes have better attitudes towards risk, innovation and growth. Likewise, the objectives of the mentorship process should challenge people to do more within the organisational context.

Mentorship is much more than a policy or good idea. It may be the key to unlock synergies in organisations as it ensures a clear line of sight of organisational goals. This creates interactive conversations and empowered staff. Mentorship programmes often get relegated in favour of mass communication when large organisations grow. However, these organisations are rediscovering the value of an effective mentorship process. 
- Regenesys