An Examination of the Impact of Career‐Oriented Mentoring on Work Commitment Attitudes and Career Satisfaction Among Professional and Managerial Employees¹

Abstract

Data obtained from 164 proteges in managerial and professional positions in public and private sector organizations in Singapore were used to examine the impact of career-oriented mentoring on three work commitment attitudes (career, organization and job) and career satisfaction. Factor analysis of the 15-item career-oriented mentoring scale (Ragins and McFarlin, 1990) revealed a five-factor solution -coach, sponsor, protection, challenging assignments and exposure. These career-oriented mentoring roles were differentially related to job involvement, organizational commitment and career satisfaction, and explained modest amounts of the variance in these outcome variables. T-test results indicated that mentored respondents (N = 164) reported significantly higher levels of the outcome variables than non-mentored respondents (N = 225). Limitations of the study, directions for further research and implications of the findings are discussed.

The Role of Mentoring in the Career Progression of Chartered Accountants

“…Benefits for the firm include improved succession planning and management development; faster induction of new employees; improved communications; reduced training costs; reduced labour costs; increased productivity (Carter 1994); socialisation into the firm (Clawson, 1980); reduced turnover among valued young professionals (Dalton, Thompson & Price, 1977;Laband & Lentz, 1995); the transfer of knowledge and value that supports an organisation's mission (Peters & Waterman, 1982). Benefits for the protégé include facilitation of personal development, advancement in the organisation, (Kanter, 1977;Aryee & Chay, 1994;Scandura, 1992); the provision of challenging assignments, guidance, counselling, increased exposure and visibility to top management and role modelling (Burke, 1984;Phillips-Jones, 1983). Costs for the protégé include difficulties where the mentor adopts the role of sage dispensing advice instead of facilitating self-development (Megginson & Clutterbuck, 1995); and the possibility of a destructive relationship, particularly when the mentor does not advance as rapidly as the protégé (Kram, 1983).…”

Getting Together to Get Ahead: The Impact of Social Structure on Women's Networking

“…That is, traditionally, mentoring aims to enhance visibility and provide coaching (career functions; e.g. see Aryee and Chay, 1994) and involvement in such a relationship has been found to develop an individual's sense of competence and their understanding of professional roles (psychosocial functions; Vinnicombe, Singh and Kumra, 2004; but see also Kram, 1983Kram, , 1985. These are not independent functions, but rather refer to different aspects of the mentoring relationship (i.e.…”

Secrets of a Head Chef: Exploring Factors Influencing Success in Irish Kitchens

“…Aryee and Chay (1994) found that having a mentor resulted in more job involvement, more organizational commitment, and increased job satisfaction. Joiner, Baartram, and Garreffa (2004) and Bozionelos (2008) also found that having a mentor increases perceived career success.…”