Social Dominance Orientation and Mentorship

Mentorship programs in the manufacturing industry

“…The idea behind the creation of a ranking scale (that is based on the degree to which a potential mentor possesses the above characteristics) which can be used to assess a mentor’s qualities and/or to match a mentor and a mentee with each other is based on the claim that this will lead to better performance. By identifying mentors who possess the desirable qualities, one has thus made an attempt to ensure that a potential mentoring program will be met with some success (Hoffmeister et al , 2011; Martin and Bok, 2015). Testing can also be a way to identify those individuals who are not suited to be mentors.…”

“…As the mentor’s ability is crucial to the success of the program, selection and training become central issues and, for example, gender awareness can determine whether a mentor will be successful or not (Sarri, 2011). Peer-to-peer mentorship , when colleagues who are at the same hierarchical level within the organization act as each other’s mentor and engage in a learning process, can be one approach to the development of mentorship skills (Martin and Bok, 2015; Purcell et al , 2013). Action learning , on the other hand, can emphasize the experience-based and problem-oriented aspects of working life (Frost and Wallingford, 2013).…”

“…Cost-effectiveness and its fit with existing practices within the organization may be one reason why this form of education and training is attractive to small- and medium-sized companies (Hargis and Bradley, 2011). In some countries, formal mentoring programs are sometimes included when assessing which companies are the best employers (Martin and Bok, 2015). While the focus in this paper is on formal mentorship programs, we acknowledge that mentoring can flourish as a voluntary initiative.…”

“…In addition to job-specific knowledge and skills, mentorship may require further development of the mentee's critical thinking skills, social competence and specific knowledge (for example, technical skills) that is not available within the workplace. Participation in a mentoring program can bring benefits to both the mentor and mentee, including a positive career development and job satisfaction (Hoffmeister et al, 2011;Kram and Isabella, 1985;Martin and Bok, 2015). Moreover, one should not forget that career development and personal growth often involve learning on behalf of both the mentor and mentee; mentoring can develop deeper understanding of different parts of the business and this approach can allow different perspectives on work-related problems to emerge, in relation to, or beyond, the topic being treated (Homitz and Berge, 2008).…”

“…Testing can also be a way to identify those individuals who are not suited to be mentors. Mentors who base their judgement of others in terms of social hierarchies, including ethnicity, gender and/or academic background (which academic discipline the mentee had previously studied) had lower expectations on the outcome of mentorship (Martin and Bok, 2015). As such preconceptions that may be held by potential mentors have a negative impact on the success of mentorship, it is important that one identifies any negative stereotypes before a potential mentor is selected.…”