The Value of Mentoring

Abstract

watchmaker has years of exposure and practice with all types of timepieces. He has learned, among other things, which tools and materials work well, what problems might occur, and the difference between poor, good, and outstanding quality. Under the master's tutelage, the protegé is guided past the usual trial and error pitfalls and is given insights that otherwise might require years of experience to acquire.Although the value of learning from a master may be apparent for those receiving the instruction, an important question is why an individual would invest time, energy, and effort to develop another's potential. This paper is directed to answering that question. Following brief explanations of the phases within a traditional mentoring program and the Mentoring programs are used widely within business as well as academia. Although program formats and subject matter vary, the overall goal is common: To efficiently and effectively develop the knowledge, talents, and skills of a less experienced person through individualized attention from someone with more experience and knowledge in a given area of expertise. Healy and Welchert (1990, p. 17) consider mentoring to be "a dynamic, reciprocal relationship in a work environment between an advanced career incumbent (mentor) and a beginner (protegé) aimed at promoting the career development of both."Under the direction of the mentor, the protegé is given immediate access to valuable insights and past experiences. For example, the master ABSTRACT Mentoring involves the use of an experienced individual to teach and train someone with less knowledge in a given area. Through individualized attention the mentor/teacher transfers needed information, feedback, and encouragement to the protegé/learner. The success of such a program depends heavily on the investment of effort by the mentor. Although benefits for the protegé are typically easily discerned and have been well documented in the past, the factors affecting motivation for the mentor have been less well defined. Therefore, after a discussion of the basic mentoring process and a summary of the protegé and organizational benefits, the major focus of our paper is directed to the extrinsic and intrinsic rewards attained by those who participate as mentors and to the establishment of guidelines that help to maximize the value for all involved.

Mentoring minority graduate students: issues and strategies for institutions, faculty, and students

“…However, like the mentoring benefits for protégés, mentor benefits should be expanded when cross-race mentoring is provided. Potential benefits to faculty mentors include both tangible (assistance with projects, increased power, networking as protégés advances) and personal rewards (altruism, validation, pleasure in protégé's achievements, and sense of competence) (Newby and Heide, 1992). When mentoring occurs across racial lines, mentors reap the extra benefits of gaining cross-cultural exposure and competence in addition to making a human capital investment that will promote equity and social justice in the discipline.…”

Engaging Undergraduates in Science Research: Not Just About Faculty Willingness

“…Most of this literature demonstrates cognitive and affective gains for students, such as increased retention rates, higher grade point averages, and greater clarity of academic and career goals. However, although the mentoring literature has demonstrated that mentoring relationships have mutual benefits for both the mentor and the protégé (Newby and Heide 2008), evidence documenting faculty motivation to become mentors and the benefits of mentorship for faculty is lacking. The existing research is mainly anecdotal or is focused on single programs (Campbell and Campbell 1997; Kardash 2000).…”

Making mentoring explicit: articulating pedagogical knowledge practices

“…In addition, the six mentees commented that their previous mentors had not provided this depth of mentoring for developing their pedagogical knowledge. An effective teacher may not necessarily be an effective mentor (Ganser 1995;Newby and Heide 1992), yet providing mentors with education about effective mentoring can help to build the capacity within schools.…”