Mentoring
Definition
A relationship between a more experienced individual and a less experienced individual that exists in a one-on-one fashion, designed to enhance the mentee’s understanding of, and ability to put into practice, knowledge and skills possessed by the mentor. Such relationships are usually established for extended periods of time.
Purpose and benefits
Mentoring can be used for various purposes in organizations including induction, as support for development and career progression, support for on the job learning, succession, planning and more. Mentoring is an important process for knowledge management as it supports the transferring of tacit knowledge and retaining expertise within the organization, as well as it helps the mentee understand the corporate vision. It is also seen as form of teaching, encouragement and counseling that occurs between a more experienced and skilled individual and a less skilled one, with the aim towards the professional and personal development (development of knowledge, skills and attitudes) of the less skilled individual. Mentoring is an effective method to create, capture, organize and distribute knowledge. It supports situational, as well as relevant learning between individuals and groups. It reduces the learning curve and improves productivity. One of the benefits of on the job mentoring would include opportunity of working in parallel with the mentor where mentee would get a perspective into the working process and is able to ask questions right away.
Description
Mentoring can be described as a process related to human resource development that supports learning and knowledge transfer. In this relationship a mentor will transfer ideas and thought processes to the mentee which will foster critical skills, self-confidence and role maturity besides teaching physical capabilities to perform specific tasks. In the nuclear industry, mentoring is often used to pair more senior personnel with junior personnel to assist the latter with professional and career development. As with coaches, mentors may be drawn from within or from outside an organization. A good (potential) mentor in a nuclear technology context usually has the following characteristics:
- Having a deep understanding of the organization, as well as professional/specific expertise;
- Motivation to teach and to provide guidance to others as well as willingness to share knowledge;
- Ability to motivate others;
- Being committed to the relationship;
- Being a good communicator;
- Ability to foster trust;
Variations
Mentoring relationships can vary in their approach. They will differ depending on the people and the character of the organization in question. They may be open, closed, public, private, as well as, formal and informal. Informal relationships are typically created spontaneously and initiated by special interests. The benefits of this type of relationship typically include a high degree of trust, mutual compatibility and flexibility in the way mentoring occurs. The most frequent form of learning in this context is informal learning often supported by social networks. On the other hand, formal type of mentoring is often applied and facilitated by an organization. In this type of relationship goals are clearly established from the inception by the organization, as well as from the mentor and the mentee. This also means that there is an awareness of which knowledge needs be transferred, as well as outcomes are typically measured. Additionally, the mentor and the mentee are paired based on their compatibility and both the organization and the employees benefit directly. The type of mentoring relationship will depend on organization’s qualifications and business needs.
