3870141 Revised
.docx
School
The University of Nairobi**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
ARTS 2845
Subject
Management
Date
Dec 22, 2024
Pages
10
Uploaded by HighnessIron11701
1Designing Workplace Mentoring Programs Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course TitleInstructor’s Name Due Date
2Designing Workplace Mentoring ProgramsIn the organisational sector today, incorporation of a progressive mentoring program into the firm’s framework of employee development is a complex process in which the firm’s values ought to guide the process. As noted by Allen et al. (2011, p. 37), mentoring prgrams facilitate the growth of a company and therefore, meeting the expected objectives and enabling the employes attain certain goals. Furthermore, the identification of special cases for mentoring and the goals that should be set for each of the activities described in the present plans contributes both to personal and organizational development. Using both qualitative and quantitative measures also gives a comprehensive assessment of the program to establish if the mentorship will not only help in engagement of the employees but also would justify the goals of the entire organisation. This paper presents a detailed and critical overview of the concept of designing workplace mentoring with the purpose of developing a comprehensive understanding. It includesPart A which assesses Chapters, 2, 5, 6, and 7 of the book by Allen et al. 2011 and Part B which provides a reflection of the reflection programs.Part AChapter 2: Planning1.Steps to Integrate the Mentoring Program into Other Employee Development ProgramsTo achieve the desired outcome for the mentorship program that would dovetail smoothlywith the existing employee development programs, it becomes paramount to start with basics like an in-depth assessment of the existing developmental offerings of the organization. According to Chandler et al. (2011), this means assessing the current provisions like leadership
3programs, onboarding processes, and skill development options. In so doing, the status quo can help design the mentorship program to complement existing programs through effective organisational support, as noted by Allen et al. (2011, p. 37). It is an apparent consensus that methodical working with the Human Resources (HR) and Learning & Development (L&D) teams, which are predominantly responsible for managing employee development activities, is vital. As indicated by Allen et al. (2011, p. 41), working together collaboratively, HR and L&D can help align the intended results of the mentorship program with the broader objectives of the organization, thus ensuring that mentorship will be perceived as a valued program of employee development and not simply as a tangential or satellite initiative (Luna & Cohen, 2018). For example, suppose a company has a high-potential leadership program. In that case, mentorship can be layered, whereby participants get guidance from leading executives regarding the challenges of leadership and align with the expectations of the organization. Similarly, creating individualized paths for each development program can allow the mentorship option to support employees in different stages of their careers—such as attaching new hires to mentors to assist with onboarding or aligning mentors with emerging leaders to provide career guidance, as shown by Allen et al. (2011, p. 45). Finally, an evaluation mechanismwould need to be built in to account for frequent feedback from mentors and mentees and thus from those delivering the program to facilitate continual modifications, ensuring that the mentorship program stays relevant and aligned with higher employee development goals within the organization.2.Steps to Modify the Mentoring Program to Fit the Organization's Unique CultureThe prime focus for aligning a mentoring program with a specialization culture is embeddingcore values and practices plural to the culture within its structure. It is only necessary to identify
4what makes the organization's culture special right there at the beginning so as to embrace it: these may include innovation, inclusivity, or teamwork, for example- reflect these in the mentoring approach. For instance, in the case of inclusivity, the mentoring program could actively promote diversity by pairing mentors and protégés from different backgrounds and perspectives (Allen et al., 2011, p. 37). This affirms the organization's commitment to inclusivity and creates an extraordinary learning opportunity for both. Extending on point, perhaps finding amentoring style that also suits the corporate communication norms is very important. If some work culture is very informal, flexible, and casual, there could be informal check-ins accompanied by some open-ended discussions while, if it is a more formal corporate setting, thenthe structure would be as scheduled, very formal meetings (Chandler et al., 2011). Therefore, piloting that and getting feedback from employees is also critical to modifying the mentoring program to fit into the culture more organically. Suppose the organizations pilot the program and refine it using feedback from the participants. In that case, this leads toward developing an experience of mentoring that resonates with their work atmosphere and support structures and encourages no less than a long-term active drive toward program success. Chapter 5: Training Factors1.Identifying the Area in Greatest Need for Mentoring and Organizational Factors Influencing Success.One of the great areas of need for mentoring might be leadership development, especiallyas the organization scales and more employees transition into supervisory roles. As affirmed by Allen et al. (2011, p. 93), requirements of leadership development are important to ensure that the newly promoted leaders can effectively lead the teams and align with the given organizational vision. Various organizational factors may affect the protégé's success in this
5regard (Luna & Cohen, 2018). For example, the promise of increased promotion opportunities may push protégés to engage in the mentorship process because they can see how it fits with their advancement toward their career goals. Organizational support for professional development also plays a role; where there is evidence that the organization values and invests resources in personnel inclusion in mentorship, the protégé might be encouraged and provided with the resources to succeed (Allen et al., 2011, p. 96). In terms of influencing factors relative tothe mentor relationship, time availability becomes a significant consideration. In a fast-paced atmosphere, mentors sometimes cannot devote sufficient time to the mentee, hindering the development of relationships and knowledge sharing becomes hindered. Communication style within an organization may play a large role as well (Allen et al., 2011, p. 100). In open and collaborative cultures, mentors and protégés are more likely to find it easy to connect and converse openly and in a sincere manner (Huber et al., 2022). While in the hierarchical environment, this possibly diminishes the chances of open, candid feedback and mutual learning. Much should be done to mitigate the above factors. It will prepare better avenues for mentoring, which will add to organizational development. Chapter 6: Mentoring Structure and Processes1.Planned Activities to Enhance the Mentoring ProcessThe planned activities could be implemented through activities that enhance the mentoring process by addressing training needs and organizational challenges. According to Allen et al. (2011, p. 107), such activities may include organizing regular goal-setting sessions monthly between the mentor and protégé. Such meetings should allow the mentor and the protégé to coalesce on defining their short-term and long-term goals, ensuring that protégés
6remain focused on growth and that mentors provide timely assistance (Huber et al., 2022). Another planned activity might include joint skill-building workshops focusing on essential competencies like communications, leadership, and conflict resolution. Working simultaneously helps create a common vocabulary and understanding around these competencies by both the mentor and protégé, thus reinforcing the mentorship bond. According to Allen et al. (2011, p. 110), other activities include shadowing mentors, where the mentees could observe what their mentors do on a daily basis in terms of responsibilities and decisions taken to attain a glimpse of a practical understanding of a leader's tasks. Establishing feedback and reflection meetings on a regular basis should create space for protégés to articulate their learning experiences thoughtfully, receive constructive feedback, and reflect on their journey (Allen et al., 2011, p. 116). Most importantly, it encourages a structured engagement that keeps the mentor and protégéinvolved in the learning process for more impactful and sustainable development outcomes.2.Specific Goals for Each Planned ActivityEvery planned activity in the mentoring program is designed to pursue specific development goals for the protégé (Allen et al., 2011, p. 118). For example, goal-setting sessions are intended to give the protégé relatable, measurable goal setting around their whole development, personal and professional. It creates a sense of collaboration to monitor and revise these goals each month so that both mentor and mentee remain focused on progress and foster accountability and commitment (Deng & Turner, 2024). The skill-building workshops aim to help the mentees improve their communication and leadership abilities by exposing them to best practices for certain skills and providing practice opportunities in a supportive environment. The protégé was also able to observe the actual application of these skills in workshops attended by their mentors and draw upon those observations in their practices later on. Job shadowing has a
7primary goal of improving the protégé's understanding of the daily challenges of aspiring to leadership roles. By observing all the real-life decision-making and leadership tasks of their mentors, the protégé could put into practice what was being learned to prepare for similar situations in the future (Chandler et al., 2011). Finally, feedback and reflection meetings aim to build the protégé's self-awareness and resilience through addressing strengths and barriers to improvement. It also provides regular feedback cycles encouraging protégé to learn from experiences that support meaningful personal and professional development. Chapter 7: Essential Qualitative and Quantitative Factors1.Qualitative and Quantitative Factors for a Mentoring ProgramAn effective mentoring program will combine both qualitative and quantitative measures to account for the program's comprehensive impact. Qualitative elements will comprise the trust levels and communication quality. Building trust between mentor and protégé is crucial for fostering an environment of open and honest discussion (Allen et al., 2011, p. 123). Trust allows a protégé to more freely share his or her challenges and ask for guidance, rendering the mentoring experience much more rewarding. Communication quality – providing clarity, understanding, and empathy – is another important qualitative factor because it can yield a stronger and more supportive mentor-protégé relationship (Przybylo & Vasan, 2013). The retention rate of mentees would be one quantitative measure suggested as it would assess the program's impact on employee engagement and loyalty. If mentoring makes it more likely that mentees will stay in the organization, then mentoring acts in a positive manner to contribute to their job satisfaction and career development (Deng & Turner, 2024). Promotion rates may also show how well the program prepares participants for future possibilities of upper-level roles. In amentoring program, participants showing a higher promotion rate would confirm that the
8mentoring program has been successful in developing leadership competency and other essential skills, making it an effective tool for talent development within the organization.Part BFactors Enhancing Mentor EffectivenessIn my organization, one important factor that would boost the mentor's effectiveness is the high level of organizational support for the mentoring initiatives. When an organization shows the importance of mentorship and provides the necessary resources for it, the mentors feel encouraged to dedicate their time and effort to their mentees. The support can include access to training materials, allowance for coaching time, and acknowledgments for successful mentors, asdemonstrated by Allen et al. (2011, p. 37). In that light, I would like to strengthen support from the organization by institutionalizing mentorship as an intrinsic component of career development (Ivey & Dupré, 2022). As such, this can be strengthened by encouraging the leadersto dedicate time to mentoring while designing a reward system for effective mentoring. Moreover, access to a wide array of professional development resources, such as training workshops, mentorship tools, and collaborative platforms, makes a positive addition. With this, structured learning activities could continue to be implemented, allowing the mentees and mentors to drive growth for the organization. Employing it would act to structure the mentoring sessions well and make them more effective for both mentored individuals and the organization. Factors Undermining Mentor EffectivenessSome pitfalls could undermine mentoring in my organization. One such factor involves the volume of work with more limited availability for mentoring, often due to fast-paced work settings. Under demanding responsibilities, mentors would find it most difficult to meet with
9protégés regularly. In solving this, I shall advocate for protected time for mentoring sessions to provide mentors and protégés a focus on those meetings without running against time. Another factor could be newer employees' resistance to mentorship, mainly pronounced if they belong to Gen Z, inculcating familiarity with technology-based learning. Gen Z employees are traditionallymentorship-oriented but find traditional mentorship modes too formal or wish for digital mentorship options (Ivey & Dupré, 2022). To manage this, I could look into flexible ways of mentorship that include virtual meetings or digital mentorship tools according to the comfort of younger employees. A more inclusive and effective mentoring experience can be engendered by adapting the program to the expectations and comfort levels of all involved.ConclusionIn conclusion, a well-integrated program will go a long way in supporting an organisations talent management and leadership pipeline. Incorporating organisational culture and development concerns into policies regarding mentoring, as well as tweaking these policies to best serve all relevant employees, increases its importance and applicability. Time constraint and generation preference are some of the issues that can be well addressed, when attempting to create the right atmosphere that ensures that mentorship forms the desired organizational development tool, and organizational support and resource compliance are identified as key determinants for the same. Lastly, a well-organized mentoring programme provides foundation for making the organization and each of its participants a more effective entity.
10References Allen, T.D., Finkelstein, L.M. and Poteet, M.L., 2011. Designing workplace mentoring programs: An evidence-based approach. John Wiley & Sons.Chandler, D. E., Kram, K. E., & Yip, J. (2011). An ecological systems perspective on mentoring at work: A review and future prospects. The Academy of Management Annals, 5(1), 519-570. https://doi.org/10.1080/19416520.2011.576087Deng, C., & Turner, N. (2024). Identifying key mentor characteristics for successful workplace mentoring relationships and programmes. Personnel Review, 53(2), 580-604. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-08-2022-0535Ivey, G.W., & Dupré, K.E. (2022). Workplace mentorship: A critical review. Journal of Career Development, 49(3), pp.714-729. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845320957737Huber, A.M., Muhamad, J.W., & Ferchaud, A. (2022). Design Firm Mentorship: Motives, Functions, and Factors. The International Journal of Design Management and Professional Practice, 16(1), p.37: https://doi.org/10.18848/2325-162X/CGP/v16i01/37-59.Przybylo, J., & Vasan, N. (2013, June 3). Seven habits of highly effective mentors (SSIR). Stanford Social Innovation Review: Informing and Inspiring Leaders of Social Change. https://ssir.org/articles/entry/seven_habits_of_highly_effective_mentorsLuna, T., & Cohen, J. (2018, July 10). How to mentor someone who doesn’t know what their career goals should be. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2018/07/how-to-mentor-someone-who-doesnt-know-what-their-career-goals-should-be