Mentoring in Organisations in Ireland

Transcription

1 Mentoring in Organisations in Ireland October 1, Sycamore House, Millennium Business Park, Naas, Co. Kildare p (0) f (0) info@iitd.ie

2 Table of Contents I. Executive Summary...2 II. Introduction...2 III. Introducing Mentoring Programmes into an Organisation...3 IV. Criteria Set for Mentors...3 V. Identification of those to be Mentored...4 VI. The Role of HR in Mentoring Programmes...4 VII. Mentoring s Supplementation for Other Development Programmes...5 VIII. Challenges with Development and Implementation of Mentoring Programmes...5 IX. Gained Learnings...6 X. Assessment of Programme Effectiveness...6 XI. Appendix...7

3 Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to provide a greater insight into organisational mentoring programmes aimed at supporting leadership and behavioural development initiatives. This need for greater insight is due to an increased interest from organisations seeking to introduce such programmes. This report draws upon survey responses from eighteen organisations (See Appendix A), compiled anonymously, who already have such initiatives in place. The questions asked within the survey subsequently formulate the main sections of this report. Introduction Mentoring programmes have rapidly increased in popularity amongst many organisations in recent years. In an organisational context, mentoring programmes involve an individual who is both knowledgeable and experienced (the mentor), investing effort, knowledge and time, in hopes of providing developmental career support in a nurturing and caring manner to an individual with less experience (the mentee) in order to better improve the mentees knowledge, skills, and growth. Mentoring programmes can have the potential to be an invaluable tool for supporting leadership and behavioural development initiatives, whilst offering a source of sustainable competitive advantage and considerably improving organisational performance. Drawing upon responses from eighteen organisations, whom have in place established mentoring programmes, this report will highlight the most pertinent areas of mentoring programmes which prospect organisations will need to take into consideration before programme implementation. MENTORING IN ORGANISATIONS IN IRELAND - OCTOBER 1,

4 Introducing Mentoring Programmes into an Organisation The first question surveyed sought to investigate why respondents chose to introduce mentoring programmes into their organisations. The results of the survey indicate that organisations have contrasting rationales for introducing such programmes. The research tells us that the main reason respondent organisations choose to introduce mentoring programmes is to support and enhance the skills of newly promoted staff, graduates and new employees. However, responses varied and other trends amongst respondents were identified, with regards to rationale behind introducing mentoring programmes. These trends included breaking down organisational silos and encouraging open communication by promoting the exchanging and sharing of knowledge and resources amongst individuals, and also to facilitate the development of identified talent and high potential employees Other organisations expressed how their mentoring programmes were aimed to support career development. Additionally, mentoring programmes improve the performance of their employees whilst also supporting best practice. Criteria Set for Mentors This report sought to explore the criteria, which is set by organisations, for those interested in becoming mentors. The research strongly indicated a trend that organisations choose mentors based on their experience in the role to be mentored. The survey found that most respondent organisations require mentors to have relevant experience in the role which is to be mentored, as given their numerous years of experience in the role, they are more likely to be equipped in providing mentees with relevant knowledge, skills and insight. Whilst organisations generally followed a trend of recruiting mentors based on experience, other organisations followed a trend of setting criteria for mentors based on their willingness to invest time, have strong commitment and be receptive to training. Despite the vast majority of respondents outlining some form of criteria for mentors, several respondents described how their organisations mentoring programme is mentee driven, whereby individuals may apply to be mentors. However, the choice of who is selected to be the mentor lays with the mentee. MENTORING IN ORGANISATIONS IN IRELAND - OCTOBER 1,

5 Identification of those to be Mentored The following section outlines how respondent organisations identify individuals to be mentored. When asked how their organisation identifies mentees, respondents gave a wide variety of approaches: - 1) Newly recruited staff, 2) Identified as talented or high potentials, 3) Identified by management, and 4) Mentees are self-identified. Whilst responses were categorized into the above four points, the variations in responses highlights how organisations differ in their approaches to mentoring programmes. There was a general trend towards newly recruited staff and talented/high potentials as those who should be mentored, with respondents outlining how it is most beneficial for these employees. Another trend analysed from the research was that management often identify individuals who they feel will benefit most from the programme. This can be done through performance reviews, work output and also general observation. By contrast, the experience of other organisations is that mentees are self-chosen, with potential mentees simply applying to the programme. The Role of HR in Mentoring Programmes HR is often described as being at the core of organisational development enhancements. From a total of eighteen surveys, seventeen respondents outlined how the human resource function of their organisation has a strong role in the implementation and management of their mentoring programme. From an analysis of survey responses, this report found several essential roles that the HR function may, and will, be expected to fulfill. Firstly, organisations outlined how HR must gain agreement from senior employees for their commitment and support, then formally launch the programme and handle all communications. They then must provide a forum for applications, ensuring clarity in selection criteria and, if needs be, provide valuable background on employees for means of selection whilst managing recruitment of both mentors and mentees. Furthermore, organisations reported that HR acts as a formal link between interested parties and provides training for mentors whilst matching mentors with mentees. HR is also responsible for the continuous monitoring of the frequency and quality of meetings and conversations to ensure on-going effectiveness of the programme. They must also assess the impact of the programme by means such as improvements in productivity and performance, both at an individual and organisational level. However, the main trend and conclusion that this research has found is that HR ensures the overall smooth running and success of the programme, handling any and all complications that may arise. MENTORING IN ORGANISATIONS IN IRELAND - OCTOBER 1,

6 Mentoring s Supplementation for Other Development Programmes Within many organisations, mentoring programmes are used to supplement other internal development programmes. Often, organisations blend together separate developmental programmes in an attempt to better achieve the desired organisational outcomes of such programmes. A common trend amongst respondents was that their organisations choose to integrate mentoring programmes into other developmental programmes, rather than running a separate initiative. Contrastingly, the survey also found that some organisations implement their mentoring programmes as standalone initiatives, with little or no integration with other development programmes. This contradicts other respondents whose experiences found mentoring programmes to be a good way to support all development objectives, with several stating they often work best with organisational talent development programmes. The research also concluded that organisations found mentoring programmes invaluable with regards to informing management of developmental needs amongst employees and allowing these needs to be met through other learning and development offerings. Challenges with Development and Implementation of Mentoring Programmes This report sought to gain a better understanding of potential challenges from organisations who have already gone through the development and implementation of mentoring programmes. The experiences of organisations ranged from some encountering many challenges to some encountering no challenges at all. In spite of this, one of the main challenges faced by organisations was their small mentor populous. Several organisations noted how mentors often had multiple mentees, which combined with their daily workload and severely limited time, proved a major challenge. Research also found a significant trend of organisations receiving interest from other employees who wanted to be involved in the programme. However, due to limited mentor numbers and time constraints, this proved challenging and as such the programme remained only available to high potential and talented employees. The wide ranging experiences of organisations also saw survey responses indicating challenges with a lack of understanding regarding the concept of mentoring programmes, resulting in resistance and low engagement levels. MENTORING IN ORGANISATIONS IN IRELAND - OCTOBER 1,

7 Gained Learnings This report sought also to investigate gained learnings which respondent organisations have acquired through the implementation of mentoring programmes. For those seeking to introduce mentoring programmes, these learnings may prove invaluable. Responses dramatically varied which made identifying trends rather difficult. However, the research has provided several learnings from respondent organisations which may prove invaluable. Several organisations stressed the fact that ensuring clarity of purpose, roles and responsibility of participants is an absolute necessity. In addition, thoroughly evaluating the availability of participants to commit is key as some participants were unable to meet expectations of the programme board. Furthermore, this report found that mentors who willingly stepped forward for selection were best in terms of commitment and productivity, which in turn implies that selfselection may be best practice, unless the programme lacks sufficient numbers. In addition, this report found a trend amongst respondents regarding the rate of knowledge transfer significantly increasing with mentoring programmes, which has lead organisations to state that, as a learning tool, mentoring programmes are invaluable. Several other gained learnings from respondent organisations included the need for all mentors to be fully trained, with the drafting of a brief handbook outlining all programme guidelines to be very beneficial. Assessment of Programme Effectiveness From an analysis of survey responses, the predominant method to ascertain whether or not the programme is effective is simply through feedback and surveys of both mentee and mentor. In spite of this, the experiences of organisations did vary from using feedback and surveys to utilizing employee performance reviews and evaluations. This latter method benchmarks employee performance and productivity prior to the commencement of the mentoring programme. After completion, employees are evaluated and reviewed against the benchmark to see if there has been an increase in performance and productivity. In contrast, this report found that some organisations choose more informal methods such as general observation and simply touching base with mentor and mentee. Also, engagement levels were noted by several respondents as a method of measuring programme effectiveness. This is measured through participation levels and frequency of mentoring conversations. Whilst research indicated that organisations use either one method or another, assessment methods can be used in conjunction with one another. MENTORING IN ORGANISATIONS IN IRELAND - OCTOBER 1,

8 Appendix (Appendix A) IITD Member Survey Mentoring in Organisations 1. Why did your organization introduce a mentoring programme? 2. What criteria is set for those interested in being mentors? 3. How are those people being mentored identified? 4. What is the role of HR in the programme? 5. How does mentoring supplement other development programmes? 6. What challenges were faced in developing and implementing the programme? 7. What learnings were gained? 8. How is the effectiveness of the programme assessed? MENTORING IN ORGANISATIONS IN IRELAND - OCTOBER 1,

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