Topic 3: Purpose and benefits of mentoring

Welcome to this topic where we will explore the purpose and benefits of mentoring, highlighting how it supports personal growth and professional development.

Purpose and Benefits of Mentoring

ILM Level 3 Award in Effective Mentoring

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Index

Welcome to this topic where we willll explore the purpose and benefits of mentoring, highlighting how it supports personal growth and professional development.Let's get started!

Introduction

Benefits of mentoring

References

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01: Introduction to purpose of mentoring

Let's begin

In his seminal book, Everyone needs a mentor (2014), David Clutterbuck titles chapter 1 as a ‘The what and why of mentoring’, describing his own experience of having ‘a number of mentors over the years’, and reflecting on how ‘it is only in recent decades that I have fully recognised and appreciated the role that some of these people played’. He goes on to say that before anyone embarks on their journey as a mentor, it is important to reflect on your own experience of mentoring, what motivates you to mentor others and what you believe you can contribute to the relationship.

Introduction

Purpose of mentoring

Clutterbuck (2014) proposes that ‘every company needs some form of career development programme to produce a succession of motivated, upward-moving employees’, and that it is an essential ingredient for every employee regardless of whether they have ambitions to move onwards and upwards in the organisation, remain at the same level but need career development as jobs change or become obsolete, or are a ‘high potential’ manager who needs support to know how to achieve career goals in ‘the most practical and efficient way’.

The Limitations of Relying on Managers for Career Development

Let's begin

02: Benefits of mentoring

Benefits of mentoring

Mentoring can work in most organisations regardless of size, culture or market sector, but is something that both the mentee and mentor have to work hard to make it succeed.

Benefits for the individual

Benefits for mentors

Mentoring and research on anxiety

Benefits of mentoring

Mentoring programmes can create more inclusive workplaces, which in turn yield better results. An article on Training Industry (2020) argues that ‘a mentoring culture drives inclusion’ and supports the development of ‘cultural competency’, describing it as ‘a culture that nurtures deeper working relationships and values the development of all employees’ and recognising that ‘when employees have a place where they can focus on their own development, take risks, explore possibilities’ they feel understood and appreciated and ‘know that they are an integral part of the organisation’.

Redefining diversity in modern mentoring

Advantages of Mentoring for Individuals and Organisations

P308: Mentoring to Grow Organisational Wisdom

The following pearl of wisdom® explores how mentoring can unlock tacit knowledge and add value to organisations. By watching this pearl of wisdom® video you will be able to:

• Define what is meant by the knowledge economy and knowledge and information management
• Explain why knowledge is valuable to organisations
• Distinguish between tacit and explicit knowledge
• Identify how mentoring can grow and create organisational knowledge

Activity: Benefits of mentoring

Activity - answer the following questions:1. How can mentoring benefit your organisation? Outline at least three benefits. 2. How can mentoring be used to ensure that tacit knowledge is shared in your organisation? (knowledge which is held in people’s heads) Optional: Read Emelo’s article about how mentoring can be used more flexibly across an organisation, and the potential benefits this brings. How could this approach be used in your team / department / organisation?

• Emelo R (2015) Pillars of Moder Mentoring. Available online at : https://www.riversoftware.com/wp-content/uploads/wpallimport/files/pdf/ModernMentoring_TJ_April15.pdf [last accessed 30/7/24]

• CIPD (2021) The effects of mentoring on work engagement – a mentor’s perspective. Available online at : https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/bitesize-research/mentoring-work-engagement/ [last accessed 30/7/24]

• Gill & Roulet (2019) Stressed at Work? Mentoring a Colleague Could Help. Available online at: https://hbr.org/2019/03/stressed-at-work-mentoring-a-colleague-could-help [last accessed 31/7/24]

• Training Industry (2020) 5 Ways to Use Mentoring to Create an Inclusive Workplace. Available online at : https://trainingindustry.com/articles/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/5-ways-to-use-mentoring-to-create-an-inclusive-workplace/ [last accessed 30/7/24]

References

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Mentoring can also directly benefit mentors. A CIPD article (2021) reviewed a study of mentors supporting new starters in their workplace. The study found that the mentors experienced increased levels of job satisfaction, engagement with their work and motivation. Mentors who saw their role as a learning opportunity and development for themselves as much as their mentee, gained the greatest benefits. The study highlighted two important factors for success – the mentors and mentees must be carefully matched to ensure they’re the right fit. It’s also essential the mentors are trained in how to mentor, to get the best results for both parties.

Emelo described mentoring as a symbiotic relationship that yields benefits for both individuals as well as the organisations they operate within. While it empowers individuals to grow both professionally and personally, it can have a positive impact on the wider eco-system which is enriched by organisations reaping the rewards from nurturing talent, fostering knowledge sharing and developing the cultural competence of team members.

This is echoed in work from Emelo (2015) who attempts to define the building blocks of modern mentoring, where they argue that ‘the use of diversity isn’t limited to people of different genders, races and ethnicities’, but also ‘encompasses learning connections and relationships’ that permeate cross functional, geographical, hierarchical and generational lines.

Clutterbuck suggests ‘leaving career development solely to managers… tends to be singularly ineffective’ as they may lack the ability to recognise a high flyer or be reluctant to lose that employee as they move to another part of the company.

For the individual, mentoring is a powerful tool for personal and professional development fostering personal growth, enhancing skill development and offering a safe space to share challenges and receive constructive feedback. This tailored support helps individuals gain self-awareness, build confidence, expand knowledge and skillsets and nurture a growth mindset.

Researchers studied the impact of mentoring on mentors in stressful occupations, and focused on a police force. They found that mentors experienced lower levels of anxiety, and found their work more meaningful, than those who didn’t mentor (Gill & Roulet, 2019)