Innovation:
The Use of Mentors in Learning and at Work
Mentors have been used in both learning environments and worksites to help participants and new workers one-on-one with any challenges they may face as they pursue their education and career goals.
Research has demonstrated the many benefits of mentoring. It can help promote cognitive development and intentional learning – such as when a new employee learns from a peer or mentor about the unwritten rules of corporate culture, or gains a clearer understanding of employer expectations, or understands better how to pursue promotions or additional responsibilities. Mentoring can contribute to psychosocial development by providing friendship, affirmation, modeling, counseling and support – in general, a feeling of interconnectedness with someone that helps when adjusting to new challenges and new roles. The mentor can also help ask important questions that lead to self-reflection and personal growth. Other psychosocial benefits include higher self-confidence, self-efficacy, self-assurance, and a better understanding of how to handle work-life issues (Mott, 2002; Ellinger, 2002; Prince, 2003)
Employers can also benefit from the mentoring relationship. One study of mentoring provided to welfare-to-work participants found that mentoring had a major impact on reducing turnover, improving productivity and predicting employee promotions (Prince, 2003).
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