„‚ CONDITIONS THAT HINDER EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

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USING MENTORING FOR PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
J. Barton Cunningham
INTRODUCTION
The mentoring process can take place in either a formal or an informal context. Levine
(1985) estimates that formalized mentoring programs probably only constitute about 3 to
4 percent of the mentoring that is actually occurring. Informal mentoring, by far the
more prevalent form, typically occurs when a protégé just happens to be chosen by a
mentor who possesses much greater experience and expertise. This phenomenon is
frequently described as “being in the right place at the right time to be noticed by the
right person.”
However, formal mentoring programs, in which the organization assigns or matches
mentors and protégés, are rapidly increasing in popularity in both the public and the
private sectors. In a survey conducted in eight countries (Murray & Owen, 1991), 18
percent of those surveyed (sixty-seven companies) had some kind of formal mentoring
program. Most reported that these programs were generally successful and that they
planned to continue them.
In view of the reported success of formal mentoring programs, organizations would
be well advised to consider them. In implementing a formalized mentoring program,
however, an organization needs to resolve several issues: how to identify mentors and
prospective protégés, how to develop a learning culture for succession planning and
employee development, and how to recognize the skills and characteristics that people
need in order to learn. This article provides a perspective on facilitating a formal
mentoring process and developing a culture for mentoring. It describes the benefits of
mentoring, discusses why informal mentoring and performance-appraisal systems are
insufficient ways to develop employees, pinpoints some criteria for a successful
mentoring program, and then discusses how to set up a mentoring program.
THE BENEFITS OF MENTORING
Mentoring offers benefits for the organization, for mentors, and for protégés. For
example, it is critical for an organization to develop managerial and leadership talent
among the ranks. Although it is true that organizations can easily recruit people from
outside to fill their managerial needs, most organizations recruit from within. Recruiting
Originally published in The 1994 Annual: Developing Human Resources by J.W. Pfeiffer (Ed.), San Diego, CA: Pfeiffer & Company.
The Pfeiffer Library Volume 6, 2nd Edition. Copyright ©1998 Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer ❚❘ 279