the new hr

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Training is often ignored,
but it is an absolute must
to ensure the sustained
success of a reverse
mentoring programme.
that the benefits outweigh the cost. This perspective
makes it compelling to first find out the objective of
a reverse mentoring programme.
For a successful reverse mentoring programme,
it is pivotal to define its underlying purpose—
the business purpose which calls for it. It should
be closely tied with an organisation’s business
objective: if the senior leadership understands
well where the business is heading and the areas
that demand improvement—say, technology or
advances in other fields—and becomes aware of the
value the younger generation could bring, then the
goals are clear and the buy-in becomes easy.
The biggest HR challenge lies in changing the
mindset of the people—convincing the senior
management who may constitute the organisation’s
think tank about the need to be
mentored. It is the responsibility
of HR to help them make the
culture transition from ‘more
talking’ to ‘more listening.’ One of
the ways to address this problem
is to pay special attention to
personality differences—attitudes
and preferences—while pairing
the mentors and the mentees.
For this, HR personnel could rely on their own
experience of interacting with the participants, ask
them who they think would be the best possible
partner, or employ standard assessment tools to
measure and match personalities.
Trust and transparency are the cornerstones of
a reverse mentoring relationship and these can be
developed by fostering high levels of interpersonal
comfort. Many organisations let the employees
spend time socialising before embarking on a
formal relationship. Being open to the concept of
reverse mentoring comes from an understanding
that the relationship is beneficial. If both sides
overcome their egos and convey their development
needs openly, it would lead to a lot of collaboration.
Training is often ignored, but it is an absolute
must to invest a lot of planning and energy in
it to ensure the sustained success of a reverse
mentoring programme. An in-depth training and
coaching session for the participating pairs would
help in not only kick-starting the programme
smoothly, but also making them aware of their
roles and responsibilities, and be clear about their
expectations. It is recommended to start with a
small pilot group, and then implement it across
the organisation.
Leadership buy-in
Reverse mentoring can effect results irrespective
of the kind of organisational structure or work
culture, provided there is a certain degree of
flexibility. Research suggests that the support of the
top management and their active participation are
key features of a successful mentoring programme.
Getting leadership support at all levels sends
positive signals across the organisation about
the impact and seriousness of the initiative. In a
recent study published in 2014, a large Australian
government department started a programme with
just five mentors and five mentees. The idea was to
start at a low scale and then spread it to a bigger
population. The head of the department was one of
the first mentees, and this involvement helped raise
the status of the programme and ensured adequate
resourcing. Once it was successful, it was extended
to 22 pairings. In India, reverse mentoring has
picked up despite its tradition of predominant
hierarchy. Bharti Airtel was one of the pioneers, and
many organisations including Hindustan Unilever
and Accenture have jumped on the bandwagon. At
Bharti Airtel, the senior management was educated
on downloading apps, use of latest gadgets, fashion
trends, and also on how young consumers utilise
free time.
Nitin Paranjpe, former Hindustan Unilever CEO
and current global President of Home Care Business
for Unilever, had concurred in an article that the
skills he grew up with as a marketer were vastly and
starkly different from those needed in the future.
He considered reverse mentoring as probably one
of the avenues to remain in touch with the future.
All of us have to keep in mind the reality that it is
not only the workplace that is going to be swamped
by millennials, but also the consumer or customer
22 INDIAN MANAGEMENT NOVEMBER 2015