INSTITUTIONAL MENTORING SCHEMES

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INSTITUTIONAL MENTORING SCHEMES

• Sue Mathews
• Oxford Brookes Business School
• 01865 485872
• suemathews_at_brookes.ac.uk

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OBJECTIVES FOR THIS SESSION

• Some understanding about the thinking behind an
  institutional mentoring scheme
• Appreciation of some of the practical issues in
  setting up an institutional mentoring scheme
• Opportunity to reflect on the implementation of
  a mentoring scheme
• Ideas for improving your own institutional
  mentoring scheme

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THE MENTORING RANGE

• 1. A powerful form of management learning in
  which a more experienced individual passes on
  know-how to someone less experienced
• Clutterbuck Associates, 1996
• 2. Off-line help by one person to another in
  making significant transitions in knowledge, work
  or thinking
• Megginson and Clutterbuck, 1995
• 3. Support, assistance, advocacy or guidance
  given by one person to another in order to
  achieve an objective or several objectives over a
  period of time
• Sova
• 4. The support of one individual by another
  within a personal relationship developed though
  regular contact over a period of time
• Pan, London Standard

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MENTORING - A CONTINUUM

• Directive Telling Discussing
  Reflective
• 1. 2. 3. 4.

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WHAT IS A MENTOR?

• Off-line help by one person to another in making
  significant transitions in knowledge, work or
  thinking
• Megginson and Clutterbuck (1995)

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TYPES OF LEARNING

• Mental Maps Behaviours
  Outcomes
• SINGLE LOOP
• Adjusting to
• DOUBLE LOOP action to achieve
• (mentoring) the desired outcome
• Transforming mental
• maps to generate new meanings
• and actions Argyris and Schon, 1997

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SOME KEY ORGANISATIONAL QUESTIONS

• Why does the organisation want to offer a
  mentoring scheme?
• How do we relate the above to organisational
  objectives
• Will if offer vfm?
• How will the culture of the organisation support
  the mentor-learner relationship?
• Do the mentors have an understanding and
  perspective of the organisation?
• Do the mentors have credibility within the
  organisation?
• Do the mentors have the appropriate skills?
• Who will administer the scheme?
• How will we evaluate the scheme?
• Will all staff support the scheme?

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SOME KEY QUESTIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS

• What are the organisations objectives for the
  learner?
• What are the individuals own learning
  objectives?
• How do the individuals objectives link to
  organisations?
• Are the learners objectives s.M.A.R.T.?
• How is the benefits to the learner to be
  evaluated?
• How will I select a mentor?
• Who controls the scheme?

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HOW WE SET UP OUR SCHEME

• Focus group to establish needs, topics ,ideas on
  key concerns and mentoring topics. The focus
  groups also doubled as a promotional tool.
• 2. Used data from the focus groups to answer some
  of the organisational and individual questions,
  presented to the SMT to win their approval (and a
  budget).
• Consulted with IT people about an electronic
  mentor/learner process which could be accessed
  off-site, with the mentees selecting their
  mentors from a list.
• Started recruiting mentors and training them (2
  days).
• Set up a dedicated Mentoring Scheme Website site
  so staff could sign up for a mentors' course or
  learners briefing this gave links to the
  Personal Information Pages where the matching
  process was lodged.
• Saturation marketing of scheme leaflets, talks,
  briefings for all managers, signed up senior
  managers as mentors.
• Big launch of scheme by the Pro Vice- Chancellor.

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SOME PRACTICAL ISSUES

• Time for meetings
• Places for meetings
• Maintaining confidentiality
• Skills level of mentors
• Matching mentors and learners
• Support from line manager
• Evaluating the scheme

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BROOKES MENTORING PRINCIPLES

• Be available at a time and place thats
  convenient for staff
• Be staff-centred and controlled it empowers you
  to direct your own development
• Support career enhancement - you can talk about
  your careers with knowledgeable people who are
  able to support and encourage you
• Provide additional support for people on training
  courses or taking qualifications
• Offer opportunities for you to explore career
  choices
• Create development opportunities it is a useful
  way to network
• Provide a confidential opportunity to talk over
  troubling issues with someone
• Support diversity, by offering a development path
  that is flexible for everyone
• Benefit the mentor as well as the mentee. In
  becoming a mentor you will receive appropriate
  people skills training, which you can use with
  your own colleagues or team
• Be entirely confidential

• 1.

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BENEFITS OF MENTORING

• The mentor gains
• An opportunity to develop themselves and support
  own career
• Increased motivation and job satisfaction
• An opportunity to assess own future potential
• A range of essential career skills in
  communication, relationship building as well as
  mentoring

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THE BENEFITS OF MENTORING

• The Learner gains
• Encouragement in self development
• An increase in self-awareness and self-confidence
• Career development supporting career progression
• An opportunity to explore ideas, concerns,
  ambitions

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• QUESTIONS?