COACHING AND MENTORSHIP

Coaching and Mentorship



Coaching and Mentorship

Introduction

In increased emphasis on learning in organizations has enhanced researchers' and practitioners' interest in the dynamics of individual development in the workplace. Three approaches to understanding individual development (behavioral change, self-directed learning, and adult development) are reviewed, and the common elements across these approaches are identified. These elements are used to evaluate six popular individual development practices: 360-degree feedback, executive coaching, developmental assignments, action learning, social support for learning, and communities of practice. This analysis indicates no one practice is a panacea for individual development. Directions for research are suggested and trends that are likely to influence individual development in the workplace in the future are discussed.

Although learning and skill acquisition have been studied by industrial psychologists since the field's inception, relatively little attention has been devoted to understanding individual development in the workplace. The vast majority of research and practice on work-related learning has focused on training, particularly on the design and evaluation of individual training programs. Recent changes in the workplace, however, have altered how learning is viewed. Escalating technological innovation, corporate downsizing, the flattening of organizational hierarchies, an increased use of teams, and rising numbers of temporary and contract employees have been accompanied by a shift in responsibility for learning away from organizations towards employees (Callanan & Greenhaus, 1999; London & Mone, 1999). Learning is no longer viewed as a need that occurs occasionally when a new system is introduced or when a new job is begun, but is viewed as a continuous process (Senge, 1990; Vaill, 1996). Training programs continue to be an important mechanism for employee learning, but individuals increasingly need to manage their own development, regularly updating and expanding their skills to prepare for future job demands (Callanan & Greenhaus, 1999; London & Mone, 1999). These changes make understanding individual development in the workplace a priority for both researchers and practitioners

Coaching and Mentorship

An important organizational aid to career management is support and advice in career development from others who are in a good position to offer guidance. Most people talk regularly about their careers with others including family and friends. Within the organization, a person's direct superior may have a strong potential influence on his or her career, in terms of personal coaching, counseling, and sponsorship of the person in the wider organization. An annual performance evaluation interview, for example, may be a good opportunity for an employee to confide in a supportive boss and try to do some career planning.

Mentorship is a process of bringing together a senior and a junior person, so that the senior takes the junior “under his or her wing” and offers guidance on a range of issues including career. A mentor is not necessarily the person's direct superior and need not even be a member of the same organization. Many organizations, however, now have structured mentoring programs in which junior staffs are formally assigned to experienced mentors for periodic assistance. It may be that the best type of career management support an ...