Workplace mentoring relationships.
While varied psychological relational theories have expressed due focus on romantic, familial, friendship, and other significant relationships, these theories similarly suggest important insights into organizational-based relationships. Specifically, workplace mentorship has emerged as critical to contemporary employee career-development, with many nuances around how to effectively conceive, match, and develop those relationships going unrealized (Eby & Robertson, 2020). Moreover, research and common sense supports the notion that both mentors and mentees mutually benefit from mentoring relationships, however outcomes of typical mentorship practices are generally measured as small to moderate in their impact (Eby & Robertson, 2020).
In attempting to more thoughtfully conceive mentoring relationships in the modern workplace, perhaps what stands out most is the contrast between therapeutic-relationships, and typical mentoring relationships. Specifically, psychosocial support (i.e. creating a bond), which is widely recognized as a necessary component for client therapeutic gain in counselling psychology, is often seen developing much later, or not at all, in most organizational mentoring relationships (Eby & Robertson, 2020). This is surprising, in that several major psychological theories identify ‘closeness’ as the primary agent to positive outcomes within relationships, even capable of compensating for previous negative relational experiences (Eby & Robertson, 2020). This understanding is largely representative of my own professional experience, whereby leaders and employees who avoid developing close authentic relationships with coworkers are often more limited in their production and workplace attachment and identity. Similarly, personal self-disclosure is theoretically-supported just as widely as critical to building high quality relationships (Eby & Robertson, 2020), a relational dynamic unpromoted in many organizational cultures. These insights around psychosocial support can be conceptualized as particularly valuable for underrepresented minorities, who may find it harder or more intimidating to organically overcome relational and cultural barriers in the workplace (Eby & Robertson, 2020). This again embellishes a personally observed dynamic, whereby underrepresented employees are perceived as private and less emotionally open than their more prevalently represented counterparts. Furthermore, varying theoretical psychological research supports the efficacy of different mentorship styles across varied organizational environments. For example, environments perceived as ‘highly uncertain and competitive’ may inordinately benefit from promoting mentorship intended to instill a secure attachment base, allowing mentees to feel safe and freely explore and develop their careers (Eby & Robertson, 2020). Additionally, employees perceived as high in self-expansion motivation (i.e. conscientious) can be pointed to mentorship opportunities with dissimilar personalities and competencies to fulfill self-expansion desires, particularly during times when fewer tangible career development opportunities exist (Eby & Robertson, 2020).
In digesting the rhetoric used in this discussion and accompanying publication, we may broadly apply and scale the utility of more intentionally organized mentoring relationships. This process is empirically supported, when understanding that the differential benefits between organic and formally instituted mentorships are small (Eby & Robertson, 2020). Research also makes it clear that successful mentors and leaders (or supervisors) should be conceived as having distinct and varied competencies and behaviour (Eby & Robertson, 2020). This emboldens important dialogue in how organizations should approach, develop and manage human capital, as well as role expectations for traditional leaders and supervisors. Organizations may choose to further support broadly instituted mentoring relationships with third-party dedicated staff, who are attuned to mentorship psychology, education and practice in developing psychosocial support. Moreover, organizations may further a culture of conceiving and benefiting from authentic workplace relationships, by aligning role expectation and goals with mentee and mentor development. This ensures employees cognize their own career development with the development of another.
Eby, L. T., & Robertson, M. M. (2020). The psychology of workplace mentoring relationships. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 7, 75–100. https://doi-org.proxy.hil.unb.ca/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-012119-044924
