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Tiffin University

Summary & Critical Analysis of Mentoring Articles

Submitted for: SRM 670 Sports Mentorship Dr. Bonnie Tiell

By: Jenny Piotrowski Stevens Point, WI April 16, 2014

2 Article 1: What is the value of mentoring in a small business? Using narrative evaluation to find out. This article presents a discussion of what mentoring is, particularly in the small business world. It is stated that mentoring is usually seen as help by one person given another to find new meanings in work and/or life (p. 52). In small businesses mentoring can come about in two ways. First, a mentor may be sought out for help and advice through a friend or family member. Second, the mentee may be willing to seek someone outside his/her small organization to gain advice and insight to certain scenarios (p. 53). Whichever route is taken, the mentor must have a good sense and awareness of small business issues especially in whatever industry the organization is based. The article then goes on to state what successful mentoring is and argues that the use of narratives or story-telling is a strong source for deciding whether an experience was worth-while. This is tested by analyzing the interviews of a small business manager, Alistair. From Alistairs experiences, a systematic approach would show little impact, but through Alistairs narratives it was shown that he was gaining value from the program he was involved in (p. 55). Basically, the article states that analyzing the narrative displays the view of the teller, the important events that have occurred, and the values the teller is receiving from the experiences making it a great tool for mentoring. In this article, there is a strong statement about what makes a good mentor; If they are able to make the distinction between help for task completion and help for learning and development (p. 53). A good mentor allows a mentee to have or share in an experience that he or she may not have originally had the opportunity. A great mentor is one that provides that opportunity as well as follows through with helping the mentee gain knowledge and development from the experience(s). Any mentee that is fortunate to find a mentor with the latter qualities must do everything in his/her power to keep that mentor throughout his/her career. The discussion throughout the article about story telling being a strong mentoring tool is accurate. A narrative provides a single persons perspective of a situation; his/her emotions, focuses, and interests. Story telling establishes a valued endpoint and events are selected which are deemed relevant to the endpoint (p. 54). These points do not necessarily need to be true to display the value of an experience. However, a story can be very subjective. A single point-of-view may not be enough to determine the value of a mentorship experience. Collecting stories from both the mentor and the mentee may uncover more value as well as provide better insight to the entire situation or program. None-the-less, presenting a narrative, such as journaling, can enhance a mentorship experience and truly reveal the value of the experiences by both the mentor and the mentee. Reference Gold, J., Devins, D., & Johnson, A. (2003). What is the value of mentoring in a small business? Using narrative evaluation to find out. British Journal Of Guidance & Counselling, 31(1), 51.

3 Article 2: Can Mentoring Qualities Be Measured? This article defines mentoring "...as the process of using especially selected and trained people to provide guidance and advice which will help to develop the careers of the protges" (p. 478). It continues to state that not all managers will make good mentors. Both individuals in the proposed relationship must possess certain qualities. The superior manager or mentor should extend his/her role beyond his/her routine administrative activities by being willing to devote the time and effort required to develop the junior manager or mentee. The mentor should be sensitive to the mentees learning habits and set high standards, foster joint problem-solving, and encourage reflection (p. 479). The junior manager or mentee must be willing to take constructive criticism and to be fully invested in the program by actively participating. The article goes on to state that an evaluation of the mentees performance is important by the mentor and provides a good foundation for a mentees future performance; however, his/her past performance cannot be the sole indicator of how the mentee will perform in the future. Next the article displays how mentoring qualities can be measured through assessment centers. These assessment centers use multiple different types of tests to determine ones ability to be a successful manager. These centers also have a tool to determine whether one makes a good mentor; a scale of 39 statements. The main focus of this article is the discussion of the history of mentoring, what makes a good mentor, and how mentoring qualities can be measured. The history of the idea of mentoring is important to understand. The idea that someone must find an already successful individual to guide him/her throughout ones endeavors has been important throughout history. Finding a good mentor is also important. This step can be overlooked often. If a mentor does not know what is expected of him/her, they are almost always setup for failure with the relationship. Often the blame of a poor mentorship experience is put on the mentor; however, it is the responsibility of both the mentor and the mentee to establish basic expectations at the beginning of the relationship. One way to avoid this scenario, as discussed in the article, is knowing which individuals make great mentors. The use of tests and scales can be effective in analyzing a persons personality. When it comes to being a good leader and/or mentor this still holds true. If one has the ability to properly analyze a scale or test, great mentors may be found. On the other hand, some people may not be very keen on taking multiple tests or completing the mentoring scale. It is all dependent on the person. Reference Olowu, A. A. (2011). CAN MENTORING QUALITIES BE MEASURED?. IFE Psychologia, 478-493.