Mentorship for Effective Staff Development - Research Paper Example

Introduction Staff development is the dynamic and recurring practice of expanding the ambitions and capabilities of employees, planning of their career and counseling, as well as coaching and guiding them on their individual development (Cohen 1999 p. 43). This is mainly achieved through mentorship, which involves the transfer of knowledge from an experienced person to an employee with little experience in a particular profession. According to Lacey, (1999 p. 9), “the mentor uses their greater knowledge, expertise and experience to help the mentee develop their own skills”. The knowledge transferred is usually relevant to the career, and is meant to prepare an individual for future challenges in the profession. Knowledge transmission is informal and takes a period of time with the mentor offering psychological support in person to the mentored. This essay is an evaluation of how mentoring in the workplace can be used for effective staff development. The significance of mentorship has been discussed. Mentorship for Effective Staff Development In order for mentorship to be effective in staff development, the mentor’s role should be plainly defined at the beginning of the process, in order for each party to understand his/her role. Under such circumstances, mentorship in an organization can be a useful undertaking. However, the mentor should be fully aware of the organizational objectives in order to offer guidance that is acceptable by the management. It is also necessary to define the mentorship period. This allows the employee to have a chance for mentorship by different people, which is essential in ensuring that a diversity of knowledge is transferred (Johnson 2008 p. 67). On the other hand, it is not all mentorship programs that emerge successfully, which depends on the mentor. In situations where the organization provides a mentor for the employees, it would be necessary to limit the time for the process in order to allow the employee to enjoy the freedom of finding a suitable mentor. The diversity of knowledge is usually helpful to the organization and the employee as well. Each mentor contributes substantially to staff development, thereby equipping the workforce with a variety of techniques to deal with problems. More over, it should not be mandatory for mentors to originate from the same faculty as the mentee. The most important factor is the quality of knowledge acquired from the relationship. In order to conduct an effective mentorship program for staff development, it is necessary to ensure that confidentiality is maintained at all times in the relationship. It is usually a relationship that is characterized by challenges and support from the mentor. Effective mentorship seeks to develop confidence in the employees as well as the independence that is necessary for them to make calculated decisions. The employees are taught on the necessity of taking up responsibilities especially the critical ones regarding organizational goals. Too much dependence on single mentors may not be effective, hence the reason for independence after a period of mentorship. The mentor’s accessibility is significant especially when need arises abruptly (McMullen 2002 pp. 28-30). This can be facilitated through exchange of personal contacts as well as making prior arrangements for the next meeting at the end of every meeting. Mentorship has been significant in the enhancement of staff development, whereby the approach as well as the professional viewpoint of the employees is influenced to a considerable extent by the process. The process steers the employees through a number of impediments and drawbacks, which is significant in ensuring that the presented challenges help them in the improvement of results. In order for an effective mentoring program to be achieved, it is necessary for the mentor to sacrifice private time for the employee. Passing knowledge through listening and analyzing problems as well as providing solutions through demonstrations and participatory learning for the employees is usually significant in staff development. The mentor should be capable of investigating the value that others attach to particular issues and their capabilities before becoming their mentor. The views of the mentee should be understood and the person should be able to tell what the employee regards as confidential in order to avoid confrontations and embarrassment (Johnson 2008 pp 68-69). Minor errors are identified and analyzed, enabling the employee to be in a capacity to avoid making errors in future that may be detrimental to the organization. Effective mentorship usually takes a professional manner, whereby every step is predetermined, targeting a particular issue that of concern. The mentor has to be capable of overcoming personal problems in order to help the mentee. It is important to understand the existing alternatives that can be of assistance in the mentorship process. This role is crucial in career development for the staff and therefore the mentor should be one who most likely gained experience through the same process. More over, special training can be useful in ensuring an effective mentorship program is realized. For example the field of natural resource management is characterized by changing circumstances especially due to human influence (Doyle 2000 pp. 76-78). Mentors for staff in this field should be prepared to offer a range of solutions for the unexpected problems that may be encountered by the employees. They should encourage teamwork in order for solutions to be developed from the workers, since there are no defined solutions that are applicable in all situations. In order for the mentorship program to be effective in staff development, they should be encouraged to possess a positive attitude towards the process. They have to appreciate its importance and the benefits attached to it. They should be in a position to provide answers to their own problems, with the understanding that the mentor is mainly helpful in offering assistance whenever they are stuck. This is important in ensuring that they eliminate the undesirable dependence that may exist amongst them. In such a way, they are capable of meeting with their mentors with predetermined questions and possible solutions to problems that require the approval of the mentor (McMullen 2002 p 91). It helps in creating a participatory mentorship process whereby solutions to problems come from both ends. This allows the staff to feel as part of the process, thereby developing a sense of belonging to the mentorship program. It is necessary for the mentors to ensure the avoidance of conflict of interest while strategizing on the mentorship program. The relationship should be designed to help the mentor to improve performance in regard to the tasks allocated by the management. Personal interests in the mentor can be destructive and can never help in achieving comprehensive staff development. There should be a certain protocol to be followed in order to avoid external factors from interfering with the process. It should also be clear in the early stages what the mentee is supposed to expect from the association. This is important in determining the level of satisfaction at the end of the program. An organization can facilitate staff development through mentorship by establishing mentoring schemes. These involve the services of volunteers as well as the continued support of the top management. Mentoring is a significant way of making professional issues easily recognizable by the employees who are new in a particular profession. It is usually important for the newly recruited staff in order for them to have a basis of developing their career. Ignorance can greatly affect the performance of even the highly educated staff members (Zachary 2000 p. 78). It is important that they understand the work place processes and expectations in order for them to be in a capacity to set personal targets that enhance the realization of the organizational goals. Mentoring allows employees to cross-examine their own performance, understand and improve their learning capabilities and aspirations. This is because organizational learning is significant in the productivity of the employee, which means that the mentorship is meant to boost an individual’s capability to learn in the work place. The integration of the practice in Human Resource Management allows the shift from a system of management through authoritarian control to an empowered work force that is able to make individual constructive decisions. In order to maintain the continuity of an organization, future managers are made through staff development, especially the junior employees who are best suited for taking up management roles in future due to the experience gained through organizational learning. It ensures that the most productive employees are maintained in the organization, since the knowledge acquired makes them comfortable and enthusiastic of their work (Dowling and Mielenz 2002 p. 71). It also helps in fostering a solid relationship between an individual and fellow employees in order to cooperate effectively thereby creating a productive team of employees. Under performance can be solved in the course of mentorship, which makes it possible for the employees to understand that they are esteemed by the management. It helps to foster the desired commitment among them thereby improving performance. It is also a tool for improvement of skills and interest in the work. It upholds inventiveness and dependability amongst employees. Through mentorship, workers feel recognized by the management for their efforts in realization of organizational goals. It promotes organizational change by ensuring that workers are empowered to perform their duties confidently while improving their skills. It enhances cooperation, which is a way of encouraging participative running of an organization (Doyle 2000 p. 96). Mentorship promotes organizational learning, which is a social process through which individuals exchange knowledge and experiences in order to facilitate the presence of an informed group of decision making staff within an organization. A learning organization is that which has the capacity to facilitate staff in terms of creation, gaining and transmission of skills within it in order to achieve the necessary behavioural changes which are necessary in organizational development. In such a case, employees are capable of adapting to new developments in the working environment (Carroll J. S. and Edmondson A. C. 2002 pp. 31-36). The employees learn through the process of watching, performing particular tasks by themselves under the guidance of mentors while raising issues in situations where they fail to understand processes. The organizational rules and regulations are understood better through a mentor who explicitly gives a detailed explanation, rather than when the workers learn on their own. Induction of new staff members is significant in preparing them for prospective roles in an organization. Appropriate staff orientation provides a critical overview of the organizational objectives and also helps in boosting staff retention. This is because many staff members who fail to adapt to a particular organizational process lose enthusiasm in the work and eventually leave it. Mentorship in this case is a positive method for the enhancement of understanding of the organizational procedures by the new staff. It usually takes some time following several stages until the management becomes satisfied that the individual is ready to take up the roles on his/her own. The relationship between the mentor and the mentee is usually established on the basis of trust and cooperation. It is usually characterized with positive criticism by the mentor as well as offering support towards personal development. The practitioners who possess little skills acquire knowledge through this process (Zachary 2000 pp. 18-21). Mentorship is usually intentional in the sense that the mentee understands that without it, there is a likelihood of failure. The mentor therefore is obligated to uphold this intentional learning through coaching, offering experience for the staff to reflect and compare the tasks ahead with it. This way, they can be able to assess the achievability of their personal goals. The mentors serve as models to be emulated by the new staff. This is because they are usually experienced and successful in the time that has been spent in the organization. However, they do not only share their success but also they do for their failures. This is because both are significant teachers in the mentorship process. Through appreciating failure in certain situations while undertaking organizational tasks, an individual learns how to evade possible causes of failure and learns how to work towards achieving positive results (Brounstein 2000 pp. 96-97). Past scenarios faced by mentors usually offer memorable situations that can be useful to the mentee when faced with such circumstances in future. The workers can always recall how their mentor encountered problems in the workplace, what they did to solve the problem and the consequences of the action that was taken. They are therefore prepared to solve problems that may arise in the work place in future (Tamasy 2003 p. 81). Once the staffs are prepared and able to take up roles individually, they can also become mentors for others who may join the organization in future. Mentorship therefore develops qualities and capabilities in the employees, making them significant assets for the organization. It enhances responsibility sharing since it is usually a joint venture. This allows team work in the organization, which is necessary for improving the productivity of workers. It provides a basis for life long learning which is usually developed from the beginning of the mentorship process. It helps in developing technical, personal and interpersonal skills that are necessary in staff development. This promotes creativity in the work force as well as the desired teamwork. Mentors match individual capabilities and interests in a particular field where workers feel comfortable working in with the prevailing conditions. The mentor ensures that the workers are allocated the activities that correspond to their interests and abilities. This enhances staff development due to the fact that workers who are not satisfied with what they do may not be able to perform effectively. It also enables the employees to develop specialist skills in particular fields of work. Further training on the specialized fields improves worker performance, thereby improving the overall performance of the organization (Peddy 2001 p. 56-57). The mentorship process is usually flexible and therefore the staff can develop skills in a range of organizational activities. The staffs acquire confidence in their daily activities in the presence of a mentor. Having an experienced person to offer guidance is significant in building this confidence (Lacey, K. 1999). Mentors assist their candidates in the identification of the various stages of difficulties in their selected field of work. Through this, the employees are capable of developing personal goals that are useful in getting them through their career path. They develop qualities and the capabilities that are significant in coping with the rising complexity in the career path. Planning is necessary in personal development. It enables an individual to keep focused on the particular career path that is significant in achievement of the set goals. The plan is essential in the development of the technical, emotional and interpersonal capabilities that make the workers competent in the work place. It helps in developing essential qualities that the mentors used to become successful (McMullen 2002 p. 81). Mentorship helps workers to achieve work life balance. Workers who feel overburdened by tasks usually lack enthusiasm in personal development. This usually happens in organizations where leadership is authoritarian, constantly disregarding the workers’ needs. In such a case, the marginalized groups such as the women who require flexitime in order to attend to family issues. Having a mentor is significant in retaining such workers (Wellington and Spence 2001 p. 18). The mentor serves as a bridge for expressing personal opinion to the management. More over, he/she has experience in maintenance of work life balance and therefore the knowledge transfer can be helpful when applied by the mentee. This is useful in providing a psychological solution to the underlying problems that cause dissatisfaction and indifference in the work place. Understanding the manner in which workers define different aspects of their lives is significant in analyzing personal strengths and weaknesses. It enables the employees to capitalize on their strengths and develop solutions for the weaknesses. A mentor provides the required analytical skills that help the workers to identify such aspects of their lives (Shea 1998 p. 46). With such skills, it is usually easy to manage the complexities of the work place. Personal awareness is therefore enhanced through mentorship, thereby serving as an important tool for staff development. The employees acquire the capability of dealing with the normal set backs encountered in the work place without getting overwhelmed by psychological factors. They acquire negotiating skills while seeking the support of others in the work place, as well as being honest and maintaining integrity in all commitments and promises made. Conclusion Planned career development is critical for all working professionals. Even though the employees are obligated with their personal and career development, it is usually necessary to have a mentor who will actively offer support to them. Whenever there is a change in the organizational structure or during the inception stage, the mentor plays a significant role in ensuring that the mentee does not lose focus in regard to the career goals. The employees acquire the capacity to conduct a needs assessment which enables them to institute a development plan and also evaluate their own progress. This can be effective if there are regular meetings between the mentor and the mentee. He/she assists the employee to review progress from time to time which is significant in maintaining the required standards and accomplishment of targets. Prior to making the final decision, the mentee is presented with an opportunity to try the effectiveness of various techniques of working. Mentorship therefore plays a significant role in staff development. Bibliography 1. Brounstein M. 2000. Coaching and Mentoring for Dummies, 1st edition, For Dummies. 2. Cohen N. H. 1999. The Mentee's Guide to Mentoring, 1st edition HRD Press. 3. Doyle M. K. 2000. Mentoring Heroes: 52 Fabulous Women's Paths to Success and the Mentors Who Empowered Them, 3E Press. 4. Dowling L. and Mielenz C. 2002. Mentor Manager, Mentor Parent: How to Develop Responsible People and Build Successful Relationships at Work and at Home, TurnKey Press. 5. Johnson B. W. 2008. The Elements of Mentoring, Revised Edition, Palgrave Macmillan. 6. Lacey, K. 1999, 'Building bridges - Making mentoring happen', Training and Development in Australia, vol. 26,no. 5, pp. 9 - 11. 7. McMullen M. A. 2002. Because You Believed In Me: Mentors and Protégés Who Shaped Our World, Andrews McMeel Publishing 8. Peddy S. 2001. The Art of Mentoring: Lead, Follow and Get Out of the Way, Bullion Books. 9. Shea G. F. 1998. Crisp: Making the Most of Being Mentored: How to grow from a Mentoring Partnership, 1st edition, Crisp Learning. 10. Tamasy R. 2003. The Heart of Mentoring: Ten Proven Principles for Developing People to Their Fullest Potential, NavPress. 11. Wellington S. and Spence B. 2001. Be Your Own Mentor: Strategies from Top Women on the Secrets of Success, 1st edition, Random House. 12. Zachary L. J. 2000. The Mentor's Guide: Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships, 1st edition, Jossey-Bass. Read More