Mentorship at workplace: understanding mentoring benefits, mentoring functions

Abstract

This research examines how mentors and mentees understand the purposes of mentoring, the advantages of mentoring, and the role of gender in mentoring relationships. The prevalent belief that mentoring brings significant value to individuals and organizations is supported by literature. According to Bozeman & Feeney (2007), mentoring is a connection that fosters development between organizational members with different statuses. It offers young adults’ career-enhancing services like sponsorship, coaching, and assistance with increasing visibility at work. The informal style of knowledge transfer in the mentoring relationship is a crucial component. If the training is part of the official requirements for the employment, it is not considered mentoring. Numerous studies have found that mentor-mentee interactions are advantageous for both parties involved. Career progress and psychosocial support have been identified as two essential outcomes from mentoring for mentees (Kram 1985; Levinson et. al., 1978). The second benefit of mentoring is psycho-social support, which includes advantages like inspiration, companionship, guidance, and performance criticism (Kram 1985). There are certain advantages for the mentor as well, though. According to Levinson et al. (1978), mentoring revitalises mentors' careers by allowing them to contribute to the professional and personal growth of mentees. In the Indian environment, mentoring in the workplace has evolved into a crucial component. The transition from an industrial to a knowledge-based economy is happening quickly. India has also captured the interest of people all around the world thanks to a knowledge industry that is expanding quickly. According to Patibandla and Petersen (2002), human capital is heavily invested in this knowledge-based sector in India. One of the most essential objectives for the HRM department of any organisation, according to several research in the Indian context, is "Career Planning and Development," which includes employee counselling and mentorship. At the same time, the majority of workers encounter numerous challenges, and despite being significant, career planning continues to be a significant difficulty that the Indian public sector faces today (Kilam and Kumari, 2012)