The exchange is usually mutual, even if one member of the dyad begins in the traditional role of mentee, or learner, and the other in the role of mentor. The relationship then develops into an environment for co-learning. This can create a power differential between mentor and mentee, which can inhibit development of rapport, especially in the early stages.
Peer mentoring overcomes the hierarchical gap. In conventional mentoring relationships the exchange is more one-way even though mentors benefit , in peer mentoring the balance is more even. Peer mentoring may be more accessible to potential mentees simply because there are more peers available than experienced mentors.
Kram and Isabella 1 suggest that peer mentoring can offer greater opportunity for empathy, and a sense of equity and expertise. Their study suggests that peer relationships may have more longevity and that whilst traditional mentoring relationships might be most useful at early stages of career, peer relationships may have more to offer at later stages.
An interesting study by Burgstahler and Cronheim 2 found that the content of electronic communications primarily email in this study between peers was more likely to be personal in nature than that between traditional mentor pairs. Don't be afraid to ask for help whenever you feel like you're in the dark. One of the most common caveats or limitations of peer mentorships is the fact that both parties are at roughly the same level in their careers, so you may need to seek guidance or assistance from more experienced colleagues at times.
You should also make a point of asking your mentor for help if you run into issues or conflicts in your career. Remember, your mentor is there for a reason. Make sure you're just as receptive to your mentor's requests of you, since this is a give-and-take relationship. The most important part of your mentoring relationship is being open to both offering and accepting advice, guidance and suggestions, as well as practicing leadership skills.
Otherwise, neither teammate will get anything out of the relationship. Additional reporting by Sammi Caramela and Nicole Fallon. Some source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article. Want to Advance Your Career? Try Peer Mentoring. Kiely Kuligowski. Peer mentoring is a mutually beneficial relationship that can advance your career.
Peer mentoring relaxes the traditionally rigid lines between mentor and mentee for a more even playing field. To get the most out of your peer mentoring relationship, make sure to set clear goals and guidelines. Communication is an important aspect of peer mentoring, helping to ensure that both participants are on the same page.
How to benefit from peer mentoring There are three important steps in peer mentoring: finding the right mentor, working with them to create a balanced relationship, and asking for support when you need it. Find a teammate. Create a mutual vision. Ask for proper guidance. Besides, even if all knowledge would be formalized, technological developments go so fast that, for many jobs, it would be quickly outdated.
The most successful HR professionals in today's digital business environment have a T-shaped competency profile. Take the free assessment now! Peer mentoring is a great — and perhaps even the only — way to ensure the transfer of tacit knowledge. Unsurprisingly, peer mentoring has a positive effect on employee engagement; that kind of is the logical sum of all the above-mentioned benefits.
Not only does having a strong peer mentor program improve job satisfaction, retention, and the personal development of the mentee, it also positively affects the peer mentor. Where do you begin? How do you get the ball rolling? Here are five key elements to keep in mind. As with every new initiative, you need to know what the objectives of your peer mentoring program are.
This can vary widely from one organization to another and will largely depend on the main issues within the company. The structure of your program will depend on these business problems and on the organizational strategy.
Are you experiencing high turnover among young managers for instance? Or a sub-par performance of junior-level employees in a certain segment? Or is improving the retention of female salespeople your main goal? For instance, if you want to improve the retention of female salespeople, you could look at before-and-after retention rates.
And keep things simple. This brings us to one of the most important parts mentoring namely the matching of mentors and mentees. There are various ways to do this ranging from algorithms that match people to simply pulling a piece of paper with a name on it out of a hat. Usually, though, peer mentoring programs that give participants some say in the matching process are the most successful.
This means that participants know that they can get out of the mentoring relationship without any hard feelings from their other half. Think for instance of:. Going back to our example of improving the retention of female salespeople once again, one way to measure the success of your program is by looking at before and after retention rates. Another key factor of your assessment process is the feedback of your participants — the mentors and mentees.
How did they experience the program? If you wanted to increase engagement, then how engaged are people now and before they started with peer mentoring?
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