Benefits of mentoring African‐American men

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between mentoring, job satisfaction and organizational commitment among African‐American males.Design/methodology/approachAn online questionnaire was completed by 359 African‐American males in a business setting.FindingsJob satisfaction and organizational commitment were higher for those who were being mentored versus those who were not. The multiple regression results suggested mentoring was a statistically significant predictor of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Further, the relation between mentoring and organizational commitment was mediated by job satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsCurrent organizational research is limited, in that it tends to focus on majority culture where findings can be inappropriately generalized to minority groups. Future mentoring research should include more minorities that can provide a new window for interpreting the contributions of minorities to organizational competitiveness.Practical implicationsMentoring programs should be continued and/or expanded upon to reduce the likelihood of poor job satisfaction and organizational commitment for African‐American males.Social implicationsOrganizations through their human resource efforts can contribute to the learning and development of African‐American males and other minorities by designing and implementing quality mentoring programs. Such programs could lessen the likelihood of costly under‐performance and turnover.Originality/valueThis is one of the relatively few organizational studies designed specifically for a minority group. The results have implications for how human resource professionals and managers might improve mentoring experiences for minorities.