Coworkers’ Perspectives on Mentoring Relationships

The studies reported in this dissertation aimed to inform researchers studying informal workplace mentoring relationships. A mentoring relationship involves a more experienced employee (the mentor) and a less experienced employee (the protégé) for the purpose of advancing the protégé’s career. This dissertation started with an extensive literature review, which serves as a future research agenda to inspire scholars working in the field of mentoring. Several underdeveloped research areas were identified in this review. The empirical qualitative studies in this dissertation contributed to these research areas. In these studies, protégés, mentors, coupled pairs of mentors and protégés, and persons from their direct work environment were included. Important in addressing the identified shortcomings in the current literature, is the self-determination theory. This theory proposes that individuals have three basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. How these basic needs are fulfilled in the context of mentoring relationships, was an important question in this dissertation. Self-determination theory was found to serve as relevant framework for understanding mentoring processes and to get more insight into the role of need-fulfillment processes in these relationships. This dissertation shows how mentors play an important role in satisfying protégés’ needs and how protégés evaluate these need-supportive functions. This dissertation also shows the motives informal mentors may have for providing developmental support to their protégés. Last, this dissertation showed how outsiders of informal mentoring relationships perceive these relationships in their direct work context. The studies presented in this dissertation show us the importance of informal relationships and processes in organizations and how they may satisfy employees’ needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Patterns of informal mentorship in policing: A case study

When we think of continuing professional education (CPE) programs we have attended during our careers, we may remember sitting for what seemed like boundless hours in workshops as experts in our field endlessly droned on about how to better perform our job tasks. During these workshops, we may have looked at charts and overhead displays, taken copious notes and received printed workshop materials that we intended to put into use back on the job. By the end of the program, we may have learned something, which we may or may not have put into practice once we returned to our everyday work. More likely, however, our notes and printed materials were set aside as the realities of everyday life intruded on our newly acquired information. Of course, CPE programs are not always boring, but they may have limited effectiveness for the complicated, everyday messiness of our work when compared to programs that provide real world learning. As Cervero (1992) contends, the popular wisdom among practicing professionals is that the knowledge they acquire from practice is far more useful than what they acquire from more formal forms of education. (p. 91). Cervero (1988, 1992) further proposes that the most useful CPE models require that learners learn from and in their everyday work practice. Their knowledge is situated in the practice environment made even more meaningful by the workplace or everyday context. Mentoring Relationships As Context-Rich Learning One way to promote context-rich learning is through integrating mentoring relationships into continuing professional education programs. Mentoring relationships promote learning in and from the work place, assist learners in receiving career help and help learners realize developmental and psychosocial support. Typical functions associated with mentors include coaching proteges in career-related behaviors, sponsoring and helping provide visibility to proteges within th organization and assigning challenging, work-related assignments. Psychosocial support and actions that mentors might perform include role modeling, confirmation, counseling and friendship. Mentoring relationships occur in either informal relationships or workplace sponsored, formal mentoring programs; how these relationships are formed usually determines the nature of the relationship. Informal mentoring relationships usually occur spontaneously through mutual attraction between mentor and protege and provide psychosocial as well as career help. Formal mentoring programs are those sponsored, sanctioned and planned by organizations or programs. Mentors may be persons with more experience within the organization, or may be peers of the protege--the important defining quality of the mentors is their ability to aid in both psychosocial and career support (Hansman, 1998, 2000). Mentoring relationships may be either internal or external to the proteges workplace. Internal mentors, since they are physically in the same space as the protege, may be able to better shield and protect their proteges from excessive workplace demands. However, external mentors can also provide essential help to proteges. Mentors who work outside of the proteges workplace may be better poised to provide long-range career assistance and help with lateral career transitions (Hansman, 1998, 2000). What Role Can CPE Play in Mentoring? As Cervero (1988, 1992) maintains, the most valuable models of CPE include opportunities for participants to learn from and in their everyday work practice, situating their knowledge out of the tools, contexts, experiences and feedback in the everyday workplace environment. CPE professionals can plan and sponsor mentoring programs that include opportunities for participants to learn from and in a meaningful practice environment, richly situated with tools, relationships and experiences that help them understand and reflect upon their workplace knowledge. …

Mentoring, Part 1

Notes on Contributors. Foreword. Acknowledgments. Part I: Introduction:. 1. Overview and Introduction: Tammy D. Allen (University of South Florida), Lillian T. Eby (University of Georgia). 2. Definition and Evolution of Mentoring: Lillian T. Eby (University of Georgia), Jean E. Rhodes (University of Massachusetts, Boston), Tammy D. Allen (University of South Florida). Part II: Theoretical Approaches and Methodological Issues:. 3. Youth Mentoring: Theoretical Approaches and Methodological Issues: Thomas E. Keller (Portland State University). 4. Student-Faculty Mentoring: Theoretical Approaches and Methodological Issues: W. Brad Johnson (U.S. Naval Academy), Gail Rose (University of Vermont), Lewis Z. Schlosser (Seton Hall University). 5. Workplace Mentoring: Theoretical Approaches and Methodological Issues: Terri A. Scandura (University of Miami), Ekin K. Pellegrini (University of Missouri-St. Louis). 6. Reflections on the Theoretical Approaches and Methodological Issues in Mentoring Relationships: Marcus M. Butts (University of Georgia), Jaime R. Durley (University of Georgia), Lillian T. Eby (University of Georgia). Part III: Naturally Occurring Mentoring Relationships:. 7. Naturally Occurring Mentoring Relationships Involving Youth: Renee Spencer (Boston University School of Social Work). 8. Naturally Occurring Student-Faculty Mentoring Relationships: A Literature Review: Carol A. Mullen (University of South Florida). 9. Naturally Occurring Mentoring Relationships Involving Workplace Employees: Thomas W. Dougherty (University of Missouri-Columbia), Daniel B. Turban (University of Missouri-Columbia), Dana L. Haggard (University of Missouri-Columbia). 10. Reflections on Naturally Occurring Mentoring Relationships: Elizabeth Lentz, Tammy D. Allen (both University of South Florida). Part IV: Benefits of Mentoring:. 11. The Benefits Associated with Youth Mentoring Relationships: Lynn Blinn-Pike (Indiana University-Purdue University). 12. Student-Faculty Mentorship Outcomes: W. Brad Johnson (U.S. Naval Academy). 13. The Benefits Associated with Workplace Mentoring Relationships: Aarti Ramaswami (Indiana University-Bloomington), George F. Dreher (Indian University-Bloomington). 14. Reflections on the Benefits of Mentoring: Angie Lockwood, Sarah C. Evans, Lillian T. Eby (all University of Georgia). Part V: Diversity and Mentoring:. 15. Diversity and Youth Mentoring Relationships: Belle Liang (Boston College), Jennifer Grossman (Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital). 16. Mentoring in Academia: Considerations for Diverse Populations: William E. Sedlacek (University of Maryland), Eric Benjamin (Montgomery College), Lewis Z. Schlosser (Seton Hall University), Hung-Bin Sheu (University of Maryland, College Park). 17. Diversity and Workplace Mentoring Relationships: A Review and Positive Social Capital Approach: Belle Rose Ragins (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee). 18. Reflections on Diversity and Mentoring: Hazel-Anne M. Johnson, Xian Xu, Tammy D. Allen (all University of South Florida). Part VI: Best Practices for Formal Mentoring Programs:. 19. Best Practices for Formal Youth Mentoring: Andrew Miller (Middlesex University). 20. Best Practices for Student-Faculty Mentoring Programs: Clark D. Campbell (George Fox University). 21. Best Practices for Workplace Formal Mentoring Programs: Lisa M. Finkelstein (Northern Illinois University), Mark. L. Poteet (Organizational Research & Solutions). 22. Reflections on the Best Practices for Formal Mentoring Programs: Kimberley E. O'Brien, Ozgun B. Rodopman, Tammy D. Allen (all University of South Florida). Part VII: Integrating Multiple Mentoring Perspectives:. 23: New Directions in Mentoring: Steve Bearman (University of California, Santa Cruz), Stacy Blake-Beard (Simmons College), Laurie Hunt (Laurie Hunt & Associates/Simmons College), Faye J. Crosby. 24. Common Bonds: An Integrative View of Mentoring Relationships: Tammy D. Allen (University of South Florida), Lillian T. Eby (University of Georgia). Bibliography. Name Index. Subject Index

Notes on Contributors. Foreword. Acknowledgments. Part I: Introduction:. 1. Overview and Introduction: Tammy D. Allen (University of South Florida), Lillian T. Eby (University of Georgia). 2. Definition and Evolution of Mentoring: Lillian T. Eby (University of Georgia), Jean E. Rhodes (University of Massachusetts, Boston), Tammy D. Allen (University of South Florida). Part II: Theoretical Approaches and Methodological Issues:. 3. Youth Mentoring: Theoretical Approaches and Methodological Issues: Thomas E. Keller (Portland State University). 4. Student-Faculty Mentoring: Theoretical Approaches and Methodological Issues: W. Brad Johnson (U.S. Naval Academy), Gail Rose (University of Vermont), Lewis Z. Schlosser (Seton Hall University). 5. Workplace Mentoring: Theoretical Approaches and Methodological Issues: Terri A. Scandura (University of Miami), Ekin K. Pellegrini (University of Missouri-St. Louis). 6. Reflections on the Theoretical Approaches and Methodological Issues in Mentoring Relationships: Marcus M. Butts (University of Georgia), Jaime R. Durley (University of Georgia), Lillian T. Eby (University of Georgia). Part III: Naturally Occurring Mentoring Relationships:. 7. Naturally Occurring Mentoring Relationships Involving Youth: Renee Spencer (Boston University School of Social Work). 8. Naturally Occurring Student-Faculty Mentoring Relationships: A Literature Review: Carol A. Mullen (University of South Florida). 9. Naturally Occurring Mentoring Relationships Involving Workplace Employees: Thomas W. Dougherty (University of Missouri-Columbia), Daniel B. Turban (University of Missouri-Columbia), Dana L. Haggard (University of Missouri-Columbia). 10. Reflections on Naturally Occurring Mentoring Relationships: Elizabeth Lentz, Tammy D. Allen (both University of South Florida). Part IV: Benefits of Mentoring:. 11. The Benefits Associated with Youth Mentoring Relationships: Lynn Blinn-Pike (Indiana University-Purdue University). 12. Student-Faculty Mentorship Outcomes: W. Brad Johnson (U.S. Naval Academy). 13. The Benefits Associated with Workplace Mentoring Relationships: Aarti Ramaswami (Indiana University-Bloomington), George F. Dreher (Indian University-Bloomington). 14. Reflections on the Benefits of Mentoring: Angie Lockwood, Sarah C. Evans, Lillian T. Eby (all University of Georgia). Part V: Diversity and Mentoring:. 15. Diversity and Youth Mentoring Relationships: Belle Liang (Boston College), Jennifer Grossman (Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital). 16. Mentoring in Academia: Considerations for Diverse Populations: William E. Sedlacek (University of Maryland), Eric Benjamin (Montgomery College), Lewis Z. Schlosser (Seton Hall University), Hung-Bin Sheu (University of Maryland, College Park). 17. Diversity and Workplace Mentoring Relationships: A Review and Positive Social Capital Approach: Belle Rose Ragins (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee). 18. Reflections on Diversity and Mentoring: Hazel-Anne M. Johnson, Xian Xu, Tammy D. Allen (all University of South Florida). Part VI: Best Practices for Formal Mentoring Programs:. 19. Best Practices for Formal Youth Mentoring: Andrew Miller (Middlesex University). 20. Best Practices for Student-Faculty Mentoring Programs: Clark D. Campbell (George Fox University). 21. Best Practices for Workplace Formal Mentoring Programs: Lisa M. Finkelstein (Northern Illinois University), Mark. L. Poteet (Organizational Research & Solutions). 22. Reflections on the Best Practices for Formal Mentoring Programs: Kimberley E. O'Brien, Ozgun B. Rodopman, Tammy D. Allen (all University of South Florida). Part VII: Integrating Multiple Mentoring Perspectives:. 23: New Directions in Mentoring: Steve Bearman (University of California, Santa Cruz), Stacy Blake-Beard (Simmons College), Laurie Hunt (Laurie Hunt & Associates/Simmons College), Faye J. Crosby. 24. Common Bonds: An Integrative View of Mentoring Relationships: Tammy D. Allen (University of South Florida), Lillian T. Eby (University of Georgia). Bibliography. Name Index. Subject Index

Purpose: Mentorship is a valuable mechanism of socializing faculty members to higher education, but understanding of how mentoring relationships develop is limited. The purpose of this study was to seek a more complete understanding of how mentoring relationships develop for junior faculty members, and how these effective mentoring relationships can be fostered. Method: A qualitative, phenomenological design was used to examine junior athletic training faculty members’ experiences with mentoring. Twenty athletic training faculty members: 14 women, 6 men, 32±3 years of age and averaged 2.4±2.1 years as a full-time faculty member in an accredited athletic training program participated in this study. Participants completed one telephone interview, which was audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed with an inductive phenomenological approach. Data saturation was obtained Trustworthiness strategies included peer review and the use of multi-analyst triangulation. Results: Junior faculty participated in informal and formal mentoring relationships that evolved over time, which aided their transition from doctoral student to full-time faculty member. Additionally, mentoring relationships were strengthened when participants took initiative, engaged in the relationship, and set clear goals. Mentors who exhibit good communication skills, willingness to participate, and genuine interest in the mentee are particularly valuable. Conclusions: Both formal and informal mentoring experiences appear to be valuable for junior faculty members, particularly informal relationships. If institutional mentoring programs are lacking then junior faculty should seek out additional mentoring opportunities. These findings also confirm existing literature on effective mentoring characteristics.

Parents’ attitudes toward and experiences with seeking informal mentors for their children

This chapter reviews the existing research on workplace mentoring from the perspective of both the protégé and the mentor. Factors related to the initiation, maturation, and decline of mentoring relationships are discussed, along with the major theoretical frameworks that have been used to study mentoring relationships and that show promise in pushing mentoring scholarship in new directions. Consistent with emerging research workplace mentoring, both the positive and potentially negative aspects of mentoring are highlighted in order to present a comprehensive perspective on this unique type of work relationship. The organizational context is also considered in terms of its influence on the initiation of workplace mentoring relationships, as well as the relational patterns that emerge in workplace mentoring relationships. Finally, methodological challenges associated with the study of mentoring are outlined and considered in terms of important avenues for future research on the topic.

BackgroundMentoring plays a pivotal role in workplace-based learning, especially in the medical realm. Organising a formal mentoring programme can be labor and time intensive and generally impractical in resource constrained medical schools with limited numbers of mentors. Hence, informal mentoring offers a valuable alternative, but will be more likely to be effective when mentors and protégés share similar views. It is therefore important to gain more insight into factors influencing perceptions of informal mentoring. This study aims to explore mentors and protégés’ perceptions of informal mentoring and how these vary (or not) with gender, age and the duration of the relationship.MethodWe administered an Informal Mentor Role Instrument (IMRI) to medical practitioners and academics from Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was developed for the study from other validated instruments. It contained 39 items grouped into 7 domains: acceptance, counselling, friendship, parenting, psychological support, role modelling and sociability.ResultsA total of 103 mentors and 91 protégés completed the IMRI. Mentors had a better appreciation for the interpersonal aspects of informal mentoring than protégés, especially regarding acceptance, counselling and friendship. Moreover, being older and engaged in a longer mentoring relationship contributed to more positive perceptions of interpersonal aspects of mentoring, regardless of one’s role (mentor or protégé).ConclusionIt can be concluded that the expectations of mentors and protégés differed regarding the content and aim of the interpersonal characteristics of their mentoring relationship. We recommend mentors and protégés to more explicitly exchange their expectations of the informal mentoring relationship, as typically practiced in formal mentoring. Additionally, in our study, seniority and lasting relationships seem crucial for good informal mentoring. It appears beneficial to foster lasting informal mentoring relationships and to give more guidance to younger mentors.

Mentoring plays an essential role in cultivating current and prospective social work scholars, educators, and practitioners by fostering supportive relationships that promote skill development, degree completion, and career advancement. However, mentoring relationships in social work doctoral programs are subject to interlocking systems of power and oppression reproduced in the academy including settler colonialism, white supremacy, and neoliberalism. As a result, faculty and doctoral students are forced to negotiate dominant power structures and discourses of mentoring that privilege individualism and extraction, which contradict the profession’s commitment to advancing social justice. This article uses duoethnography to explore the discourses and narratives of mentoring through a critical lens and analysis of power between a doctoral faculty mentor and doctoral student advisee. Both individuals currently serve as faculty in academic institutions and explore the inquiry of the study reflecting on their prior and current formal and informal mentoring experiences and relationships with one another. Exploration of alternative and holistic forms of mentoring that integrate embodiment, ethical relationality, and critical feminist approaches are discussed. Mentoring in social work doctoral programs remains a site of ongoing struggle. Implications for social work doctoral programs are explored.

This narrative study explores experiences with formal and informal mentoring through the perspectives of a fifth grade teacher, Lindsey. In her eighth year of teaching, Lindsey has participated in mentoring relationships of all types, both as a mentee and mentor. Through our dialogue, we delve deeply into informal and formal mentoring relationships from the standpoint of the same teacher, a process which has been missing from mentoring research (Desimone, Hochberg, Porter, Polikoff, Schwartz, & Johnson, 2014; JuarezTorres, Hurst, & Hurst, 2007; Klug & Salzman, 1991). As she shares her story, it is evident that she values several mentoring qualities, though trustworthiness is of the utmost importance. From her perspective, trust and mutual respect facilitate the birth of friendships that, in turn, increase the effective ness of mentoring relationships. The following chapter serves as a platform to share her story with the intent of prompting self-reflection from the reader.Mentoring relationships exist in a variety of forms, as any type of relationship can. The environment and culture in which the relationship exists can affect the dynamics and enactment of the traditionally described mentor/ mentee practices. Because of this, we are behooved to explore mentorship on an intimate level, particularly informal mentorship whose presence has been lacking in educational research. To date, very little research has been conducted on informal mentoring, and even fewer studies have been conducted that “allow simultaneous comparisons of formal and informal mentoring of the same teacher (Juarez-Torres, Hurst, & Hurst, 2007; Klug & Salzman, 1991)” (Desimone, Hochberg, Porter, Polikoff, Schwartz, & Johnson, 2014, p. 88). Given the gap in the literature, the research questions we explore in this study are as follows: (a) what are the teacher’s experiences with informal and formal mentoring as she began her teaching career; (b) how does she outline the differences between mentors and colleagues; and (c) how do the teacher’s experiences affect her personal mentoring style? This narrative study uncovers the experiences of an educator, Lindsey, in her eighth year of teaching, as she reflects upon her experiences with formal and informal mentorship, both as a mentee and a mentor. Although the authors of this paper are participant researchers, which we will explain further in the methodology section, we will sometimes refer to each other in third person (“Lindsey” and “Elizabeth”) throughout the chapter, simply to make the storytelling more fluid.

Section I. Introduction Chapter 1. The Roots and Meaning of Mentoring - Belle Rose Ragins and Kathy E. Kram Section II. Mentoring Research: Past, Present, and Future Chapter 2. The Role of Personality in Mentoring Relationships: Formation, Dynamics, and Outcomes - Daniel B. Turban and Felissa K. Lee Chapter 3. Mentoring and Career Outcomes: Conceptual and Methodological Issues in an Emerging Literature - Thomas W. Dougherty and George F. Dreher Chapter 4. Mentoring as a Forum for Personal Learning in Organizations - Melenie J. Lankau and Terri A. Scandura Chapter 5. Mentoring Relationships From the Perspective of the Mentor - Tammy D. Allen Chapter 6. Mentoring and Leadership: Standing at the Crossroads of Theory, Research and Practice - Veronica M. Godshalk and John J. Sosik Chapter 7. Mentoring and Organizational Socialization: Networks for Work Adjustment - Georgia T. Chao Chapter 8. Gender and Mentoring: Issues, Effects, and Opportunities - Carol McKeen and Merridee Bujaki Chapter 9. Unfinished Business: The Impact o Race o Understanding Mentoring Relationshi - Stacy D. Blake-Beard, Audrey Murrell, and David Thomas Chapter 10. Formal Mentoring Programs: A ?Poor Cousin? to Informal Relationships - S. Gayle Baugh and Ellen A. Fagenson-Eland Chapter 11. Peer Mentoring Relationships - Joyce E. A. Russell and Stacy E. McManus Chapter 12. E-mentoring: Next Generation Research Strategies and Suggestions - Ellen A. Ensher and Susan Elaine Murphy Chapter 13. Understanding Relational Problems in Mentoring: A Review and Proposed Investment Model - Lillian T. Eby Section III. Mentoring Theory: Applying New Lenses and Perspectives Chapter 14. Developmental Initiation and Development Networks - Monica C. Higgins, Dawn E. Chandler, and Kathy E. Kram Chapter 15. Stone Center Relational Cultural Theory: A Window on Relational Mentoring - Joyce K. Fletcher and Belle Rose Ragins Chapter 16. A Constructive-Developmental Theoretical Approach to Mentoring Relationships - Eileen M. McGowan, Eric M. Stone, and Robert Kegan Chapter 17. The Role of Emotional Intelligence in the Mentoring Process - Cary Cherniss Chapter 18. Mentoring for Intentional Behavioral Change - Richard E. Boyatzis Chapter 19. Career Cycles and Mentoring - Douglas T. Hall and Dawn E. Chandler Chapter 20. Mentoring Enactment Theory: Describing, Explaining and Predicting Communication in Mentoring Relationships - Pamela J. Kalbfleisch Chapter 21. Mentoring and the Work-Family Interface - Jeffrey H. Greenhaus and Romila Singh Section IV. Mentoring in Practice: Programs and Innovations Chapter 22. Advancing Women Through the Glass Ceiling With Formal Mentoring - Katherine Giscombe Chapter 23. Designing Relationships for Learning Into Leader Development Programs - Cynthia D. McCauley and Victoria A. Guthrie Chapter 24. The Practice of Mentoring: MENTTIUM Corporation - Lynn P-Sontag and Kimberly Vappie, and Connie R. Wanberg Chapter 25. Blind Dates? The Importance of Matching in Successful Formal Mentoring Relationships - Stacy D. Blake-Beard, Regina M. O?Neill, and Eileen M. McGowan Chapter 26. An International Perspective on Mentoring - David Clutterbuck Section V: Integration Chapter 27. The Landscape of Mentoring in the 21st Century - Kathy E. Kram and Belle Rose Ragins

Two women faculty members, one White from the southeastern United States and one Black African from Zimbabwe, purposefully explored their informal mentoring relationship with the goal of illuminating the complexities associated with their cross-racial, cross-cultural experience. Concentrating on their four-year mentor-mentee academic relationship at a predominantly White institution (PWI), these women employed a dialogic duoethnographic methodology to uncover emerging, nuanced characteristics contributing to the positive nature of their mentoring experience. Calling upon a seminal nine-function mentoring framework focused on advancing mentee personal growth and professional advancement, the authors, engaged in critical interplay of dialogic considerations of their mentoring experiences, relationship, and literature. The authors revealed a distinct cross-cultural and cross-racial journey where each, as participant researcher, uncovered a deeper appreciation for the importance of engaged dialog. Emerging is a complex interplay of understandings about trust, care, and power dynamics as factors in defining mentoring relationships that work for good.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of mentor beliefs about effort related to the knowledge and learning process on their extent of mentoring at work, and to determine the role that the mentor’s perception of psychological safety plays in tempering this relationship.Design/methodology/approach– This study was conducted at an 820-member organization maintenance and operations organization consisting of a number of professions in which apprenticeship-style learning is prevalent. Data collection resulted in 570 members self-identifying as having mentored a less experienced colleague. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to confirm that the measurement instrument represents one unified factor, and a structural equation modelling approach was used to assess the relationships among the study’s latent variables.Findings– Results reveal that mentors who hold sophisticated effort-oriented beliefs are more likely to offer psychosocial support to their protégés. Further, although the relationship between effort-oriented beliefs and vocational support is not significant, the mentor’s perception of a psychologically safe work environment significantly moderates both sets of relationships.Research limitations/implications– As approximately 88 per cent of respondents work in service, as opposed to administrative groups, caution should be exercised in generalizing this study’s findings to the general workforce population. Further, the present study did not differentiate mentors who identified a current or previous subordinate as their protégé from those whose protégés were not a subordinate, nor did the authors differentiate formal from informal mentoring relationships. Thus, further investigation is needed to determine whether our hypothesized relationships differ in any unique manifestations of mentoring relationships at work.Practical implications– By providing a better understanding of the relationship between effort-oriented beliefs and mentoring at work, this study may help in the design of more effective mentoring relationships and ultimately enhance knowledge management and workplace learning.Originality/value– There is no previous research that investigates how one’s cognitions about the effort associated with the knowledge and learning process, in particular, influence mentoring at work. This study provides a model for understanding and developing enhanced mentoring relationships, which are considered a critical element of organizational learning.