Predictors of Effective Mentoring: Is the Mentor’s Commitment All that Matters?

Abstract

The development of effective mentoring relationships is a growing human resource priority for today’s organizations. Hence, the present research explores how the intersection of motivation and ability contributes to mentoring success. Extending the motivation-aptitude model of performance to mentoring effectiveness, we examined whether mentor commitment and other mentor attributes impacted supervisors’ evaluation of mentors’ effectiveness. Using self-report and third-party rating data from a Nigerian sample of 102 mentors and 14 supervisors, support was found for our hypotheses. Mentor commitment exhibited a positive relationship with mentoring effectiveness as rated by one’s supervisor, when high levels of mentoring aptitudes or attributes (i.e., leader-member exchange, political skill, self-monitoring, strategic outlook, and learning goal orientation) conducive to effective mentoring were present. Conversely, effectiveness of mentors who displayed high mentor commitment was lower when these mentor attri...