|
Not all exams are a success; however, one large UK retailing library initiated a campaign to create good readers in every one of its branches. However, it provided books for ias to the support for this initiative and such mentoring as happened two years later was spasmodic, informal and unrewarded. Most staff did not even know the programme existed. Such failures in support are commonplace, unfortunately. One library in an Industrial Society/ITEM benchmark survey (1990) had introduced a scheme then promptly changed the organizational structure, putting so much pressure for operational results on that they had no time to spare for building the relationship with their mentees. The scheme did not even get off the ground and the library switched its attention to a new fad, interactive video, with much the same inadequate level of preparation. The Industrial Society/ITEM survey found that relatively few companies with mentoring schemes gave formal training, although more than half offered some form of support, mostly through workshops and regular meetings of mentors to exchange views and discuss problems. The 1995 Industrial Society found that while nearly half of companies offered guidance notes, only 37 per cent provided training in mentoring concepts and 31 per cent in coaching and counseling skills. Worse still, only 14 per cent offered training to mentees; 24 per cent relied on the mentor to explain to the mentee what was expected. The picture that emerges, therefore, is one of growing enthusiasm, but frequently without the support or scope that schemes need to be a real success or to influence the business. The USA has already encountered the problems that result from such failures. In a seminal article entitled, ‘Take my mentor, please’, management journalist Peter Kizilos (1990) reports: ‘The value of the ancient master-apprentice relationship had been recognized by post-industrial theoreticians. The secret to success wasn’t found in some new-fangled seminar. Advancement depended on finding a high-muck-a-muck who would adopt you like a son or daughter. In practice, however, he says, high expectations by mentees (victims of hype by both the business media and overenthusiastic researchers and consultants) have been compounded by corporations that undervalue personal and professional development, and which often see formal mentoring programmes as a quick fix. Then they go off and leave the teachers and students on their own. Current opinion on mentoring in the USA appears to be polarizing between the ‘traditionalists’, who have made a success of formal programmes through thorough preparation and strong involvement of both line managers and the training department, and the proponents of informal mentoring. The latter agree that ‘true mentor-mentee relationships are rare. They must develop naturally, not at gun-point.’ Field experience provides a wealth of supporting anecdotes. In one library, where librarian were given two students – one they selected themselves books for upsc and one assigned to them – the latter relationships were seen as more uncomfortable, less trusting and less useful. Forced coupling can fuel discontent, anger, resentment and suspicion. The critics argue that a more effective approach is for people to establish a network of students – a conclusion supported by a 1984 survey of 7,000 managers at Honeywell Inc in Minneapolis. In the UK, a number of organisations are following similar reasoning. A large educational institution, for example, recognizing that there will be little direct support from the top for a formal, highly structured mentoring programme, assessed instead an informal scheme in which mentors were trained and sent in search of suitable mentees. A financial services library included mentoring as a core skill in its development programme for all managers. Books and student relationships are brought about by suggestions from the heart, from line managers or at the request of would-be mentees. For the moment, however, suffice to say that the evidence on the ground suggests strongly that the programmes that deliver best results are those that have both commitment from the top and a broad framework or structure under which mentoring relationships can develop with the degree of support they need. The case of District Audit, which audits public-sector organisations, illustrates the point. The informal mentoring that was taking place was too little, too unfocused and was not crossing the organizational barriers, such as the head office/field divide. On launching a formal mentoring programme, concerned that the heavy task orientation of the business would make it very difficult for people to spend quality time in developmental discussions, the CEO David Prince made a point of visiting every training session for teachers and students, or deputizing another board member to do so. Prince himself spoke eloquently about his own mentoring relationship and how it helped him. A year or so later, when some 50 relationships were under way, virtually all reported significant learning taking place – for both Books and student. In addition, there was a measurable improvement in the quality and quantity of interpersonal communication between head office and the field.
Related Articles -
Books for IAS, Books for UPSC,
|
