1st Edition

The Mentor Connection Strategic Alliances within Corporate Life

By Michael G. Zey Copyright 1991
    228 Pages
    by Routledge

    228 Pages
    by Routledge

    In this study based upon interviews with over 150 executives in Fortune 500 companies and smaller firms, Zey provides a major exploration of the sociological dynamics of the mentoring relationship, locating benefits of this phenomenon in career growth, job satisfaction, and social mobility. Zey offers a framework for the understanding of corporate culture; an approach that raises The Mentor Connection far beyond the usual self-help literature found in this field.

    Introduction to the Transaction Edition, Preface to the Original Edition, Mentoring in the Modern Corporation, The Renewed Interest in Mentoring. How Prevalent Is Mentoring. Toward a Working Definition of the Mentor Concept. The Hierarchy of Mentoring. The Benefits Are Mutual. The Plan of This Book. Level I— The Mentor as Teacher: Teaching the Job. Drawing the Organizational Road Map. Career Guidance. Level II—Personal Support: Psychological Support. Confidence Building. Assistance with Personal Life. The Thin Line. Level III—Organizational Intervention: The Mentor Goes Public. Protection. Marketing the Candidate. Access to Resources., Promoting the Protege, Level IV—Promotions Direct and Indirect: Direct Promotion. The Subtle Approach. Position of Mentor. Mentoring as Transformation. If the Mentor Never Existed. Life without a Mentor. The Effects of Organizational Type on Mentoring., The Benefits Are Mutual—The Mentor and the Organization, The Mentor: Career Enhancement. Intelligence/Information Systems. The Trusted Adviser. Psychic Rewards. The Risks of Mentoring. The Organization: Integrating the Individual. Reduction in Turnover. Organizational Communication. Management Development. Managerial Succession. Productivity. Socialization to Power., The Female Protege, Mentoring and the Barriers to Women: The Image of Women in the Workplace. Are Male Managers Threatened by Female Managers? Are Women Prepared? Male Mentors versus Female Mentors: Does It Make a Difference? The Comfort Factor. The Organizational Power of the Mentor. Involvement and Innuendo. A Rival for Spouse? The Future of the Female Protege., The Negative Side of Mentoring, The Black Halo. The Failure to Protect The Betrayed Protege. When Mentor Leaves. The Failed Mentor Relationship and Its Effects on the Organization. Underlying Factors in the Decline of Mentor Relationships., Establishing the Mentor Connection, Making the Connection: Factors in the Selection of a Mentor. Personality Fit and Chemistry. Strategies Employed in Attracting a Mentor. What Mentors Look for in a Protege. Once the Relationship Is Established: A Midpoint Appraisal. Peer Relations. Upward Relations., Mentoring and the Future of the Corporation, Formal Mentoring: The Government Program. Programs in Private Industry. Toward the Development of a Formal Corporate Mentoring System. The Process in Retrospect Notes, Appendix A Research Methodology, Appendix B Study Questionnaire, Index

    Biography

    Michael G. Zey is a sociologist who consult and writes in the areas of management and organizational development. This volume was completed when the author was a Fellow at the National Institutes of Mental Health in Bethesda. He is now on the management faculty of Montclair State College in Montclair, New Jersey. He is author of Winning With People, and has written articles in Personnel Journal and Mentoring International.