119048431_Skye_Melott_Final_capstone_paper_1.pdf

MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 2

Abstract

The purpose of this mix-method study was to investigate a link between mentor relationships and

job fulfillment in a local workplace. Twenty subjects were surveyed and were asked to describe

their experiences with professional mentoring relationships. Two surveys were administered: one

to mentors and one to mentees. Results indicated that the majority of mentees felt a strong

impact from a mentor relationship and perceived those impacts to be beneficial to their job

fulfillment, organizational socialization and awareness, and business acumen. There was a

significant relationship between having a mentor and becoming a mentor.

Keywords: mentor, mentee, job fulfillment, organizational mentoring program

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Perceived Impacts of Mentoring in the Workplace

Introduction

Many employees lack mentor relationships. These individuals progress throughout their

careers without experiencing the positive impacts a mentor can provide. An employee’s

perception about mentoring can influence the development of their career. For instance, a person

who experienced a positive relationship with a mentor or mentee may feel a greater sense of

overall career fulfillment, whereas a person who had a negative relationship may feel as if they

wasted their time. Furthermore, a mentor relationship can have a direct impact on an individual’s

career.

Mentor relationships affect employees on several different levels. A mentor can provide a

unique insight into an individual’s professional development as well as their personal

development. Employees who have a direct avenue to communicate and establish relationships

with leaders in the company feel more engaged in their work. These types of relationships are

especially important for creating a deeper sense of trust from an organization’s leaders. They can

also enhance an individual’s opportunity for networking with leaders in the company that they

may not have otherwise had a chance to interact with. Furthermore, research supports the notion

that these effects can be linked to greater commitment to the company, reduced attrition rates,

and overall employee satisfaction. In a society with an extremely competitive job market, it is

important for employers to take this information into consideration.

Local and nationwide organizations spend millions of dollars each year on the

professional development of their employees and maintaining a healthy organizational culture. It

is commonly known among people in the workforce that employees who experience fulfillment

within his or her job are more likely to succeed and grow themselves within their current

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organization. A mentor relationship can greatly influence an employee’s organizational success

and individual development. These relationships also have the ability to enhance one’s resources

within the organization, further suggesting that the opportunity for establishing positive networks

within the organization become more prevalent.

Prior research strongly suggests there is a correlation between mentor relationships and

job success and satisfaction. The purpose of the proposed study is to examine the link between

mentor relationships and employee job fulfillment in a local workplace environment. The

research question for the proposed study asks: do employees with mentor relationships feel more

job fulfillment?

Literature Review

A study performed by Fagan and Walter (1982) established the idea of a mentor.

“A mentor is an experienced adult who befriends and guides a less experienced adult. A mentor

can offer support, advice, and opportunity to a young adult” (Fagan and Walter, 1982).

Mentoring has been regarded as an important relationship for an individual to have within an

organization (Baugh and Scandura, 1999, p. 503). While the concept of formal mentoring is not

new, many companies are beginning to leverage these relationships in different ways (Srivastava,

2011, p. 48). Organizations are attempting to formalize mentoring relationships among new hires

and existing employees in order to socialize and retain new employees (Heimann and Pittenger,

1996, p. 108).

For the purpose of this study, job fulfillment will be defined by an individual’s perception

of their career opportunities and social support within their organization. Scandura (1992)

investigated the relationship between mentor functions and career outcomes of mentees by

performing a study that divided mentoring into two functions: vocational mentoring (career-

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coaching) and psycho-social mentoring (role modeling and social support). Each mentoring

function was related to performance ratings, salary level, and promotions (p. 170). Results of this

study linked the two mentoring functions to career attainment, in terms of promotions and salary

(Scandura, 1992, p. 173). In addition, a study by Srivastava (2011) suggested that social support

is attained by the interpersonal relationship between a mentor and a mentee (p. 49).

The framework of mentoring can be linked to Albert Bandura, a well-known

psychologist who has been contributing to the field of psychology for many years. He is widely

known for his Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1971). Bandura suggests that people learn and

display most of their behaviors by observing the example of others. In order for people to be

motivated to act, they must be provided with an example that will reinforce a desired response

(Bandura, 1971, p. 3-4). Similarly, motivation to learn is a crucial component for a mentor

relationship (Rueywei, Shih-Ying, & Min-Lang, 2014, p. 488). In order to gain these valued

outcomes, an individual may be more motivated to learn from another person’s prior experiences

rather than just their own. “As a result of prior experiences, people come to expect that certain

actions will gain them outcomes they value” (Bandura, 1971).

There are several components that make up a mentor relationship. Kram (1983)

performed a qualitative study that examined the relationships of eighteen mentors and mentees

(p. 610). Kram found that mentor relationships are limited in value and time. This finding is a

result of changing individual needs and organizational circumstances (p. 623). Also, mentor

relationships may not be easily accessible in the early stages of an individual’s career (Kram,

1983, p. 623). Likewise, Heimann and Pittenger (1996) found that there is a strong correlation

between frequency of interaction with a mentor (p. 114). Additionally, they suggested that

companies designing formal mentoring relationships should seek settings conducive to frequent

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interaction between mentor and mentee (Heiman and Pittenger, 1996, p. 114). Alternatively,

Baugh and Scandura (1999) found in their quantitative study that too many mentors can result in

negative effects (p. 514). In contrast to Kram (1983), Heimann and Pittenger’s (1996) studies

that suggested organizational circumstances may decrease mentor and mentee interaction, Baugh

and Scandura (1999) suggest that giving an individual too many mentors can lead to role

conflict. When an individual has more than one mentor, it becomes possible for an individual to

become confused due to conflicting guidance from the mentors themselves (Baugh and

Scandura, 1999, p. 514). However, it is likely for an individual to have several developmental

relationships over the course of their career (Kram, 1983, p. 623).

In addition to the various components of mentoring, a number of studies highlight the

numerous benefits of these relationships within organizations. Fagan and Walter (1982)

performed a chi- square test which led to results indicating that mentor relationships correlated

positively to job satisfaction, job burnout, and tendency to mentor (p. 116). Respondents gave

credit to mentors for confidence levels, they felt less job burnout when they had mentor

relationships, and they were more likely to be a mentor if they had a mentor themselves (Fagan

and Walter, 1982, p. 116). Comparable to this finding, Srivastava (2011) suggested that

mentoring can help reduce job burnout by acting as a “moderating” agent between job

satisfaction and job burnout (p. 54). In situations where employees are faced with adverse work

conditions, mentors can be an effective tool to help improve positive employee outcomes

(Srivastava, 2011, p. 54). A mentor can provide career-related functions and socials functions

(Srivastava, p. 49).

In summary, mentor relationships have distinct characteristics and various benefits to an

individual and an organization. Under most circumstances, a good example is a better teacher

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than the consequences of unguided actions (Bandura, 1971, p. 5). Evidence provided in these

studies suggests that mentors provide good examples for individuals and their relationships have

strong correlations to employee job fulfillment in the workplace.

Methodology

This mix-method research was based on the study of twenty employees working in a

local organization. All participants worked for the same company. The study aimed to examine a

correlation between mentoring and job fulfillment in the workplace. Participants were purposely

recruited on the notion that they held current or previous mentoring relationships. This group of

targeted individuals included both males and females ranging in age from 21 to 65. An email was

sent to the individuals requesting their voluntary participation and they were also given the

opportunity to decline. Twenty participants of the twenty-five that were emailed chose to

participate. Each participant was presented with the voluntary consent form on the first page of

the link to the survey. The two surveys were both linked to surveymonkey.com; a free, online

survey instrument.

Mentors were presented with a “mentor” survey, and mentees were given the “mentee”

survey. Each survey had ten respondents and contained ten total questions, none of which could

potentially reveal a participants’ identity. The mentor survey asked three qualitative questions

and seven quantitative questions. The mentee survey asked two qualitative questions and eight

quantitative questions. The quantitative questions were presented in multiple-choice format, and

the qualitative questions were open-ended. Items on both surveys asked questions pertaining to

the participants’ mentor relationships. All responses were collected within two weeks of

distribution. Results were immediately analyzed upon collection on surveymonkey.com. Prior to

data analysis, it was decided that all qualitative questions from the mentee survey were

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invaluable to the research project and were removed. Two of the three qualitative questions on

the mentor survey were also removed for the same reason. Data from the two surveys was

analyzed in two forms: graphical representations illustrate all quantitative data (see Appendix B),

and common themes which were derived from the qualitative question.

Results

Both mentee and mentor surveys asked respondents how many years of professional

work experience they had. Of the mentees, 30% had zero to three years, 30% had four to seven

years, 20% had eight to eleven years, 0% had 12-15 years, and 20% with 16+ years of

professional work experience. In comparison, mentors responded with 20% having four to seven

years, 30% with eight to eleven years, and 50% of mentors had 16+ years or more of

professional work experience.

When asked why they chose to participate in a mentee-mentor relationship. 33% of

mentees responded that they were encouraged by their manager and 77% responded that they

were self-seeking opportunities. In a question allowing participants to select any applicable

answers, only one out of ten chose both responses. Mentors were asked a similar question but

were given different answer choices. When asked why they entered into a mentor relationship,

they were told to select any applicable answers. 40% of mentors marked that they were

encouraged from their executive leadership, 70% said they wanted to enhance their leadership

skills, 90% reported that they wanted to share personal experiences, 50% said they desired to

strengthen their coaching skills, and 80% reported that they were interested in contributing to

others outside of their direct team.

90% of mentees reported that they expect career advice, goals, and strategies from a

mentor relationship and also an increased organizational awareness. When asked about

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mentoring experiences, mentees indicated that 40% experienced some impact while 60%

experienced a strong impact. Mentees also reported that mentoring relationships had a positive

effect on job fulfillment, organizational socialization, and organizational awareness with 80% in

agreement.

Similarly, mentors were asked what they perceived mentoring relationships to have an

impact on. 90% responded that mentoring relationships enhance employee job fulfillment and

improve networking opportunities. Mentors were in 100% agreement stating that mentoring

relationships had an effect on increasing employee retention. 60% of mentors responded that

they believed that mentoring had an impact on organizational socialization of new employees

and increased employee support for the organization’s business goals.

Mentors were asked in an open-ended format if they believed that their knowledge and

experience was valuable information to share with a professional colleague or acquaintance that

was less experienced than themselves. General themes that were derived from their responses

indicated that mentors believed that they could provide a different perspective or deeper insight,

they could help mentees avoid pitfalls (that they may have made themselves) and share their

successes, while also encouraging and instilling confidence in their less experienced

counterparts.

A significant relationship was indicated from both mentees and mentors on having a

mentor and being a mentor. Mentors were asked if they had ever been mentored before and 80%

responded “yes” while 20% responded “no”. Of the 80% who had been mentored at some point

in their career, all reported that they would be more likely to mentor someone because of their

experience of being mentored. Similarly, 100% of mentees reported that they were more likely to

mentor someone because they had been mentored themselves.

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Mentees and mentors were both asked questions regarding the frequency of interaction

with their mentees and mentors. Results indicated that there were no significant relationships

between frequency of interaction and impact of their mentor relationship experiences.

Limitations

This study was limited by time and sample. The designated amount of time for research,

data gathering and analysis was limited to the 16 weeks. Due to the time constraints, the sample

size was affected. The sample was limited to a local workplace and consisted of twenty subjects.

In order get a larger sample, more time would have been necessary. There was also a limitation

on the sample due to the workplace’s human resources policies. The HR department of the

company did not want a large sample of people being surveyed and they also placed restrictions

on what types of questions could be asked. The researcher had to carefully word the questions in

order to protect the privacy rights of the employees.

Another limitation was that the researcher did not gather information about the format of

the mentor relationships which were described. No questions were asked that would report

information on the structure of the relationship; whether it was formal or informal, organic, etc.

This information would have been useful in determining what kind of structure that mentees and

mentors preferred and how if their current structure was proving successful.

Discussion

Due to the sample size and limitations of questions, it is important not to generalize the

findings of the results. Therefore, the researcher offers the following presumptive conclusions.

The results of this study indicated very optimistic outcomes for the research questions in

mind, with a majority of mentees and mentors both in agreement on the positive impacts that

mentoring relationships can provide. To reiterate, the purpose of this research was to investigate

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a link between mentor relationships and job fulfillment. Evidence from the survey responses

showed a strong link between mentoring relationships and job fulfillment with about 80% of

respondents in agreement. Other impacts that were not the primary concern of the researcher but

became evident outcomes were positive relationships among mentoring relationships and

organizational socialization and awareness, as well as improved networking opportunities for

mentees.

While these results are not conclusive on the value of mentoring, they do suggest that the

concept of mentoring holds value within an organization for several reasons. All of the mentors

agreed that mentoring increased employee retention, which would lead one to believe that this

would be a valuable concept for an organization to adopt. Not only would the organization gain

direct benefits from lost work time and money to recruit new employees, it would also provide

new opportunities for mentees that they might not have otherwise been exposed to.

It is also important to discuss the significant relationship between having a mentor and

being a mentor. While this was not a primary focus for the researcher, it would be worth further

investigating. All respondents (who had been mentored) reported that they would be a mentor

because they had been mentored before. Again, while not conclusive, this evidence highly

suggests that as a mentee, their experiences were positive and provided enough value that they

would take the time to mentor someone else. This evidence is very useful for organizations that

are attempting to develop mentoring programs. The more people who have been mentored, the

more people they will have in their pool to mentor other people down the road. Furthermore, a

‘cycle’ of mentoring could potentially be started and could possibly help narrow the gap on

trying to encourage people to become a mentor.

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Although there were no significant relationships discovered between the frequencies of

interactions with a mentor, it would be worthwhile to further the research on this area of mentor

relationships. Perhaps a larger, more diverse sample size (subjects from other organizations)

would garner different results.

Contribution

The aim of this research was to determine if employees with mentor relationships

experience more job fulfillment. A potential contribution of this study will provide evidence to

organizations that mentoring programs are beneficial and necessary for successfully retaining

and developing their employees.

Recommendations

For future research, it would be worth capturing more information on the relationship

between having a mentor and being a mentor. A much larger sample size would need to be

examined and would gain more validity if the participants were from various local workplaces,

as opposed to only one. The results of these findings could further implicate the importance of

mentoring programs on organizations and help to close the gap on the lack of individuals willing

to mentor.

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References

Bandura, A. (1971). Social Learning Theory. New York. General Learning Press.

Baugh, S. G., and Scandura, T. A. (1999). The effect of multiple mentors on protégé attitudes

toward the work setting. Journal of Social Behavior & Personality, 14(4), 503-521.

Fagan, M. and Walter, G. (1982). Mentoring among teachers. The Journal of Educational

Research, 76(2), 113-118.

Heimann, B. and Pittenger, K.K.S. (1996). The impact of formal mentorship on socialization and

commitment of newcomers. Journal of Managerial Issues, 8(1), 108-117.

Kram, Kathy E., and Isabella, Lynn A. (1985). The role of peer relationships in career

development. Academy of Management, 28(1), 110-132.

Rueywei, G., Shih-Ying, C., & Min-Lang, Y. (2014). Career outcome of employees: The

mediating effect of mentoring. Social Behavior & personality: An International Journal,

42(3), 487-501.

Scandura, T. (1992). Mentorship and career mobility: An empirical investigation. Journal of

Organizational Behavior, 13(2), 169-174.

Srivastava, S. (2011). Analysing the impact of mentoring on job burnout – job satisfaction

relationship: An empirical study on Indian managers. Paradigm, 15(1/2), 48-57.

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APPENDIX A

Mentor Survey

1. How many years of professional work experience do you have?

A. 0-3 years

B. 4-7 years

C. 8-11 years

D. 11-15 years

E. 16 + years

2. Why did you enter into a mentor relationship? Select all that apply.

A. Encouragement from executive leadership

B. Enhance my leadership skills

C. To share my personal experiences that could potentially benefit others

D. To strengthen coaching skills and developmental skills

E. Contribute to developing others outside of own team

3. Do you feel that mentoring has an impact on any of the following? (Select all that apply)

– Enhanced employee job fulfillment

– Increased employee retention

– Increased organizational socialization of new employees

– Improved communication throughout the company

– Increased employee support of the organization’s strategic business goals

– Improved networking opportunities

– Other (please specify) _____________________________

4. As a mentor, do you feel like your knowledge and experience is valuable information to share

with a professional colleague or acquaintance that is less experienced? Why or Why Not?

5. How many times have you been a mentor before?

A. Once

B. Twice

C. Three or more times

6. Have you been mentored before?

A. Yes

B. No

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7. If you have been mentored, would you agree that you are more likely to mentor someone

because you have been mentored?

A. Yes

B. No

C. Undecided

D. I have not been mentored

8. On average, how often were you able to meet/communicate with your current or most recent

mentee?

A. Daily

B. Weekly

C. Bi-Weekly

D. Monthly

E. Quarterly

9. If your company were to formalize a mentoring program, what do you think would be valuable

advice for the program coordinator?

10. How did you find your mentee?

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Mentee Survey

1. How many years of professional work experience do you have?

A. 0-3 years

B. 4-7 years

C. 8-11 years

D. 11-15 years

E. 16 + years

2. Why did you participate in a mentee/mentor relationship? (Select all that apply)

A. Encouraged by manager

B. Required by manager

C. Self-seeking opportunity

D. Other (please specify) __________________________

3. What do you expect from a mentor relationship? (Select all that apply)

A. Career advice (goals/ strategies, etc)

B. Improved communication skills (self-awareness, potential, confidence, etc)

C. Enhanced network

D. Increased organizational awareness

E. Enhanced job fulfillment

F. Other (please specify) _________________________________

4. Please rate how impactful your experiences with a mentor have been to your professional

development:

A. No impact

B. Low impact

C. Undecided

D. Some impact

E. Strong impact

5. Have your previous or current professional mentoring relationship(s) had a positive effect on the

following:

A. Job fulfillment

B. Organizational Socialization

C. Organizational Awareness

D. Business Acumen

E. None of the above

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6. Are you more likely to mentor someone because you have been mentored?

A. Yes

B. No

C. Undecided

7. On average, how often were you able to meet/communicate with your mentor?

A. Daily

B. Weekly

C. Bi-weekly

D. Monthly

E. Quarterly

8. Do you feel you had ample opportunities to communicate/interact with your mentor?

A. Yes, I had ample opportunities to connect with my mentor

B. No, I would have liked more opportunities to connect

9. If your company were to formalize a mentoring program, what do you think would be valuable

advice for the program director?

10. How did you find your mentor?

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