The Impact of Mentoring on Leadership Identity
Annelies Meulepas1, Koen Marichal1; Jesse Segers2
1Antwerp Management School, Belgium2 University of Antwerp/Antwerp Management School, Belgium
The Future Leadership Initiative
1. Introduction
Aim
Only one study that links mentoring with leadership development (Lester, Hannah, Harms, Vogelgesang, & Avolio, 2011)
Aim: Open and explorative research format to investigate the impact of mentoring on leadership development
Mentoring
Defenition
= a developmental relationship between a more experienced and a less experienced person (Kram, 1985)– Not necessarily direct supervisor/member of the
organization– Mentor= an influential person, devoted to support and
promote the mentee’s career using the own knowledge and experience• 2 functions: personal & professional development
Mentoring
Mentoring
Important features
Life cycle of 4 phases (1 – 5 years)Formal vs. Informal mentoring– Informal mentoring => better results (Underhill,
2006)Relationship quality & motivation as crucial factors
Leadership
Leadership is more than a role, leadership as a matter of identity (Day, Harrisson, & Halpin, 2009)
– Self-image static or one-dimensional– Possible selves (Ibarra,2010)
3 leadership identities
(Drath 2001 in Day et al., 2009)
« “personal dominance”
« “influence”
« “relational dialogue”
Leadership developmen
tLeader identity development = a social process
– It is a relational category
– With 3 aspects (DeRue & Ashford, 2010):• Personal internalization• Relational recognition• Collective empowerment
Developing versus learning
(Robert Kegan, 2010)(Daniel Day et al., 2011)
“Development of any system = purposeful simultaneous transformation toward higher levels of differentiation and integration.” (Gharajedaghi, 1999)
« planned reflection« organized experience« feedback« support
Leadership & mentoring
Mentoring’s potential to develop leadership identity:– By definition, mentoring relationship to develop
the mentee, both professionally and personally
– reflection, experiences, feedback and support as important ways to come to such development
Method
Research context
Formal mentoring program of a Flemish management association (vMA)
Open instructions
Data collection
Semi-structured interviewsInterview questions:
– Concrete activities, change in leadership of the mentee, other specific effects, probable causes
– Extra question mentors: impact on own learning experience and leadership vision
18 interviews (2 excluded)To minimize bias: 2 interviewers, anonimity reassurance, setting, handwritten notes, common interview protocol– Limitations: cross sectional, small sample
Data analysis
Based on an inductive, grounded theory development process (Eisenhardt; 1989)Iterative process => data - relevant literature - own emerging concepts– Focus on the ‘how’ and ‘why’
Independent analysis by 2 of the authors – 3th author as guard of objectivityComparing 10 cases through subsequent rounds of coding and analysis
Results
General findings
Overcoming the distance, both hiërarchical as content-wise"... Of course you go there with a healthy dose of tension..." (YM6)"A whole other world opened for me." (YM3)
The importance of matching"...it clicked and that is really important ..." (YM2)
Self disclosure and trust"Open atmosphere is very important, it seems evident, but nevertheless it’s crucial." (YM9)"A very good relationship arised. Confidence, complete confidence, so I felt that I could discuss everything with him/her, that I could really trust him/her. "(WM4)
General findings
Þ Increased self-confidence of the mentees,…
"It has given me confidence. That's in my opinion the strength of the program. "(YM8)
…which made change possiblee.g. changes in their professional context
"I do not think he/she realizes that he/she really had an impact on my choice." (YM4)
General findings
Mentors and their effects
"... It was very refreshing, to get to talk with someone openly about “what are the fundamentals? What is it really all about?" (WM6)
“ It makes you think about yourself. Questions are asked concerning things you don’t really think consciously about.” (WM5)
Different level of reciprocity
Mentoring patterns
« the mentor as coach
« the mentor as advisor
« the mentor as tour guide
Mentoringdynamic
Description Leadership identity (Day et al. 2009)
Effects mentee Effects mentor
Coach Structured, focused en rather formal approachWork questions or assignments and offering of experiences
Influencing Rather developing: identity & awareness
To learn & possibly develop
Tour guide Open and equal approachExperience, informal contact as key elements
Relational dialogue
Rather developing: identity & awareness
To learn & possibly develop
Advisor Advisory and professional approachAnswering questions from their own perspective
Personal dominance
Rather learning: substantive results
To learn
Other influencing
factorsPreliminary motivation
– Motivation letters mentees => corresponding the outcomes– Only one mismatch
Complementarity and leadership identities– Differences reported as factor of success– Advisory mentors: highlighting the similarity as important => learning quickly
Maturity of mentors
Discussion
Developed conceptual framework
Motivation
Overcoming Distance
Trust
Disclosure
Relational quality
Instrumental learning
Self-confidence
Open world
Stronger leadership
identity
More relational leadership
scheme
Advisory
Tour guiding
Coaching
Positive match
Informal format
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Initial setting OutcomesProcess
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Limitations and future research
Limitations– Cross-sectional– Built on an existing program
Future research– Each link in previous framework– Possible hypotheses:
• The orientation to lead of mentors defines their mentoring style• Mentors with a relational orientation to leadership are more effective in developing
leadership identity• Mentors with a tour guiding style develop relations with a higher quality and therefore
obtain overall higher outcomes• The right balance between distance and initial trust is needed as condition for an effective
mentoring relation• Mentoring is effective for leadership identity development because of the initial
hierarchical distance
Practical implications
Mentoring indeed a specific and valuable impact on leadership and identity development
– General practical implications• Informal setting to enhance intrinsic motivation and
trust building• Certain level of support• The importance of the matching process
Practical implications
Mentoring indeed a specific and valuable impact on leadership and identity development
– Leadership development implications• Mentors’ leadership identity and mentoring style• Mentees preliminary motivation• ‘Tour guiding’ style => strongest impact
Through exercising mentoring, the mentors reinforce their own leadership identity
Questions ?