15 Chapter 7
15 Chapter 7
15 Chapter 7
CONCLUSIONS
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CHAPTER 7
CONCLUSIONS
The preceding chapter discussed the resiihs of the study. The quantitative results
of the study were highUghted under the section 'research conclusions", fwo case
studies viz. Indian Oil Corporation Limited and The State Bank of India are
developed under the qualitative approach of data analysis. These two cases are
documented in the previous chapter. The present chapter gives the conclusions of
the research. It also outlines the professional learning and some key msights
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7.1 Evoskills Model for Effective Mentoring
The following model for effective mentoring is called Evoskills model as it aims
to evolve the personal and professional skills of the mentees. The stages of the
Policy Statement -
The organization must be clear about the reasons for starting the mentoring
program. The vision, mission, policy statement and objectives for initiatmg
mentoring should be brainstormed among the senior management team and must
be formulated with a group consensus. This clarity will help the organization in
prioritizing its efforts, allocating resources and in strategizing the process. The
initiating the process. The same must be well documented and most importantly
mentoring process include the senior management team, the HR. the mentors and
the mentees, the line managers (including mentees' bosses), the non-mentored
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Identification of Mentors and Mentees -
The mentoring process aims to benefit the organization, the mentees and the
Excluding a few senior managers from the list, may lead to bitter feelings, unrest
and negativity leading to more complications than benefits. At the same time,
attempts should be made to help the senior members of the organization realize
that mentoring is a developmental tool and not a "KRA" on their appraisal format.
The organization should project the process in such a way that all the members
should feel like getting involved with the same. However if any manager wishes
of mentors can be on the basis of their seniority and personal inclination, fhe
process should be projected as not only having a benefit to the mentees and the
organization but also as benefiting the mentors. The mentors can derive immense
satisfaction by interacting with the junior employees, can gam peer recognition
and can also directly benefit by enhancing their own image within the
development plan template can be used to identify which of the junior employees
should be allocated to which mentor based on the needs and goals of the mcnlee.
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Though it is not necessary that the mentor and mentee be from the same
geographical location, but it would certainly help if they are in close physical
proximity. In cases where the mentors and mentees are at distant locations, it is
essential that they meet and get to spend time with each other before the
commencement of the process, like during the training program. One mentor
It would be unfair to assume that all mentors and mentees would know what is
expected of them and would have the necessary skills and attitudes to perform
their roles. A two-day training workshop can sharpen the skills, attitudes and can
do"s and don"ts in mentoring, active listening skills, giving and receiving
empathy and positive attitudes are some important aspects of this training.
After the mentors and mentees have been identified and trained, the mentoring
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and is systems-driven, then a mentoring contract can be signed between the
mentor and the mentee. This contract will explicitly clarify the expectations, role
the mentors and mentees meet in an informal setting. The organization can
organize an evening 'get-together' where all mentors and mentees can come
together to get to know each other. The subsequent meetings can be held in the
sports club etc. Though mentors and mentees both have to take equal efforts to
'break the ice', the primary responsibility of rapport building lies with the mentor.
In the initial phase itself, the mentor will ensure that mutual goal are set and the
mentee perceives tangible value addition in the mentoring process so that further
interest and commitment is created and the process in sustained. If the mentee
does not view the process as a great platform for learning, the mentoring process
may die a natural death. Hence it is crucial that mentors create a positive
Process in Action -
In this stage of the mentoring process, the mentor and mentee have already
established a working relation and have struck a common chord. The mentors
mould the personality and shape the perspectives of the mentees. They act as role
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models and set an example for mentees to Ibllow. A significant learning will
happen in this stage of the mentoring process, where the mentee will learn to
observe and imitate the mentor's behaviour. This will happen only if the mentor
is in the good books of the mentee and the mentee is convinced that he would like
to become like his mentor someday. The mentor has to ensure regular meetings
and goal attainment of the mentee. It is the primary responsibility of the mentor
to call for regular meetings and ensure that he is available for his mentee's
development.
The mentoring process can be evaluated with an aim to check whether the
objectives of the program have been achieved or not. If yes, to what extent and if
not, what were the hurdles. The mentors and mentees will engage themselves on
a quarterly basis for a formal self-evaluation and evaluating the mentee and
mentor respectively. This feedback will be treated confidential and areas for
improvement will be identified. Apart from this, there can be quarterly separate
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7.2 General Conclusions
In days gone by. young men would seek a 'guru' to acquire wisdom and learn the
ways of the world. The guru-Shishya relationship is now seeing a new high-tech
revival in the mentoring system. Mentoring is one of the oldest means of human
development. It can be traced as far back as the Stone Age when older members
of the tribe or clan taught youngsters how to hunt, gather or prepare food and fight
off enemies. Selected young members were trained by talented cave artists,
Today many firms realize the importance of attracting and retaining highh'
talented workforce. One such tool that is gaining popularity in the corporate
Mentoring is the process by which a loyal wise and helpful friend, teacher,
difficulties and avoid dangers. The original perception of a mentor - a 'he" rather
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than 'she" was a protector, which explains the use of the medieval term "protege"
Throughout history, there have always been individuals, scattered throughout all
societies, who invested personal time to help others achieve more than they would
have without that assistance. Some of these relationships have gone down in
history like Socrates and Plato. Haydn and Beethoven and Freud and .lung, fhe
more than a moral duty. Socrates, for instance, declared that knowledge is the
most valuable thing a person can have and that it must be shared for the good of
the community.
Formal mentoring programs are most likely to fail when mentors and mentees are
assigned to each other and participation is not voluntary (Kram, 1988). In fact.
the individuals involved. The limited success of mandated mentoring might be the
result of a lack of knowledge and training on the part of the mentors, not a result
of resistance. There is also some recent research suggesting that the quality of a
than the mere existence of a mentorship (Ragins. Cotton, & Miller. 2000). To
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employees an option of choosing their own mentors and thus keep the process
informal.
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7.3 Professional Learning
sources like EBSCO. I have studied more than 180 research papers of
studies and synchronizing all these efforts in the form of a research report
one of the biggest learning in my journey of Ph.D. I have used two tools
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viz. unpaired t test (for pilot testing ol~ the questionnaire) and chi square
4. Computer Applications Skills: I have learnt to use excel sheet during the
data entry and data processing of my raw data. Though 1 was quite
familiar with the 'Microsoft word' program of computers. I had not used
major learning.
heard from around 8-10 and actually got permission to conduct my data
collection in only two out of these. I have religiously followed up with all
the other companies and have travelled from Mumbai to Pune in the hope
times but in vain. The learning here is to not get disappointed inspite and
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6. Build Perspectives: Another important skill was to learn to look at things
makes people withdraw from social settings. People tend to believe that
8. Reading Habits: I have always known that reading is a "good habit" but 1
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9. Perseverance: Perseverance is a virtue, especially when it comes to data
busy schedule the executives have on the job, it was difficult and time
consuming to collect data and the entire process was stretched over 12
10. Scientific Mindset: This was the biggest professional learning for me. I
tend to apply logic and rationale to everyday life situations and people
was to learn not to plagiarize. I used the Wanda and Smith model of
permissions from these authors (based in US). I also wrote to Dr. Udai
Pareek seeking his kind permission to use MAO-B and was very
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Working on a PhD is a long drawn process intending to train the scientific mind.
It will help me develop different ways of looking at things and will certainly add
Debashish Chatterjee in his book. 'Ignite the fire in your heart' says that "Life has
only one goal - to express itself". I want to express my life through my work. m\
research, and my studies. 1 choose to devote my life to this quest for knowledge
and this thirst for learning. My aim to learn through a doctoral program has given
hurdles in my path, but to sail through all these and emerge as a vvinner is m>
ultimate calling.
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