Mentoring

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DONASIAN MBONEA
ID: 44132BHU52973
PhD in Human Resource Management
Essay on: Mentoring Relationship at the workplace
ATLANTIC INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
HONOLULU, HAWAII
May, 2017

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TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………………………………………………...II
1.0 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................1
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW ON MENTORING ........................................................................2
3.0 TYPES OF MENTORING.....................................................................................................4
4.0 ALTERNATIVE MODELS OF MENTORING ....................................................................5
5.0 FUNCTIONS OF MENTORING ..........................................................................................6
6.0STAGES OF MENTORING...................................................................................................7
7.0THE MENTORING RELATIONSHIP ...................................................................................7
8.0 BENEFITS OF MENTORING ............................................................................................12
9.0 THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MENTORING AND COACHING ............................13
10.0 CASE STUDY.................................................................................................................14
11.0 CONCLUSION................................................................................................................16
REFERENCES ...........................................................................................................................17

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
As the business world becomes increasingly competitive, human resource is being
viewed as the most valuable asset of a firm .Hence, it is important that human
resources are managed with utmost caution, beyond what is extended to the material
resources. Mentor – protégé – relationships represent one way organizations may
enhance the value of its most valuable asset, its employees (Agarwala, 2010)
Informal or natural mentoring has existed throughout the ages even though it may not
have been recognized as mentoring or known by this term. What is new about
mentoring relationship is the value attributed to the process and recognition of the
benefits resulting from it. Mentoring is one of the most important ways by which
individuals gain new knowledge and skills. Mentoring has always played an important
role in human learning. Mentoring serves as an invaluable developmental tool at an
informal level. With increasingly complex workplaces and excessive demands on
performance and growth, there is growing recognition that formal mentoring
programmes in organizations are important to lead individuals towards a successful
career (Agarwala, 2010, pg. 636)
The past decade has seen organization become increasingly aware of the value of
mentoring and its impact on the performance of the firm. Mentoring has been linked with
increasing levels of job satisfaction, career satisfaction, salary, organizational
commitment, reduced job stress and low employee turnover. Over the years, the
concept of mentoring has achieved the status of a popular management training and
career development tool within organizations. The nature and number of activities linked
with the mentoring concept seems to be growing every day. The current interest in
mentoring has manifested itself in an increasing number of formal mentoring
programmes.
The essay explore the meaning of mentoring as a concept, types of mentoring,
Literature review on mentoring, stages of mentoring, mentoring model, mentoring
relationships at the workplace and their importance, benefits of mentoring, the
difference between mentoring and coaching as well as reviewing one case study on
the topic.

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2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW ON MENTORING
This section examined relevant literature from works that have already been done on
the topic. The literature was structured in the following form: definitions of key concepts
such as mentoring, mentor, mentee, types of mentors as well as studies on mentoring
from other researchers.
2.1 The concept of Mentoring
Mentoring is not a new phenomenon; the concept of mentoring as well as the origin of
the term mentor dates back four thousand years. It was Homer who introduced the
concept of mentoring in the epic, The Odyssey. The word mentor has its roots in Greek
mythology. The story goes that when Odysseus was leaving to fight the Trojan War, he
asked his trusted friend Mentor to provide advice and education to his son Telemachus
in his absence. Mentor provided Telemachus with an education that covered the
physical, moral, spiritual and intellectual aspects of life. He helped Telemachus to
become a competent young man and on one occasion even saved his life. The concept
of mentoring, as understood today, is derived from the relationship between Mentor and
Telemachus (Agarwala, 2010).
Mentoring is a relationship between two people – the “mentor” and the “mentee”. As a
mentor, you pass on valuable skills, knowledge and insights to your mentee to help
them develop their career
Mentoring can help the mentee feel more confident and self – supporting. Mentees can
also develop a clearer sense of what they want in their careers and their personal lives.
They will develop greater self – awareness and see the world, and themselves, as
others do. For an organization, mentoring is a good way of efficiently transferring
valuable competencies from one person to another. This expands the organization’s
skills base, helps to build strong teams, and can form part of a well-planned succession
planning strategy.
According to Kram (1988), mentoring refers to the ‘information and advice provided by
an older, experienced individual to a younger and less experienced individual to help in
latter’s growth and development’.
Mentoring is about support, development and problem – solving through experience –
sharing. It works best when the mentor is not the direct supervisor nor from the same
department.
Shea, Gordon (1992), mentoring is a relationship which gives people the opportunity to
share their professional skills and experiences also to grow and develop in the process.
Typically, mentoring takes place between a more experienced and a less experienced
employee.
The origin of mentoring as a process of human resource development can be traced to
the concept of apprenticeship that emerged during the industrial revolution. The
apprentice worked under the guidance of a master. The master (mentor) helped the
apprentice (protégé) to acquire skills that the master had.

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Furthermore, Mentoring is a relationship between two people with the goal of
professional and personal development. The mentor is usually an experienced
individual who shares knowledge, experience, and advice with a less experienced
person or mentee.
Therefore, Mentorship is a relationship in which a more experienced or more
knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person.
The mentor may be older or younger than the person being mentored, but she or he
must have a certain area of expertise.
2.2 The concept of Mentor
According to Agarwala (2010), a mentor is an individual with expertise who can help to
develop the career of a mentee. Mentors are individuals with advanced experience and
knowledge who are committed to provide upward mobility and career support to their
mentee. Mentors have excellent interpersonal skills and technical competence. They
also have considerable influence and status within an organization and demonstrate
willingness to contribute to the growth of others in an organization. Mentors take an
active interest in the career of the mentee by acting as the mentee’s guide and friend.
Protégé’s are individuals who receive guidance, coaching and support from the mentor.
Mentors do many things for their mentee to help them in their careers, such as providing
support to them when they are just beginning their career and are likely to be unsure
about their abilities, facilitating job success by nominating them for promotions;
providing them opportunities to demonstrate their competence and helping them get
noticed by the top management.
The dictionary meaning of the term mentor is a close, trusted and experienced
counselor or guide. Also, mentor is someone who imparts wisdom and shares
knowledge with someone less experienced. A person who guides you and helps you
reach your goals.
What a Mentor can do to Mentee; to introduce to other people, advise mentee on
situations, offer guidance, consulting and provide opportunities.
Example of famous Mentor/Mentees; Marc Andreessen to Mark Zuckerberg, Maya
Angelou to Oprah Winfrey, Keith Moon to Joe Walsh and Usher to Justin Bieber.
2.3 The concept of Mentee
The term mentee is used to refer to the board range of individuals who may be in the
role of learner in mentoring relationship
2.4 Types of mentors
There are three major types of mentors; these are superior, peer and subordinate
mentors.

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3.0TYPES OF MENTORING
Mentoring is often divided into two types (Buell, 2004):
3.1 Informal mentoring relationships develop on their own, such as when a person
approaches a possible mentor and that person agrees to form a mentoring
relationship.
3.2 Formal mentoring relationships refer to assigned relationships, in which the
organization oversees and guides the mentoring program in order to promote
employee development.
3.3 Developmental mentoring -This is where the mentor is helping the mentee develop
new skills and abilities. The mentor is a guide and a resource for the mentee’s
growth.
3.4 Sponsorship mentoring – This is when the mentor is more of a career influence
than a guide. In this situation, the mentor takes a close interest in the progress of
the mentee (or, more commonly, the protégé).

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4.0ALTERNATIVE MODELS OF MENTORING
Alternative
Mentoring
Models
Figure 4.1: Alternative Models of Mentoring (Source, Agarwala, 2010)
Several variations to the traditional one –on – one mentoring model have emerged in
recent times. Figure 4.1 above illustrates alternative mentoring models.
Mentoring circles consist of one mentor working with a group of protégés. It is best
suited when there are few mentors and protégés in an organization. However, these
do not permit personal relationship of one – on – one mentoring. Mentors also need
to know group dynamics in order to understand the protégés better.
Mentoring
Circles
One mentor
working with a
group of
protégés
Peer
Mentoring
Peers
providing
mentoring to
each other
Reverse
Mentoring
Protégé
extending
mentoring
support to the
mentor
Consultant Mentors
External Consultants to
mentor middle level
managers
Team Mentoring
Formal mentoring
teams coaching a
group of selected
candidates

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Peer Mentoring/ buddy system is one in which peers often provide mentoring to
each other. Buddies are peers who have similar day – to –day responsibilities and
are assigned to new employees. The newcomers learn the ropes from these
buddies. This one –to – one interaction can supplement formal training and
orientation programmes, thus accelerating the newcomers’ productivity and fostering
a sense of belonging to the organization.
Team mentoring is provided by formal mentoring teams composed of department
managers, human resources representatives, and senior employees playing a role in
coaching a group of selected candidates. Each mentoring team member specializes
in a specific area and provides assistance to the protégés in this area.
Consultant mentors are external consultants having mentoring qualities engaged
by the firm when there is no one in the organization who has the particular skill set or
specific experience required. Consultant mentors help prepare middle managers to
take on a new or expanded role.
Reverse mentoring occurs when the protégé extends mentoring support to the
mentor in certain cases, like the issue of technological change. A protégé who is
younger may be better versed with new technology and hence can provide lessons
to the mentor.
5.0FUNCTIONS OF MENTORING
The mentoring process serves two main functions. These are: career –related or career
support and psychosocial or emotional support functions.
Career related or career support functions; these functions are largely work related and
enhance learning the ropes, career development and advancement in the organization.
The five career functions identified by Kram (1985) are sponsorship, exposure and
visibility, coaching, protection and challenging assignments. When a newcomer is given
a challenging project to handle early on in his/her career, or an opportunity to
makepresentations to the top management, then the manager may be performing the
career support function for the newcomer. For example, Patni Computer Systems gives
a lot of responsibility and exposure on live projects to newcomers. Dell uses mentoring
as a developmental tool to provide guidance and support to employees to help improve
their performance and capabilities.
Psychosocial or emotional support functions; these functions provide emotional support
and enhance theprotégé’s feelings of competence and identity. Kram proposed four
psychosocial functions. Emotional support is evidenced through role modeling,
acceptance and confirmation, counseling and friendship. For example, at Mind
treeconsulting, when a subordinate inadvertently contradicted his manager in front of a
client, it did not result in dire consequences. Rather the manager assured the
subordinate that both of them could treat the incident as a learning opportunity. Thus,
the manager provided emotional support to the subordinate.

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6.0STAGES OF MENTORING
There are four major stages of mentoring; these are initiation, cultivation, separation
and redefinition.
In the initiation stage, two individuals enter into a mentoring relationship. For informal
mentoring, the matching process occurs through professional or social interactions
between potential mentors and mentees. Potential mentees search for experienced,
successful people whom they admire and perceive as good role models. Potential
mentors search for talented people who are coachable. Mentoring research describes
this stage as a period when a potential mentees proves him or herself worthy of a
mentor’s attention. Both parties seek a positive, enjoyable relationship that would justify
the extra time and effort required in mentoring.
The cultivation stageis the primary stage of learning and development. During the
cultivation stage, the mentee learns from the mentor. Two broad mentoring functions
are at their peak during this stage. The career – related function often emerges first
when the mentor coaches the mentee on how to work effectively and efficiently.
Coaching may be active within the mentee’s organization when a mentor assigns
challenging assignments to the mentee, maximizes the mentee’s exposure and visibility
in the organization, and actively sponsors the mentee through promotions and
recognition. The cultivation stage is generally a positive one for both mentor and
mentee. The mentor teaches the mentee valuable lessons gained from the mentor’s
experience and expertise. The mentee may also teach the mentor valuable lessons
related to new technologies, new methodologies and emerging issues in the field.
The separation stage generally describes the end of a mentoring relationship. The
relationship may end for a number of reasons. There may be nothing left to learn, the
mentee may want to establish an independent identity, or the mentor may send the
mentee off on his or her own the way a parent sends off an adult child.
During the redefinition stage, both mentor and mentee recognize that their relationship
can continue but that it will not be the same as their mentoring relationship. If both
parties successfully negotiatethrough the separation stage, the relationship can evolve
into a collegial relationship or social relationship.
7.0THE MENTORING RELATIONSHIP
Like other human or work relationships, mentoring relationships do not develop and
start functioning suddenly or at random but evolve over a period of time.
Formal and Informal Mentoring Relationships; a majority of mentor – protégé
relationships in organizations are informal. That is, two persons establish a relationship
when the mentor takes the protégé under his/her wing. Informal or natural mentoring is
derived spontaneously and has existed through all ages and at all times. In earlier
times, Lord Krishna assumed several mentor roles for Arjuna. However, many
organizations, such as, IBM, Modi Xerox, GlaxoSmithKline, Citibank, Motorola, ABN
Amro Bank, Eicher Limited, Infosys, TAS, Cadbury and HP, have created formal

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mentoring programmes. Informal mentoring relationships, the organization assigns or
matches mentors and protégé, which results in the mentors and protégé being brought
systematically (Agarwala, 2010).
What are the phases of a mentoring relationship? There are five phases to a mentoring
relationship.
Figure 7.1 Five Phases of a mentoring relationship (Source, adapted from
Michigan State University)
Phase 1: Contemplation– is the first sage of a mentoring relationship between the
mentor and mentee.During the first stage, contemplation, the potential mentor or
mentee considers entering a mentoring program. During this stage, interested parties
learn about the program and determine whether it is a good fit. They begin to picture
themselves in the role of mentor or mentee and decide if they want to proceed. If they
do, this stage continues through the application, screening and training process.
The mentoring process begins with the mentee examining their long – term
development objectives: what are my personal capabilities? What are my career
aspirations? How do they align with the company objectives? What are the possibilities
within my company?
Mentees may consult with their manager on setting mentoring objectives. Mentoring
may even be formally added to the annual development plan. With their goal in mind,
the mentee selects a mentor. The starting point for selecting a mentor is mentee’s
specific development goals for the mentoring relationship. Consider why you have
chosen mentoring over other forms of development, such as developmental
assignments, classroom instruction, on –the – job training and coaching. Are you
looking for; someone to challenge your thinking? Someone to help you clarify your
personal goals and values? A successful role model? Or leadership perspectives on
organization priorities and direction?
Mentoring relationships are based on trust. Select a mentor, who is honest,
demonstrates credo values, can be trusted to maintain the confidentiality of the
mentoring relationship.
Contemplation Initiation
Growth &
Maintenance
Decline &
Dissolutio
n Redefinition

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Consider also, someone who is committed to the development of others, understands
the value of mentoring, is willing to share their personal experiences and has sufficient
time to devote to the relationship.
Choose a mentor with sufficient experience and respect within the organization;
someone who demonstrates maturity in work and life. Consider individuals who are
regarded as successful in the organization and are sought out for their opinions.
Depending on mentee development goal, you should also consider a mentor’s
knowledge of company’s goals, policies, politics, functions and the decision making
process. Mentors with a network of contacts and influence in the organization are
desired. Be sure to consider the gap between mentee’s experience and that of a
potential mentor. If the gap is too narrow, they will be able to provide little insight. If on
the other hand, the gap is too great, you may have little to discuss and their experiences
may be irrelevant to you.
Communication skills are also key to a mentoring relationship. Select someone who will
listen, ask questions, give feedback, clearly articulate thoughts and be open to new
ideas. Also, consider characteristics such as common sense, a positive mindset and a
sense of humor.
Phase 2: Initiation–Initiation is the second stage of a mentoring relationship between
the mentor and mentee.The initiation stage involves applying to the mentoring program,
completing screening and training and, finally, being matched with a mentor or mentee.
This first meeting between mentor and mentee can be exciting and nerve-wracking.
Program staff and parents can help make this phase more comfortable by discussing
expectations and ensuring they are realistic.Some researchers describe this stage as
the “fantasy” stage. In this stage, the individuals involved work hard to present the best
version of themselves. They might try to avoid conflicts at all costs. They use their best
manners, avoid controversial topics and try to portray themselves in the best manner
possible. This is not very different than human behavior in any new relationship. Later in
the initiation stage, mentors and mentees will begin to experiment a little more. When
two people reach this stage in their relationship, they are working to reduce their
uncertainty about each other. They might begin to test the limits of their relationship,
showing their true colors to see if the other person is committed to sticking around.
We tend to have certain rules about what should and should not happen at the
beginning of a relationship. As two people grow more comfortable with one another,
they relax and present less perfect versions of themselves. It is helpful for matches to
take time early in the relationship to complete a few tasks:Introductions. Mentor and
mentee should share their interests and begin to share information, Define goals.
Matches should have a conversation about why they are in the program and what they
hope to gain from the relationship. Begin setting boundaries. People feel safest in
relationships when they understand boundaries. To begin the conversation, you may
choose to share your pet peeves with each other.
The initiation stage is a relatively short phase of the mentoring relationship, but the first
impressions made during this period can be lasting. Make a strong impression by

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showing up on time, communicating effectively and having some level of excitement
about the experience. Mentors should plan to take the lead during the first meetings and
slowly build the trust needed to enter the growth and maintenance stage.
Phase 3: Growth & Maintenance – Growth and maintenance is the third stage of a
mentoring relationship between the mentor and mentee.Following the initiation stage,
matches will usually enter the growth and maintenance phase of the relationship. For
full-term mentoring relationships, this will usually be the longest lasting of the stages.
During growth and maintenance, the relationship develops and matures. Mentors and
mentees are no longer trying to impress each other. Rather, they are building a
relationship based on trust and may start to share a more vulnerable side. Support from
program staff is essential as matches navigate this stage of the relationship.
What can you expect during growth and maintenance?As the relationship matures, the
mentee should become more comfortable taking a lead in choosing activities.
Gatherings will become more collaborative rather than mentor-led,The relationship will
become more comfortable. As the connection grows and trust is built, boundaries may
change. Both the mentor and mentee might be more open to sharing personal
information or talking about topics that are deeper than what they discussed early in the
match, Program staff will check in regularly with the mentor, mentee and parent. It is
important matches are supervised and offered regular support. Program staff will look
for red flags that signal potential problems, Issues may arise within the relationship or
the mentor may have concerns about the mentee. Program staff can assist mentors in
working through problems through training, ongoing match support and by mediating
when difficulties arise and relationships develop at different rates. Some people trust
more easily while others are far more cautious. There is no need to push to reach
milestones quickly – in fact, pushing can have the opposite effect.
Phase 4: Decline & Dissolution- Decline and dissolution is the fourth stage of a
mentoring relationship between the mentor and mentee.n mentor-mentee matches. All
matches will eventually reach the decline and dissolution stage. Unlike most
relationships in life, people enter a formal mentoring relationship knowing that it will
come to an end. The goal in mentoring is for the relationship to last a minimum amount
of time, usually one year or one school year. Sometimes matches last longer, and
sometimes they end sooner than desired. Premature closure can happen for a variety of
reasons, both internal and external to the match. Regardless of when or why closure
occurs, it is important for all parties to work towards a positive and healthy closure.
Talking about closure from the beginning of the match helps prepare youth for the
inevitable closing of the formal relationship. Program staff will share the expected length
of the relationship when the match is introduced. It is wise to talk about closure on
occasion throughout the match. Youth handle closure best when they know it will come,
have some notice and when they do not feel responsible. Often times, mentors who
need to close a match will wait too long to let the program staff, parent and mentee
know. It is understandable – it can be difficult to admit when you are not fulfilling a
commitment, particularly when you care about the people involved. Unfortunately, this

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can lead to a sudden and abrupt closure which is the most damaging way to end a
match.Whether the closure is occurring within the expected time period or premature,
there are things that can be done to make it positive; Communicate early and often with
program staff. Staff members can help you develop a plan and will have a variety of
ideas to share. When possible, allow closure to be a process that lasts for a few weeks
to a few months. By picking a date, everyone involved can begin planning. Having
multiple visits after the date is set allows the mentor and mentee to celebrate their
successes and grieve the closing of the match together.Whenever possible, plan a
celebration for the final formal match meeting. What is done isn’t as important as doing
something that will be special for the mentee and mentor. Include some time to
reminisce and laugh.
Phase 5: Redefinition - Redefinition is the fifth and final stage of a mentoring
relationship between the mentor and mentee.Redefinition is the final stage of any formal
mentoring relationship. This is the time where the mentor and mentee, with the support of
parents and program staff, determine what is next for the match. There are a variety of options.
The best option is the one that both the mentor and mentee can commit to. What are the
choices?Complete closure - when either or both parties do not want to have future
contact or the parent is not in support of future contact, complete closure is the best
option. On occasion, one party wants to stay in touch and the other doesn’t. As difficult
as it is to convey this is the end, it is worse to pretend there will be ongoing
communication if you are certain there will not be.Continuing the relationship outside of
the program. Sometimes a mentor and mentee develop a strong relationship that
transcends the program. If the mentor is interested in maintaining contact and the
mentee and parent are in agreement, this can be an ideal situation. The primary goal of
mentoring programs is to provide youth with additional positive relationships with adults.
When matches continue in “real life,” the young person benefits from the ongoing
support and friendship. When this occurs, all parties should discuss the parameters of
the new relationship. The mentoring program likely required weekly meetings. This new
stage of the relationship might look different – in real life, we often do not get to see our
friends weekly and perhaps that isn’t needed in this new version of the
friendship.Mentor or mentee rematch - When a match ends, some mentors or mentees
will choose to transition to a new match. If you are interested in continuing, talk to
program staff about when you will be ready to be matched again. Think about what you
learned from the last match and share any preferences for your new match. For
instance, perhaps you initially saw yourself as someone who wanted to spend time
outside with your mentee, but learned you prefer going out for a meal.Each party should
take time to think about the various options and determine what is right for themselves
moving forward. Program staff can help facilitate the conversation and move towards
positive closure.
Mentor relationships do not continue indefinitely and reach the point of termination at
some stage.

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8.0BENEFITS OF MENTORING
What are the benefits of a mentoring relationship?
8.1 Benefits for mentees
A mentoring relationship can provide a mentee with a greater clarity on life and career
choices and their own career goals, new insight on the company’s culture and
organization, different perspectives and cultural values, the opportunity to develop new
networks of contacts, access to new resources, greater satisfaction and increased
likelihood of career success, as well as development in areas not typically address
through training or on the job.
Furthermore, for mentees, some key benefits of business mentoring include; exposure
to new ideas and ways of thinking, advice on developing strengths and overcoming
weakness, guidance on professional development and advancement, increased visibility
and cognition within the company and the opportunity to develop new skills and
knowledge.
8.2 Benefits for mentors
Mentoring is more than the transfer of advice, knowledge and insights. The relationship
offers reciprocal benefits for mentors willing to invest their time in developing another
professional. As well as the personal satisfaction of sharing their skills and experience
with a willing learner, being involved in mentoring also provides some tangible benefits
that can reward mentors professionally. Some key benefits for mentors include;
recognition as a subject matter expert and leader, exposure to fresh perspectives, ideas
and approaches, extension of their professional development record, opportunity to
reflect on their own goals and practices and development of their personal leadership
and coaching styles. Through the mentoring process mentors have the opportunity to
enhance their leadership skills and expand their perspectives by seeing the business
world through different eyes, being challenged on perceived wisdom, increasing their
awareness of issues at other levels of the organization.
8.3 Benefits for company
For employers, investing in mentoring helps to: develop a culture of personal and
professional growth, share desired company behaviours and attitudes, enhance
leadership and coaching skills in managers, improve staff morale, performance and
motivation and engage, retain and develop performers.
In addition to the benefits gained by mentees and their mentors, organizations also gain
a great deal from having a mentoring program. Mentoring contributes to the
development of a pipeline of talent and provides a process to transfer formal leadership
skills from today’s leaders to the leaders of the future. It can result in; employees with
greater knowledge of the business and organization, retention of staff, improved
productivity through network, and improved communication throughout the organization.

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Finally, organizations that support mentoring demonstrate their commitment to the
development and advancement of their employees.
9.0THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MENTORING AND COACHING
Mentoring is relationship oriented. It seeks to provide a safe environment where the
mentor shares whatever issues affect his or her professional and personal success.
Although specific learning goals or competencies may be used as a basis for creating
the relationship, its focus goes beyond these areas to include things such as work/life
balance, self – confidence, self – perception and how the personal influences the
professional while coaching is task oriented. The focus is on concrete issues, such as
managing more effectively, speaking more articulate and learning how to think
strategically. This requires a contentexpert (coach) who is capable of teaching the
coachee how to develop these skills (Agarwala, 2010)
Mentoring is always long term. Mentoring, to be successful, requires time in which both
partners can learn about one another and build a climate of trust that creates an
environment in which the mentor can feel secure in sharing the real issues that impact
his or her success. Successful mentoring relationships last nine months to a year while
coaching is short term. A coach can successfully be involved with a coachee for a short
period of time, may be even just a few sessions. The coaching lasts for as long as is
needed, depending on the purpose of the coaching relationship (Agarwala, 2010)
Mentoring is development driven. Its purpose is to develop the individual not only for the
current job, but also for the future. This distinction differentiates the role of the
immediate manager and that of the mentor. It also reduces the possibility of creating
conflict between the employee’s manager and the mentor while coaching is
performance driven. The purpose of coaching is to improve the individual’s performance
on the job. This involves either enhancing current skills or acquiring new skills. Once the
coachee successfully acquires the skills, the coach is no longer needed (Agarwala,
2010)
Mentoring requires a design phase in order to determine the strategic purpose for
mentoring, the focus areas of the relationship, the specific mentoring models and the
specific components that will guide the relationship, especially the matching process
while coaching does not require design, coaching can be conducted almost immediately
on any given topic. If a company seeks to provide coaching to a large group of
individuals, then certainly an amount of design is involved in order to determine the
competency area, expertise needed and assessment tools used, but this does not
necessarily require a long lead – time to actually implement the coaching program.
The coachee’s immediate manager is a critical partner in coaching. She or he often
provides the coach with feedback on areas in which his or her employee is in need of
coaching. This coach uses this information to guide the coaching process while in
mentoring; the immediate manager is indirectly involved. Although she or he may offer
suggestions to the employee on how to best use the mentoring experience or may
provide a recommendation to the matching committee on what would constitute a good

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match, the manager has no link to the mentor and they do not communicate at all during
the mentoring relationship. This helps maintain the mentoring relationship’s integrity
(Agarwala, 2010)
10.0 CASE STUDY
Mentoring at Coca Cola Foods
This case study looks at Coca –Cola Company as the global soft drinks industry leader
with its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Coca Cola is the company’s flagship brand,
but there are 160 other soft drink brands that are manufactured and sold by The Coca -
cola Company and its subsidiaries in nearly 200 companies around the world.
Approximately 70% of the sales volume and 80% of the company profits come from
outside the USA. The brands of The Cola – Cola Company represent some of the most
popular beverage brands in the world. The company is in the non- alcoholic beverages
business with its product line extending beyond traditional carbonated soft drink
categories to beverages such as still and sparkling waters, juices, isotonic drinks, fruits
punches, coffee –based drinks and tea.
The Coca –Cola Company traces its beginning to 1886, when an Atlanta pharmacist,
Dr.John Pemberton, began to produce Cola – Cola syrup for sale in fountain drinks.
Coca –Cola was registered in the US patent office in January 1893.The Company
began to diversify after 1955 by producing new products, acquiring new businesses and
entering new international markets. In 1960, The Coca –Cola Company purchased the
Minute Maid Corporation, a producer of fruit juices.
The company acquired the Duncan Foods Corporation in 1964. The Coca-Cola Foods
division (later Coca –Cola Foods) came into existence in 1967 from the merger of its
Duncan and Minute Maid operations.
In 1986, the Coca – Cola Company consolidated all of its non – franchised US bottling
operations as Coca –Cola Enterprises Inc. (CCE).Coca – Cola Enterprises initially
offered its stock to the public on 21 November 1986 and is listed on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol CCE. By 1988, Coca-Cola Enterprises grew into the
world’s largest marketer, producer and distributor of products of the company. While
CCE distributes over half of all Coca –Cola products in the US, small franchise
businesses continue to bottle and distribute the company’s drinks worldwide.
Today, Coca - Cola is the world’s most recognizable trademark, recognized by 94% of
the population. Coca – Cola trucks travel over 1,000,000 miles a day to supply
consumers with soft drinks. The Company sells approximately 4.3 billion unit cases of
its products each year. Coca – Cola Enterprises employs approximately 74,000 people
who operate 454 facilities, 55,000 vehicles and 2.5 million vending machines, beverage
dispensers and coolers. The company aims to create a workplace of fairness, equality
and opportunity for each of the employees.

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Coca – Cola Foods believes that human resource development (HRD) is a key to
building competitive advantage through people and to the creation of a high –
performing organization. The struggle at Coca – Cola Foods has been to maximize and
optimize human resource department’s contribution to business success. The approach
at Coca – Cola Foods has been; to strengthen the link between business strategy and
developmental focus; to involve leadership of the organization in all aspects of
development and to use a variety of developmental tools to match personal and
organizational needs better.
The mentoring process which Coca – Cola Foods uses to develop their people is clearly
a developmental tool that involves leaders in the organization. This helps considerably
to strengthen the link between development and business strategy.
Coca –Cola Foods views mentoring as a process that achieves its purpose primarily
through building a relationship. The mentor is usually someone higher up in the
organization, someone who has experience and knowledge about the culture and
dynamics of the organization. It is a formal relationship structured around the
developmental needs of the mentee. In most cases, the mentor and mentee are from
different departments so that there are no direct reporting relationships involved.
Mentoring at Coca-Cola Foods is the creation of a formal relationship between two
people of different departments and status in the organization. The goals of the
mentoring relationship are to help mentee understand the organization and their role in
it better. With the help of someone more experienced in the organization, the mentee
learns more about the culture, mission, and context of how things are done.
Additionally, the mentee gains a confidant who can help him/her plan a career within the
organization.
Coca –Cola Foods makes sure that those selected as mentors are those who have
been successful, enjoy working for the organization, are wise in the ways of the
organization, can get things done. Coca – Cola Foods also ensures that the mentor is
comfortable with being a listener, with being asked questions and with being a teller of
advice and perspective. Mentee, on the other hand need to be ready for a relationship
in which they understand the fact that they do not know a lot of things and hence need
to learn. The mentee need to be comfortable asking questions and revealing concerns.
Coca – Cola Foods uses a ten – part mentoring process. Most facilitated mentoring
programmes have a formal process that defines each step of the programme and audits
its progress. Although the process depends on the needs of the sponsoring
organization, most programmes follow the ten – step process as listed below; protégé
identified, identifying developmental needs, identifying potential mentors,
mentor/mentee matched, orientation for mentors and protégés, contracting, period
meetings to execute the plan, periodic reports, conclusion, evaluation and follow up.

18. 16
The analysis:Thecasestudy highlights that Coca – Cola Company uses formal
mentoring programme as a developmental tool for career development of its
employees. Also, Coca –Cola Foods views mentoring as a process that achieves its
purpose primarily through building a relationship.
11.0 CONCLUSION
Mentoring has long been recognized as a powerful tool in career development.
Mentoring is a dynamic process and a developmental network of mentoring can help
mentees identify several mentors who can address a variety of career –related
needs.Successful mentorships often evolve into friendships with both partners learning
and providing support for the other.
Also, this essay will help me to design and implement a formal mentoring programme
for our organization.

19. 17
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