This document outlines a newcomer orientation and mentorship program. It defines mentorship as a developmental relationship where a more experienced person guides a less experienced person. The goals of the program are to provide every new team member with a mentor who will welcome them, show them business processes, goals and milestones, resource planning, and information management. Mentors support new team members in learning the business innovation process, introduce them to resources and tools, and assist them throughout their onboarding process. The benefits of mentoring include quicker onboarding, efficient resource planning, avoidance of bottlenecks, better outcomes, and improved communication.

1. Newcomer Orientation and
Mentorship
Radostina Ruseva

2. Hey, there!
Every company I have worked for, even my own ones, have offered a mentoring program – at
least in theory. Hereby I want to show you why it is important and encourage you using
mentoring in your team, too. Mentoring works, go try it!
• What is mentorship?
• Why do we need to mentor new coming team members?
• Who are the mentors?
• What do they do?
• What they don’t do?
• How do they do it?

3. Mentorship is …
… a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more
knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person.

4. The idea is …
• To provide every new coming team member with a mentor
• The mentor will welcome the new team member and show him how we
work
• The mentor will especially advise the new team member in the major
development project stages, sources of information and support
opportunities
Business
Processes
Goals and
milestones
Resource
Planning
Information
Management

6. The benefits of using mentors are …
• Quicker onboarding
• Efficient resource planning
• Avoidance of bottlenecks
• Better outcomes
• Improved communication
• Process test and iteration
• Learning curve

7. Mentors …
Support new coming team members in getting to know and apply our business innovation
process

8. Major activities
Welcome the new team member upon arrival and schedule a first meeting to
walk him through our business processes
Introduce our goals, and ask the new team member to schedule his
presentations with the team assistant
Show the new team member the location of the important presentations,
working templates, and information sources
Explain how we plan resources, and use tools, how we collect ideas etc.
Assist the new team member on demand in any further questions on a lose base
throughout his incubation
u General overview of the project
u How we measure success
u Support him in getting access to
important tools
u As usual J

9. Don’t be nasty
If somebody is trying really hard and it doesn’t work we might need to change something else, not necessarily
that person.

10. Don’t take the ownership
It is his project. You only help him integrate better in our way of work.

11. Don’t be negative
It is the first impression that will influence new team members for some time. If you don’t like things yourself
he will most likely not adopt them.

12. Don’t be dogmatic
Our business processes constitute a roadmap, not a recipe. We follow them for the benefits of the company not
to end in itself.

13. Respect other opinions
Don’t belittle!

14. Discuss problems
Embrace failure, give feedback and encourage all team members to do the same.

15. Cherish diversity
Our way of work is not a recipe. Every business is different and needs to find its way through.