External career mentoring and mentor turnover intentions. Role of mentor work engagement, satisfaction with protégé, and meeting frequency
Date | 02 December 2019 |
Published date | 02 December 2019 |
Pages | 342-356 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EBHRM-02-2019-0012 |
Author | Robert W. Renn,Robert Steinbauer,Tobias Michael Huning |
Subject Matter | Hr & organizational behaviour |
External career mentoring and
mentor turnover intentions
Role of mentor work engagement, satisfaction
with protégé, and meeting frequency
Robert W. Renn
Department of Management, Coggin College of Business,
Taylor Leadership Institute,
University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Robert Steinbauer
Department of Management, Brock University, St Catharines, Canada, and
Tobias Michael Huning
Department of Management,
University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Abstract
Purpose –Although studies have improved understanding of the relation between external career
mentoring and mentor work outcomes, an important question remains regarding whether this mentoring
function influences mentor turnover intentions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of
career mentoring outside the workplace on mentor turnover intentions.
Design/methodology/approach –Data were collected from 101 working business professionals in the
southeastern USA at two points in time who provided career mentoring to business student protégés in an
eight-month university sponsored mentoring program.
Findings –As hypothesized, moderated mediation analysis indicated that amount of external career
mentoring negatively related to mentor turnover intentions and that the indirect effect of external career
mentoring on mentor turnover intentions via mentor work engagement was stronger when both mentor
protégé satisfaction and meeting frequency were high vs low. A two-way interaction revealed that mentors
reporting higher protégé satisfaction had lower turnover intentions when meeting frequency was high vs low.
Originality/value –The findings help clarify the external career mentoring and mentor turnover intentions
relation and have valuable theoretical implications for research on the benefits external mentoring can
provide mentors. They also have practical implications for using external mentoring to enhance mentor work
engagement and reduce mentor turnover intentions.
Keywords Mentoring, Work engagement, Turnover intentions
Paper type Research paper
With the decades of research demonstrating that career mentoring can provide objective
and subjective benefits to protégés (Eby et al., 2013), research has begun investigating work
outcomes associated with career mentoring for mentors (Allen, 2007; Chun et al., 2012;
Ragins and Scandura, 1999; Wang et al., 2014). Studies indicate that providing protégés with
career knowledge and coaching, protection and sponsorship may improve mentor job
performance, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, leadership skills, and career
success; and lessen career plateauing (Chun et al., 2012; Ghosh and Reio, 2013; Lentz and
Allen, 2009; Wang et al., 2014). This research also suggests that mentors can derive personal
satisfaction from teaching protégés new knowledge and skills and a sense of rejuvenation
from the enthusiasm and energy exuded by protégés (see for review, Allen, 2007).
Although these studies have improved understanding of the relation between career
mentoring and mentor work outcomes, a question remains regarding whether this
mentoring function influences mentor turnover intentions. Lentz and Allen (2009) found that
Evidence-based HRM: a Global
Forum for Empirical Scholarship
Vol. 7 No. 3, 2019
pp. 342-356
© Emerald PublishingLimited
2049-3983
DOI 10.1108/EBHRM-02-2019-0012
Received 11 February 2019
Revised 6 May 2019
30 May 2019
Accepted 3 June 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2049-3983.htm
342
EBHRM
7,3
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