Mentoring for gender equality and organisational change
| Date | 01 November 2006 |
| Published date | 01 November 2006 |
| Pages | 573-587 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01425450610704506 |
| Author | Jennifer de Vries,Claire Webb,Joan Eveline |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
Mentoring for gender equality and
organisational change
Jennifer de Vries and Claire Webb
Organisational and Staff Development Services,
University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia, and
Joan Eveline
Business School, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
Abstract
Purpose – There is considerable literature about the impact of mentoring on the mentees but little is
known about the effect of the mentoring relationship on the mentor. This paper aims to address that
gap.
Design/methodology/approach – Interviews with 15 mentors and survey responses from 128
mentees are used to examine a formal mentoring programme. Most emphasis is on the perspective of
the mentors, raising questions about how they view outcomes for themselves and their mentees, as
well as the effects of mentoring on the workplace culture over time. Questions about the mentoring
relationship, including gender differences, are analysed against the background of a decade-long
organisational change strategy.
Findings – Mentors report significant benefits for themselves and the mentee as well as the
organisation itself as a result of their participation. The findings suggest that a long-term mentoring
programme for women has the potential to be an effective organisational change intervention. In
particular, men involved in that programme increased their understanding and sensitivity regarding
gendering processes in the workplace.
Practical implications – The importance of the impact of mentoring programmes on the mentors is
an under-investigated area. This study suggests that programme design, together with careful
selection and targeting of mentors, enables mentoring to become a critical part of a culture change
strategy.
Originality/value – The paper assists academics and practitioners to conceive of mentoring as a
core element in an effective organisational change intervention. The innovation is to move mentoring
away from assuming a deficit model of the mentee. As this programme shows, a focus on what needs
to change in the dominant organisational culture, practices and values can lead to key players in the
organisation becoming actively involved in the needed change process.
Keywords Mentoring, Gender,Universities, Organizationalchange
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Formal mentoring programmes for women have become a popular strategy to combat
some of the difficulties women face in a male-dominated environment, including lack of
easy access to informal “old boys” networks, shortage of appropriate mentors, lack of
access to sponsorship and patronage, and inability to navigate the political maze
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0142-5455.htm
Mentor interviews were conducted by Marie Finlay. The LDW participant survey was designed,
conducted and reported on by the University’s Institutional Research Unit. Many thanks to the
mentors who so willingly gave of their time and likewise the LDW “alumni” who completed the
survey.
Mentoring for
gender equality
573
Employee Relations
Vol. 28 No. 6, 2006
pp. 573-587
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/01425450610704506
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