activity week1

1. This online activity will help you to: • Define mentoring program purpose and objectives• Write purpose statement for mentoring programYou must read the extra reading material in pdf provided to you to assimilate the knowledge and terminology required for this subject After reading, you will be required to answer few questions which will be checked by your trainer. Although it is not part of your assessment tool, answering these questions are mandatory as your answer will provide to the trainer that you have understood the subject. READING: Define mentoring program purpose and objectives What is Mentoring? The origins of the termTo understand the meaning of mentoring, it is necessary to go back to its origins. The term mentor is attributed to Homer and his epic work, The odyssey. In his story, Odysseus, King of Ithaca, embarks on a decade of travel and adventure, leaving behind his wife and young son, Telemachus. Odysseus instructs his loyal and true servant, Mentor, to look after the royal household and keep a watchful eye over Telemachus. Mentor agrees and acts in loco parentis, becoming a father figure, teacher, role model, guide, sounding board and friend to Telemachus. Athene, Goddess of Wisdom, sometimes takes the form of Mentor and provides encouragement and support to Telemachus. From this story, the word ‘mentor’ has come to mean a ‘father figure’ or perhaps a ‘mother figure’ (following Athene’s wisdom and advice) to younger people. More recent understandingsWhile the term mentoring has broadened over the years and become part of the language of organisations and staff development, vestiges of its original meaning can be found in contemporary definitions. For example, just as Mentor provided encouragement and support to, and acted as a sounding board for, Telemachus, mentors today play these psycho-social roles (of encouragement and support) when they work and interact with mentees. Somewhat different today is that mentors are not necessarily ‘father figures’ or much older in years than their mentees. In this handbook, the view taken is that mentors tend to be more experienced than their mentees, rather than older in years. There is confusion surrounding the meaning of mentoring because there are so many definitions and so many different types of mentoring written about and practised within organisations. Additionally, there tends to be a lack of boundaries surrounding mentoring, which has led to confusion about how it differs from coaching, counselling and training.Mentoring differentiated from other developmental practices Mentoring is defined in this guide as a ‘personal, helping relationship between a mentor and a mentee or protégé that includes professional development and growth and varying degrees of support. While mentoring relationships are reciprocal, mentors tend to be those with greater experience (Hansford et al. 2003, p. 5). This definition was developed from the work of Hansford et al., who examined 159 pieces of research on mentoring in educational contexts. Based on their analysis, Hansford et al. arrived at this definition. Mentoring tends to be broader and more holistic in focus than coaching as it is not only interested in ‘maximiz[ing] … performance’ (Whitmore 2002), but concerned with the person’s overall life development. Mentors are significant others who play many roles and, at times, they can be coach, counsellor and trainer. ‘Coaching is (the process of) unlocking people’s potential to maximise their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.’ (Whitmore, 2009, p. 10) Like mentoring, it can be understood in a number of ways, as there are many types of, and approaches to, coaching. Examples of coaching include the expert coach as well as the peer coach.Expert coaches facilitate learning and skill development in particular areas of expertise. They possess not only coaching skills, but also sound knowledge and practice of the specialist area. Peer coaches are often of comparable abilities and level, observing and providing feedback and support to each other in a mutual learning situation (Zeus & Skiffington, 2002). With the exception of the expert coach, ‘[c]oaching requires expertise in coaching but not in the subject at hand (Whitmore, 2009, p. 14). Common to all varieties of coaching is the process of asking questions and exploring solutions to issues within complex work environments.Counselling is a process conducted by counsellors or registered psychologists who address psychological issues and disorders. Mentors play the role of counsellor when they provide special types of support to others who find themselves in stressful or difficult circumstances. According to Clutterbuck (2004a), mentors who counsel listen, provide emotional support, act as sounding boards, and help mentees to take responsibility for their own actions. In her typology of mentoring, Kram (1985) refers to psycho-social support as including counselling, friendship and various types of interpersonal support. It is important that mentors are aware when professional counselling is required, and refer the mentee on to a trained professional.Training is a structured process of teaching whereby a trainer focuses on developing the skills, knowledge and attitudes required to complete a task or perform a job. Training as a direct form of instruction can sometimes constitute coaching and mentoring. Purpose of MentoringWhile mentoring is an interpersonal relationship, its purpose is likely to depend on whether the organisation has instituted a mentoring program or whether the mentoring relationship is more informal. In formal mentoring programs, the purpose of mentoring is likely to be articulated in a set of guidelines or via training that is provided for both parties, where they are informed of the goals and purposes of the program. As an example, the purpose of a formal mentoring program for beginning teachers might be to help new teachers develop their teaching strategies and skills, become socialised into the school’s values and culture, and develop a good working knowledge of school policies and procedures. In contrast, in informal mentoring arrangements, the parties may not have any set goals or specific expectations except to get together informally and discuss work-based issues as they arise. The purpose of the relationship may change depending on the needs of either party. Whether the mentoring relationship is organisationally driven or informal and more personally driven, it is likely that the overall purpose of the relationship will be for both parties to learn, engage in knowledge transfer, and support one another’s development and growth. In order to run a successful workplace mentoring program, top-level commitment and clear goals are necessary. Whether your program is focused on one group of employees or…

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overall life development. Mentors are significant others who play many roles and, at times, they can be coach, counsellor and trainer. ‘Coaching is (the process of) unlocking people’s potential to maximise their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.’ (Whitmore, 2009, p. 10) Like mentoring, it can be understood in a number of ways, as there are many types of, and approaches to, coaching. Examples of coaching include the expert coach as well as the peer coach.Expert coaches facilitate learning and skill development in particular areas of expertise. They possess not only coaching skills, but also sound knowledge and practice of the specialist area. Peer coaches are often of comparable abilities and level, observing and providing feedback and support to each other in a mutual learning situation (Zeus & Skiffington, 2002). With the exception of the expert coach, ‘[c]oaching requires expertise in coaching but not in the subject at hand (Whitmore, 2009, p. 14). Common to all varieties of coaching is the process of asking questions and exploring solutions to issues within complex work environments.Counselling is a process conducted by counsellors or registered psychologists who address psychological issues and disorders. Mentors play the role of counsellor when they provide special types of support to others who find themselves in stressful or difficult circumstances. According to Clutterbuck (2004a), mentors who counsel listen, provide emotional support, act as sounding boards, and help mentees to take responsibility for their own actions. In her typology of mentoring, Kram (1985) refers to psycho-social support as including counselling, friendship and various types of interpersonal support. It is important that mentors are aware when professional counselling is required, and refer the mentee on to a trained professional.Training is a structured process of teaching whereby a trainer focuses on developing the skills, knowledge and attitudes required to complete a task or perform a job. Training as a direct form of instruction can sometimes constitute coaching and mentoring. Purpose of MentoringWhile mentoring is an interpersonal relationship, its purpose is likely to depend on whether the organisation has instituted a mentoring program or whether the mentoring relationship is more informal. In formal mentoring programs, the purpose of mentoring is likely to be articulated in a set of guidelines or via training that is provided for both parties, where they are informed of the goals and purposes of the program. As an example, the purpose of a formal mentoring program for beginning teachers might be to help new teachers develop their teaching strategies and skills, become socialised into the school’s values and culture, and develop a good working knowledge of school policies and procedures. In contrast, in informal mentoring arrangements, the parties may not have any set goals or specific expectations except to get together informally and discuss work-based issues as they arise. The purpose of the relationship may change depending on the needs of either party. Whether the mentoring relationship is organisationally driven or informal and more personally driven, it is likely that the overall purpose of the relationship will be for both parties to learn, engage in knowledge transfer, and support one another’s development and growth. In order to run a successful workplace mentoring program, top-level commitment and clear goals are necessary. Whether your program is focused on one group of employees or…...