Leadership and Mentoring

באקדמיה מראה מראה שעל הקיר, מי החונך(ת) הטוב(ה) בעיר? השפעת מיגדר על התנהגויות חניכה

by Ronit Kark

Kark, R. & Shilo*, R. (2007). 'Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the best mentor of them all'? Mentoring in the Israeli Academia. Megamot, 4, 707-735. (In Hebrew).

חונכים (mentors) מוגדרים כעובדים בעלי השפעה בארגון שלהם, התורמים מניסיונם ומידיעותיהם מתוך רצון לתמוך בקריירת הנחנכים... more חונכים (mentors) מוגדרים כעובדים בעלי השפעה בארגון שלהם, התורמים מניסיונם ומידיעותיהם מתוך רצון לתמוך בקריירת הנחנכים שלהם (proteges) ולקדמה. נהוג לסווג את הסיוע שחונכים מעניקים לשניים: פונקציות פיתוח קריירה, התורמות לקידומם של הנחנכים בארגון, ופונקציות פסיכו-חברתיות, התורמות להתפתחותם האישית והמקצועית. במחקר זה, בחנו את האופן בו המיגדר משפיע על פונקציות החניכה אותן מספקים החונכים במסגרת אירגון אקדמי. שיערנו כי ביחסים שווי-מגדר (בין שתי נשים או שני גברים) תסופקנה יותר פונקציות חניכה פסיכו-חברתיות בשל הדמיון, האינטימיות והקִרבה בין החונכים לנחנכיהם. בנוסף לכך, שיערנו כי נשים חונכות תספקנה פונקציות פיתוח קריירה מעטות בהשוואה לגברים, בשל כוחן המועט יחסית בארגון ובשל גישתן המוגבלת למשאבים. במחקר השתתפו 179 דוקטורנטים (91 גברים ו- 88 נשים) מפקולטות למדעי-הטבע ולמדעים מדויקים במוסד להשכלה גבוהה בארץ. המדגם כלל סטודנטים לדוקטורט ביחסי חונכות עם מנחים מהסגל האקדמי.
תוצאות המחקר תומכות בהשערה הראשונה ומראות כי ביחסים שווי-מיגדר סופקו יותר פונקציות חניכה פסיכו-חברתיות מאשר ביחסים שוני-מיגדר. בניגוד להשערה השנייה, נמצא כי הנשים חונכות, ולא הגברים, הן אלה שסיפקו מידה רבה יותר של פונקציות פיתוח קריירה לנחנכיהן. ממצא זה הוסבר באמצעות התייחסות לקשיים בהם נשות הסגל האקדמי נתקלות במהלך הקריירה שלהן, אשר מגבירים את מודעותן לחשיבות כישורי קריירה שונים. מודעות מחודדת זו עשויה לתרום לנטיית החונכות לספק פונקציות פיתוח-קריירה רבות יותר. המחקר מסייע בהבנת מגוון הדפוסים של יחסי חניכה הנרקמים בין חונכים לנחנכים בהרכבים מיגדריים שונים, בניבוי פונקציות החניכה הייחודיות המסופקות בכל אחד מהם, ומוסיף להבנת התרומה של יחסי חונכות לקידומן של נשים בארגונים בכלל ובארגונים אקדמיים בפרט.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who is the Best Mentor of them All?
Effects of Gender on Mentoring Functions in the Academy


Mentors are higher ranking and influential individuals in their work environment who share their knowledge and experience with their protיgיs, out of a commitment to provide upward mobility and support to their protיgיs’ career. Research has shown that mentorship has a significant contribution to the protיgיs, such as greater advancement, compensation, or satisfaction. The assistance provided by the mentors is manifested in numerous behaviors, which are usually categorized into two general types: career development functions, which contribute to the development and advancement of the protיgיs within the organization, and psycho-social functions, which advance the protיgיs’ personal and professional development.
While previous research dealt with many aspects of mentoring relationships, the influence of gender on mentoring relationships and on the dominant functions provided by the mentors was seldom addressed. My study of this subject is based on a theoretical model, developed by Ragins (1997b), dealing with power relations between social groups. In this study I claim that in same-gender mentoring relationships (between two men or two women) the similarity between the mentors and protיgיs leads to greater inter-personal comfort and intimacy. These, in turn, make it easier for mentors in same-gender relationships to provide a greater amount of psycho-social functions than in cross-gender relationships. In addition, I claim that because women are a weaker social group, and have limited access to organizational resources, men mentors will provide a greater amount of career development functions than women mentors.
179 doctoral students (91 men and 88 women) from faculties of natural sciences and exact sciences in one of the universities in Israel participated in the research. For the purpose of the research Ph.D. advisors were defined as the mentors. The sample consisted of roughly comparable numbers of students in all the four different gender compositions of the mentoring relationship.
The research results show, in accordance with the hypothesis regarding the relation between gender and mentoring functions provided, that in same-gender relationships there was a greater amount of psycho-social functions provided than in cross-gender relationships. In contradiction to my hypothesis, the results show that the women mentors, and not the men, were the ones that provided a greater amount of career development functions to their protיgיs. This finding was explained by referring to the many difficulties and obstacles that women face in the course of their career. I suggested that all these hurdles make women more aware of the significance of different career skills, and therefore, as mentors women tend to provide their protיgיs with a greater amount of career development functions.
This research has important implications that advance our understanding of the different patterns of relationships that are formed between mentors and protיgיs in different gender compositions, and aid our ability to predict the different mentoring functions that are provided in each of these gender compositions. The study contributes to our understanding of the ways in which mentoring relationships help the advancement of women (and other minorities) in organizations in general and in academic organizations in particular. From a practical point of view, the results of this research may serve as a theoretical basis for the development of programs for the training of mentors in organizations, and emphasize the importance of providing both kinds of mentoring functions. Moreover, in light of the results, future protיgיs may want to take into account the gender of the mentor that they choose for themselves, knowing that they will probably receive more psycho-social functions from a same-gender mentor, and may receive more career development functions from women mentors.

Enticing African young people to agriculture through education, training and mentorship

by Grace Mwaura

Programa Tutor Quirón: La utilidad de la mentoría y la inteligencia emocional // Tutor Quiron Program: Mentoring and Emotional Intelligence

by Andres Romero-Jodar

Co-authored with Laura Martínez Escudero. Published (in Spanish) in "IX Jornadas de Redes de Investigación en Docencia Universitaria," Alicante: Universidad de Alicante, 2011, pp. 2488-2503. ISBN: 978-84-694-9813-2

Recientes estudios en inteligencia emocional (Goleman 1995) han resaltado la importancia de las emociones en la... more Recientes estudios en inteligencia emocional (Goleman 1995) han resaltado la importancia de las emociones en la creación de redes interpersonales dentro del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Figuras intermedias, como los mentores, pueden ayudar a los estudiantes a desarrollar competencias emocionales necesarias para un mejor rendimiento académico. Inspirado en el proyecto Tutor Quirón de la Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, el programa Tutor Quirón de la Universidad de Zaragoza se basa en el concepto de mentoría entre iguales. Básicamente, propone una actividad de coordinación, orientación y seguimiento entre los estudiantes del Máster y de Doctorado de Estudios Textuales y Culturales en Lengua Inglesa. La implantación de este sistema responde a un plan de acción estratégica multidisciplinar que permite supervisar con más precisión el proceso de aprendizaje de cada estudiante y, al mismo tiempo potenciar el aprendizaje autónomo y responsable. El propósito de esta comunicación es bidimensional. Por una parte, presentamos el programa concreto que estamos llevando a cabo en la Universidad de Zaragoza y por otra parte, incidimos en el papel fundamental que tiene la inteligencia emocional como elemento subyacente durante el proceso de aprendizaje en el Máster de Estudios Textuales y Culturales en Lengua Inglesa.

So Noxious a Premonition

by Mohamed Eno

Excerpted from my forthcoming volume Guilt of Otherness: A Brief Personal Memoir in Poetry

Strong and weak leadership exist everywhere, in every profession, and academia is not an exception. This verse is... more Strong and weak leadership exist everywhere, in every profession, and academia is not an exception. This verse is dedicated to all men and women academics who at some point in their professional life felt oppressed, frustrated or marginalized for one reason or another by the powers that be in their respective institutions.

What does it mean to mentor: One student's non traditional story

by Kenny Fasching-Varner

Co-authored with Clarie Bible - published by Think College

This brief tells the story of a role reversal and a creative
approach to postsecondary inclusive education. At a... more This brief tells the story of a role reversal and a creative
approach to postsecondary inclusive education. At a small
private college in Wisconsin, a student with a disability
served as a peer leader and mentor to students without
disabilities in a freshman seminar class. In describing this experience, we present some of the institutional challenges faced in having a student with an intellectual disability serve in the role of peer leader and mentor. We also reflect on how upending the concept of peer mentoring challenged some assumptions about integration of individuals with developmental disabilities on a college campus. Finally, we discuss the positive impact this experience had on the mentor, the professor, the class, and the students involved.

Charlatans Chicanery

by Mohamed Eno

Thr poem is an excerpt from my forthcoming volume Guilt of Otherness

The volume is under review with a subject area expert and a literary critic. The volume is under review with a subject area expert and a literary critic.

Three Key Steps For Keeping Your Brain Sharp

by James Strasbaugh

Keeping your brain sharp is vital to being a strong leader.  Make sure that you are keeping your brain sharp by... more Keeping your brain sharp is vital to being a strong leader.  Make sure that you are keeping your brain sharp by following these simple steps. 

The Amazing Stockdale Paradox

by James Strasbaugh

The Stockdale Paradox is an amazing tale of survival and a great example of strength and dedication. The Stockdale Paradox is an amazing tale of survival and a great example of strength and dedication.

Building community in academic settings: The importance of flexibility in a structured mentoring program.

by Amani Bell

Co-authored with Ewing R, Freeman MA, Barrie S, O'Connor D, Waugh F and Sykes CS
Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning (2008) 16(3): 294-310.

Academic mentoring is increasingly being used by many universities as a tool to enhance the quality of research-led... more Academic mentoring is increasingly being used by many universities as a tool to enhance the quality of research-led teaching, promote cross-faculty collaboration and encourage a mentoring culture and community. This article reports on a pilot project established to investigate the benefits of building flexibility into a structured academic mentoring program at the University of Sydney. Twenty-six academics from the Faculty of Business and Economics and the Faculty of Education and Social Work participated in the program. The mentors ranged in position from Lecturer to Professor and the mentees from Associate Lecturer to Senior Lecturer. Flexible arrangements were shown to be important in a variety of ways, from the pairing of mentor with mentee, to focussing on issues of work survival and life balance, research outcomes and career advancement. The project highlighted the lower number of male academics involved in formal mentoring, which merits further exploration. All participants reported positive outcomes, although refinement of the pairing

Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning 16(3): 294-310.

Looking for Professor Right: mentee selection of mentors in a formal mentoring program

by Amani Bell

Co-authored with Lesley Treleaven
Higher Education (2011) 61 (5): 545-561

Finding a suitable mentor is crucial to the success of mentoring relationships. In the mentoring literature, however,... more Finding a suitable mentor is crucial to the success of mentoring relationships. In the mentoring literature, however, there is conflicting evidence about the best ways to support the pairing process in organisational mentoring programs. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the pairing process in an academic mentoring program that has implications for building a mentoring culture in higher education. The program which began with a pilot and has continued for five years with one hundred and twenty one participants, was conducted with mentees selecting their own mentor from a pool of mentors who volunteered to be part of the program. In the pilot program, where mentors and mentees first met as one group, some mentees reported that the process of selecting and approaching a mentor was uncomfortable and intimidating. Nine of twenty-three potential mentees did not form mentoring relationships. Analysis of subsequent program evaluation data pointed to the importance of two factors in the pairing process: personal connections and facilitation of the selection process. This study at a research-intensive university demonstrates that when the pairing process is tailored to individual mentees, they are comfortable selecting a mentor and to then develop a successful mentoring relationship.

No one helped out. It was like,“Get on with it. You're an adult now. It's up to you”. You don't… it's not like you reach 17 and suddenly you don't need any help anymore': …

by Ruth Rogers

Rogers, R. (2009) 'No one helped out. It was like, "Get on with it. You're an adult now. It's up to you", You don't ... It's not like you reach 17 and suddenly you don't need any help anymore': A Study into Post-16 Pastoral Support', in Pastoral Care in Education, 27(2), pp. 109-118

In 2002, the UK Government set the target of increasing participation in higher education to 50% of 18-30 year olds by... more In 2002, the UK Government set the target of increasing participation in higher education to 50% of 18-30 year olds by 2010, with a particular focus on young people from "non-traditional backgrounds". In order to increase this participation, a range of initiatives have been introduced in an effort to encourage young people to enter post-16 education. One significant initiative is Aimhigher, which specifically targets lower socio-economic groups and aims to raise the attainment and aspirations of young people. This paper emerges from research conducted in 2008 into post-16 withdrawal rates amongst Aimhigher students in the South East of England. Drawing from interviews and case studies with young people, further education (FE) colleges and schools, the paper argues that students benefit significantly from the intensive pastoral support provided in Aimhigher target schools, but that this is rarely carried over into FE. Although there is often significant pastoral support provided to students in FE, it is often quite disparate from that provided in Aimhigher schools and suffers from low take up. Whilst previous research investigating student withdrawal has focused on individual factors (socio-economic status and ethnicity) or institutional factors (the labour market), this paper highlights the views of young people and argues that, through establishing effective and cohesive mentoring schemes, schools and FE colleges have a substantial role to play in reducing student withdrawal.

Developing an effective mentoring program

by Susan Matveyeva

Heterotrophic CO2-fixation, Mentors, and Students: The Wood-Werkman ReactionS

by Rivers Singleton

in <i>Journal of the History of Biology</i> 39:91-120 (1997).

More Than the Sum of Its Parts: 10 Years of the Leadership Development for Women Programme at the University of Western Australia

by Jennifer de Vries

House Calls: Empowering New Faculty, Enriching the Learning Environment

by Jean Bryan

Holistic Leadership: A Model for Leader-Member Engagement and Development

by K. Candis Best

Published in the Journal for Values-Based Leadership, Winter/Spring, 2011

This paper presents a model of holistic leadership that is proposed for inclusion with the integrative class of... more This paper presents a model of holistic leadership that is proposed for inclusion with the integrative class of leadership theories. It positions holistic leadership as a synthesis of full participation models and developmentally-oriented leadership theories by building upon theories of holistic development. To support its thesis, it begins with an overview of the evolution of leadership theory. Holistic leadership is then defined with its distinguishing elements placed within the context of contemporary leadership literature. The paper concludes with a statement of the theory's fundamental assumptions, its implications for leadership development, and its potential as a supporting framework for future research.

The Changing Role of the Teacher in the 21st Century

by Brad Johnson