UNDERSTANDING DIVERSIFIED MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS: DEFINITIONS, CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES

Diversified mentoring relationships describe mentor and protégé relationships with members who vary by "race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class, religion, disability or other group memberships associated with power in organizations." Diversified mentoring relationships face many challenges.

Researchers need to consider the shared group associations of mentors and mentees. Importantly, different branches of diversity should not be gathered under the title of minority.

Each shared group faces different challenges depending on their specific experiences and the context of the mentoring relationship. Every organization has different "micro-climates" that non-visible, stigmatized groups must navigate.

Having a mentor who can better understand these micro-climates can greatly benefit the protégé. Diversity in a mentoring relationship can change over its lifespan.

While group membership differences may initially create barriers, these differences may become less of an obstacle over time. In fact diversified mentoring relationships can lead to members relating on more individualized and deeper levels.

These individualized similarities are what cement a strong and meaningful mentoring relationship. Members of a diversified mentoring relationship must accept the role of privilege in their organization.

Privilege refers to the benefits that certain shared group members enjoy. On the other hand the numerical minority group members experience higher expectations and greater visibility.

Whereas pretending that these differences in privilege do not exist may increase comfort in a diversified mentoring relationship, ignoring differences in privilege means that members cannot learn from one another as effectively. Discussing diversity differences in great depths does allow members of the mentoring relationship to learn from one another and better understand diversity, but over discussing diversity does not allow members to appreciate one another on an individual and deep level.

Ideally, diversified mentoring relationships address diversity but do not allow it to dominate their conversations and mentoring relationship. In order to encourage diversified mentoring relationships, the environment in which they exist must accept and encourage diversity.

Therefore change from inside an organization is the optimal tool for encouraging diverse and meaningful mentoring relationships. In order to achieve this, leaders of the organization need to appreciate the importance of diversity in the workplace and the challenges workers face as a result of discrimination.

Similarly, the organization needs rid itself of the glass ceiling that prevents diversity from being represented on a senior level. Formal mentoring may be an essential tool in the future for advancing the careers of numerical minority groups in the workplace.

Currently, formal mentoring programs are not any more effective than having no mentor at all. Employees with informal mentors are more likely to advance in their careers than those with formal mentors.

In order for formal mentoring programs to create a supportive environment around diversity, it is important that employees have access to both formal and informal mentors. However, the quality of a mentor is more important than a mentoring relationship being formal or informal.

Mentoring programs not only provide numerical minorities with access to mentors, but they also increase the number of future, diverse mentors. A mentoring program that encourages diversity can create a more positive work environment with an inclusive culture.

This article is based on the book "Mentoring and Diversity." The book summary is available online at Business Book Summaries.