The Impact of Mentoring on Leadership Identity

Annelies Meulepas1, Koen Marichal1; Jesse Segers2

1Antwerp Management School, Belgium2 University of Antwerp/Antwerp Management School, Belgium

The Future Leadership Initiative

1. Introduction

Aim

Only one study that links mentoring with leadership development (Lester, Hannah, Harms, Vogelgesang, & Avolio, 2011)

Aim: Open and explorative research format to investigate the impact of mentoring on leadership development

Mentoring

Defenition

= a developmental relationship between a more experienced and a less experienced person (Kram, 1985)– Not necessarily direct supervisor/member of the

organization– Mentor= an influential person, devoted to support and

promote the mentee’s career using the own knowledge and experience• 2 functions: personal & professional development

Mentoring

Mentoring

Important features

Life cycle of 4 phases (1 – 5 years)Formal vs. Informal mentoring– Informal mentoring => better results (Underhill,

2006)Relationship quality & motivation as crucial factors

Leadership

Leadership is more than a role, leadership as a matter of identity (Day, Harrisson, & Halpin, 2009)

– Self-image static or one-dimensional– Possible selves (Ibarra,2010)

3 leadership identities

(Drath 2001 in Day et al., 2009)

« “personal dominance”

« “influence”

« “relational dialogue”

Leadership developmen

tLeader identity development = a social process

– It is a relational category

– With 3 aspects (DeRue & Ashford, 2010):• Personal internalization• Relational recognition• Collective empowerment

Developing versus learning

(Robert Kegan, 2010)(Daniel Day et al., 2011)

“Development of any system = purposeful simultaneous transformation toward higher levels of differentiation and integration.” (Gharajedaghi, 1999)

« planned reflection« organized experience« feedback« support

Leadership & mentoring

Mentoring’s potential to develop leadership identity:– By definition, mentoring relationship to develop

the mentee, both professionally and personally

– reflection, experiences, feedback and support as important ways to come to such development

Method

Research context

Formal mentoring program of a Flemish management association (vMA)

Open instructions

Data collection

Semi-structured interviewsInterview questions:

– Concrete activities, change in leadership of the mentee, other specific effects, probable causes

– Extra question mentors: impact on own learning experience and leadership vision

18 interviews (2 excluded)To minimize bias: 2 interviewers, anonimity reassurance, setting, handwritten notes, common interview protocol– Limitations: cross sectional, small sample

Data analysis

Based on an inductive, grounded theory development process (Eisenhardt; 1989)Iterative process => data - relevant literature - own emerging concepts– Focus on the ‘how’ and ‘why’

Independent analysis by 2 of the authors – 3th author as guard of objectivityComparing 10 cases through subsequent rounds of coding and analysis

Results

General findings

Overcoming the distance, both hiërarchical as content-wise"... Of course you go there with a healthy dose of tension..." (YM6)"A whole other world opened for me." (YM3)

The importance of matching"...it clicked and that is really important ..." (YM2)

Self disclosure and trust"Open atmosphere is very important, it seems evident, but nevertheless it’s crucial." (YM9)"A very good relationship arised. Confidence, complete confidence, so I felt that I could discuss everything with him/her, that I could really trust him/her. "(WM4)

General findings

Þ Increased self-confidence of the mentees,…

"It has given me confidence. That's in my opinion the strength of the program. "(YM8)

…which made change possiblee.g. changes in their professional context

"I do not think he/she realizes that he/she really had an impact on my choice." (YM4)

General findings

Mentors and their effects

"... It was very refreshing, to get to talk with someone openly about “what are the fundamentals? What is it really all about?" (WM6)

“ It makes you think about yourself. Questions are asked concerning things you don’t really think consciously about.” (WM5)

Different level of reciprocity

Mentoring patterns

« the mentor as coach

« the mentor as advisor

« the mentor as tour guide

Mentoringdynamic

Description Leadership identity (Day et al. 2009)

Effects mentee Effects mentor

Coach Structured, focused en rather formal approachWork questions or assignments and offering of experiences

Influencing Rather developing: identity & awareness

To learn & possibly develop

Tour guide Open and equal approachExperience, informal contact as key elements

Relational dialogue

Rather developing: identity & awareness

To learn & possibly develop

Advisor Advisory and professional approachAnswering questions from their own perspective

Personal dominance

Rather learning: substantive results

To learn

Other influencing

factorsPreliminary motivation

– Motivation letters mentees => corresponding the outcomes– Only one mismatch

Complementarity and leadership identities– Differences reported as factor of success– Advisory mentors: highlighting the similarity as important => learning quickly

Maturity of mentors

Discussion

Developed conceptual framework

Motivation

Overcoming Distance

Trust

Disclosure

Relational quality

Instrumental learning

Self-confidence

Open world

Stronger leadership

identity

More relational leadership

scheme

Advisory

Tour guiding

Coaching

Positive match

Informal format

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Initial setting OutcomesProcess

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Limitations and future research

Limitations– Cross-sectional– Built on an existing program

Future research– Each link in previous framework– Possible hypotheses:

• The orientation to lead of mentors defines their mentoring style• Mentors with a relational orientation to leadership are more effective in developing

leadership identity• Mentors with a tour guiding style develop relations with a higher quality and therefore

obtain overall higher outcomes• The right balance between distance and initial trust is needed as condition for an effective

mentoring relation• Mentoring is effective for leadership identity development because of the initial

hierarchical distance

Practical implications

Mentoring indeed a specific and valuable impact on leadership and identity development

– General practical implications• Informal setting to enhance intrinsic motivation and

trust building• Certain level of support• The importance of the matching process

Practical implications

Mentoring indeed a specific and valuable impact on leadership and identity development

– Leadership development implications• Mentors’ leadership identity and mentoring style• Mentees preliminary motivation• ‘Tour guiding’ style => strongest impact

Through exercising mentoring, the mentors reinforce their own leadership identity

Questions ?