Role of informal mentoring in the career success of first‐line bank managers: A Nigerian case study

Abstract

Purpose

This study seeks to examine the role of informal mentoring in career success in an African work environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 510 first‐line bank managers through a survey of ten banks in four central business districts of Lagos State, Nigeria.

Findings

Results of hierarchical regression analysis revealed that informal mentoring accounts for a significant proportion of the variance (β=0.64, p<0.01) in career success. Informal mentoring increased R² from 0.06 to 0.41 (p<0.01), indicating a significant change in R² (ΔR²=0.35, p<0.01).

Research limitations/implications

The findings are based on self‐report measures from respondents in the banking sector. This underscores the need for further research with objective measures from a wider domain.

Practical implications

An intervention is needed to make informal mentoring thrive, enhance its quality and ensure career success.

Originality/value

There is a paucity of literature relating mentoring to career success in the Nigerian and, indeed, the African work environment. This study addresses this gap in literature and corrects the inappropriateness of generalising from foreign cultures to the Nigerian society.

Citation

Okurame, D.E. and Balogun, S.K. (2005), "Role of informal mentoring in the career success of first‐line bank managers: A Nigerian case study", Career Development International, Vol. 10 No. 6/7, pp. 512-521. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430510620584