Facilitating employee socialization through mentoring relationships

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to advance understanding of the mentor factors that promotes mentoring outcomes. This was done by investigating the role of mentors’ learning goal orientation (LGO), their learning activity such as reflection, the perceived relationship quality in relation to the mentoring functions received by protégés, and the furtherance of their socialization in a formal mentoring relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 131 matched mentor-protégé dyads were recruited from three different organizations in Korea, for the final analysis. Structural equation modeling and Hayes's PROCESS macro were used to test the proposed model and the moderating effect of perceived relationship quality.

Findings

Results show that mentors’ LGO was positively related to their reflection. Additionally, mentors’ reflection was positively associated with mentoring functions received by protégés. Further, mentoring functions received by protégés were positively related to protégés’ socialization. In particular, mentors’ reflection mediates the relationship between mentors’ LGO and mentoring functions received by protégés. Moreover, perceived relationship quality moderates the relationship between mentors’ LGO and their reflection.

Originality/value

Even though mentoring research is well advanced, not many researches have yet investigated mentors’ LGO and their learning activity such as reflection, in relation to mentoring functions received by protégés and their socialization.

Citation

Son, S. (2016), "Facilitating employee socialization through mentoring relationships", Career Development International, Vol. 21 No. 6, pp. 554-570. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-02-2016-0014