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Purpose – Seeks to highlight an emerging transition in mentoring research, that is, the transition from an exclusive focus on mentoring dyads to an integrative focus on mentoring development networks. Highlights from extant research are discussed as well as considerations for individuals interested in conducting research on development networks. Design/methodology/approach – A range of recently published works (1985‐2005) that aim to define, conceptualize, and test theories regarding development networks was evaluated. The sources included management as well as training and development journals and book chapters. Findings – This article provides information about how the concept of development networks has evolved over the past 20 years. Highlights from empirical research and considerations for future research are discussed. Practical implications – The article is a useful source of information regarding an emerging area of study within the mentoring literature. The paper discusses considerations for practitioners and academics regarding the construction and effectiveness of development networks. Originality/value – This article provides an overview of an emerging mentoring dynamic which is under‐studied. Given that individuals likely utilize development networks in addition to or instead of traditional mentor‐protégé dyads, research on development networks is warranted.

Purpose – This paper aims to advance the argument for the transformative potential of e‐mentoring for professional women. Design/methodology/approach – Existing mentoring and e‐mentoring models are evaluated as the context for the development of an innovative e‐mentoring programme for professional women in the UK (Empathy‐Edge). The European Union‐funded programme consisted of 122 participants who were matched by a combination of psychological profiling and analytical processing of these data to produce optimal matches. The e‐mentoring system employed a comprehensive range of resources and communication media which are often not included in similar systems. Findings – Initial evaluation data are presented. The benefits and challenges of e‐mentoring are analysed, together with initial recommendations for implementing effective schemes. Practical implications – The paper argues that e‐mentoring is a valuable tool for the career and management development of both returners and employed women who wish to break through the “glass ceiling”. It also indirectly improves their information and communications technologies (ICT) skills. Additionally, the paper demonstrates the strategic importance of psychological profiling for matching mentoring participants. Originality/value – The field of e‐mentoring is relatively new and is under‐researched, particularly from a European perspective. Combining insights from the fields of mentoring, gender in management, and computer‐mediated communication, Empathy‐Edge offers a new approach to career development for professional women.

To elaborate how an adult development perspective can further an understanding of mentoring (developmental) networks and their value to focal individuals in terms of the developmental functions provided and outcomes such as personal learning, task performance and development.

The article utilizes Kegan's developmental stage theory to explore the implications of an adult development lens for individuals' mentoring networks.

Theoretical propositions suggest varying network structures among individuals at three of Kegan's latter stages of development: interpersonal, institutional, and interindividual, as well as implications for networks and stage on relationship dynamics.

Several propositions are offered for future research that will help to illuminate what mentoring networks may look like at various adult development stages, as well as what organizations should consider as they go about fostering both formal and informal mentoring for their members.

Individuals should consider how their developmental stage may influence the relationships that they have, and those that they should seek to foster for continuous development. Organizations should consider stage of potential mentors and protégés when creating formal mentoring programs, and include opportunities for individuals to reflect on their own developmental stage as part of the self‐assessment and career development process.

The article identifies and describes an individual antecedent – one's developmental stage – that influences developmental relationship qualities and outcomes.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the utility of a selection instrument in predicting service and technologically oriented performance in technologically oriented businesses in mainland China and Japan.

Data was collected from 262 employees in mainland China and 236 employees in Japan pertaining to their service and technology orientations with regard to on‐the‐job performance in a high technology management environment. Employees completed a personality‐oriented employment questionnaire that has been previously examined.

Each dimension predicted performance in both samples, although the structures were not consistent across the two countries. In China, the seven dimensions consist of extroversion, emotional stability, the desire to make good impressions on others, conscientiousness, life satisfaction, performance orientation, and helpfulness. In Japan, the seven dimensions consisted of extroversion, emotional stability, the desire to make good impressions on others, conscientiousness, closed mindedness, empathy, and helpfulness. Results from multiple regression analyses suggested that substantially less of the variance in service‐oriented and technologically oriented performance could be explained in China than in Japan.

Researchers and practitioners alike should be careful when applying surveys developed and validated in western countries because they may not measure the same constructs in China. Further, although countries in Asia share physical proximity, their cultures are so diverse that the utility of such assessments may vary substantially from one country to another.

There is a dearth of empirical research examining on‐the‐job performance in China. This paper, however, adds to the literature by examining high technology businesses in China and demonstrating how their internal processes may differ both from western organizations and those in other Asian cultures.

To examine the influence of demographic differences on congruence of mentors' and protégés' perceptions of developmental support and frequency of communication.

Data on demographics (organizational tenure, age, gender, and educational level), mentoring functions, and frequency of communication were collected from both the mentor and protégé in 27 mentoring dyads from two medium‐sized high technology companies. Correlation and pattern analysis were used to analyze the data.

Results indicated significant congruence between mentor and protégé perceptions of developmental mentoring and frequency of communication. Differences between the mentor and protégé on organizational tenure and age reduced congruence of perceptions, whereas differences with respect to gender and education did not.

The small sample size limits the statistical power of the analysis and the inclusion of high technology companies limits generalizability.

While mentors and protégés generally view aspects of their relationship in a congruent manner, large discrepancies in age or tenure in the organization may lead to disagreement about the nature of the relationship. This information should be considered in developing formal mentoring programs.

This research is one of only a few studies that use the mentoring dyad as the unit of analysis. Unlike others, this study focuses on how the participants view the mentoring relationship itself.

Purpose – To be the first study to consider the difference between men's and women's perceptions of most important mentoring functions. Design/methodology/approach – Survey recipients identified the three most important things that mentors can do for their protégés. Two independent coders categorized the behaviors listed by the 637 respondents. Findings – There was little difference between men's and women's perceptions of important mentoring behaviors. Women more than men reported championing and acceptance and confirmation behaviors to be in what they consider the top three for importance. Additionally, the lists respondents generated under‐represented the mentoring behaviors commonly identified in the extant literature, whereas some of the behaviors most frequently identified are not well represented in the mentoring literature. Research limitations/implications – Respondents were graduates of a top‐tier MBA program, although from multiple years. Future research should examine perceptions of mentoring behaviors by employees with different educational backgrounds and across cultures, particularly to explore perceptions of mentoring behaviors where cultural and gender stereotypes are present. Practical implications – The design of mentoring programs and fostering of cross‐sex mentoring are discussed in lieu of managing protégé expectations and educating mentors about actual expectations versus the expectations they might associate with the other sex. Originality/value – The findings here extend existing research by first asking men and women to generate a list of what they perceive to be the three most important mentoring behaviors and then showing that, for MBAs at least, there is little difference across the sexes.

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

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

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).

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.

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

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.

To improve understanding of mentoring and other leadership development practices in health care organizations, focusing on three questions: What has been done? What is being done? What should be done?

First, 160 key informant interviews explored mentoring and leadership development practices in health care between September 2003 and December 2004. Second, all US hospital chief executives were surveyed between August‐December 2004 (844 respondents) and asked about mentoring and leadership development.

No interviewed executives and fewer than one‐quarter of chief executive respondents reported participating in formal mentoring programs as a protégé. Nearly one in three executives surveyed reported that a formal mentoring program was available within their organizations; however, only three key informants described programs in existence longer than five years. Issues such as assuring senior leadership support, sustaining budgetary commitment, and dedicating qualified personnel were all reportedly important for health care organizations striving to design and implement mentoring and other leadership development practices.

While limited by a modest response rate within a chief executive population, survey results highlight the importance of mentoring in framing perceptions about leadership development. Future research should attempt to better understand how perspectives guide program development decisions.

By considering opportunities to use mentoring to help employees advance, organizations can build investments in leadership development, ideally helping under‐represented groups to attain higher management ranks.

This paper is among the first to combine qualitative and quantitative methods to explore mentoring and leadership development in health care organizations.