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This conceptual paper explores the complex, and neglected, area of mentor development in initial teacher education (ITE) in Australia. It focuses on the emotionality of mentoring, drawing on concepts of emotional labour and emotional intelligence to develop a framework of effective mentoring that helps explain the essence of a mentor’s role in supporting preservice teachers.

This conceptual paper draws together mentor-support practice wisdom and research literature from several relevant areas. It draws on constructive developmental theories and complex stage theory to reaffirm the intricate nature of mentor learning and development. This paper critiques the current utilitarian emphasis on mentoring as a way to improve student outcomes without first having clarity on how to improve mentoring itself.

We introduce the mentoring as emotional labour framework as a way to better understand the nature of mentoring within ITE and as a tool for developing more effective mentor supports. We present “exemplar cases”, which are amalgamations of field observations to illustrate aspects of the framework – however, we do not claim they provide evidence of the utility or accuracy of the framework.

Previous research and policy have tended to gloss over the skills required for effective mentoring, whereas this paper places the emotional labour of mentoring front and centre, explicitly conceptualising and describing the personal and interpersonal skills required in a way that aims to support and empower mentors to recognise existing strengths and areas of potential growth.

There is an explosion of interest in programmes to help women gain mentors in organizations. Despite the haste to jump on the “mentoring bandwagon”, there is little information on the barriers women face in obtaining a mentor. Discusses these barriers and the results of a study addressing this issue. Presents practical implications for organizations.

Nearly 400 young learners with mentors were studied in a project which ran from 1992‐94 at Leeds Metropolitan University. Shows that many learners find effective substitutes for conventional mentors, and, while needing support for their workplace learning, obtain this from a variety of helpers other than a conventionally‐defined mentor. Managers are not ideal mentors. Relevant expert knowledge on the part of a mentor is important, as is formality in conducting learner‐mentor relationships. Training for mentors is also confirmed as important. Time pressures can prevent would‐be mentors from offering their services. Stability of employment for both parties for the duration of the relationship is important.

Female executives in the USA were surveyed to determine characteristics of and interactions of mentors and protégés. Questions focus on preparation for roles, selection process, gender issues, relationship of mentor/protégé, number of mentors each protégé has had, benefits to careers, and other relationships derived from mentoring. Major findings are that an individual who has been a protégé is more willing to become a mentor; that an individual who has had a mentor is more willing to enter subsequent mentoring relationships; and that more women are mentors today as compared with the number of women mentors ten years ago.

Practitioners and researchers agree on the importance of mentors, even though the spontaneous creation of mentors and protégés is little understood. The mentor‐protégé creation process is addressed, and the individual and organisational benefits, and the role of protégés in the relationship, are discussed. Also discussed is the need for mentoring and mentors, explaining how informal, even chance encounters, can grow into strong relationships that benefit both parties and their organisation. Special emphasis is given to the protégé′s role and likely road‐blocks to the formation of these important relationships.

Examines the effects of a two‐year formal mentoring programme in a medium‐sized manufacturing company on the work motivation, organizational commitment and job performance of mentees. Single measures were obtained, for each mentor‐mentee pair, at the completion of the programme, from the 39 mentors and 39 mentees who remained. These measures included the pairs’ interaction opportunities; and the closeness of their relationship. At the same time, measures were obtained from mentees of their work motivation and organizational commitment. The performance of each mentee was given by ratings from their superiors. Significant relations were found between interaction opportunities and both motivation and commitment, and between relationship closeness and both these attitudes. Finds that the relations between the two mentoring variables and performance were both non‐significant. The results suggest that formal mentoring can improve employee attitudes without necessarily raising their performance, at least in the short term.

The final part in a series of three articles, discusses an evaluation of the Northern and Yorkshire region of the health services mentor scheme, linked to Durham MBA. Reports on the results of a survey of 42 health‐service mentees who have just finished a two‐year MBA course and their 42 mentors. Highlights issues raised by mentees and mentors, and discusses the implications of these for development and improvement of the scheme.

This article describes the support provided to FrontLine students involved in a unique scheme run by Coca‐Cola and Schweppes, the University of Bradford and the National Extension College, Cambridge, where participants combine a job with a fully supported distance learning course leading to a degree in management. Focussing on the position of tutor mentor, this case study emphasises the vital nature of the role in supporting the learning of students on the programme. A model of effective mentor‐student relationships developing and responding within a dynamic system is presented. Some evaluation of student feedback leads to consideration of such questions as: are tutor mentors effective? What type of student needs their tutor mentor most/least? How do the students perceive the role of the tutor/mentor? The paper concludes that the tutor mentor provides the “stability” factor within this particular degree programme.

Racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) women continue to be underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs and careers. Peer mentoring is one strategy that can support their participation. This study explores the experiences of Black women peer mentors in an online peer mentoring program at two historically Black institutions.

A qualitative case study approach was utilized to explore the impact of an online peer mentoring program on peer mentors' STEM self-efficacy, sense of community, STEM identity and intent to persist in STEM.

Analysis identified five themes relating to peer mentors' experiences in the program: (1) an “I can do this” approach: confidence and self-efficacy; (2) utility of like others; (3) “beacons of light”: intersecting and malleable identities; (4) skills development and (5) motivation and reciprocity. Further, challenges of the online relationship were shared.

The study contributes to the body of knowledge by demonstrating the utility of an online peer mentoring model among women mentors enrolled in STEM programs at two historically Black institutions. The findings support those who are historically marginalized in participating in and remaining in STEM.

This paper aims to answer report how mentors who onboard newcomers to a high-stress social work organization can learn about their onboarding practice by treating onboarding as a wicked problem that escapes definitive formulation and final solutions.

The authors follow an action research approach with three iterations of learning about onboarding with mentors in a Danish social work organization struggling with an employee turnover exceeding 30%.

The authors unfold the authors’ emerging sensitivity to wickedity over the iterations of learning about onboarding with the mentors. As the authors foreground the wickedity of the authors onboarding in the last iteration, three lessons learned could be derived: it warrants the mentors’ continuous inquiry; opens inquiry into the ambivalence of mentoring; and convenes responsibility for inquiry to a community of mentors.

This study of problematic onboarding to high-stress social work shows the value of fore-grounding wickedity instead of hiding it with a positive framing. This wickedity rests on situated grounding and is only transferrable to other organizations with the utmost caution.

High-stress social work organizations without the capacity to systematically sustain best practices for onboarding may, instead, increase attention to the wickedity of onboarding as a motivation for continuous inquiry by a broader community of mentors.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to present an action research study of problem wickedity to motivate mentors’ inquiry into onboarding newcomers to high-stress social work.