Module IV: What does it mean to be a Manager of a mentoring process? - Roles and tasks

The Manager of a Mentoring process should be an experienced person, who:

• has good organizational skills;
• is experienced in managing HR development or educational processes;
• has good communication and listening skills;
• can solve conflicts in a diplomatic way and suggest good solutions for problems arisen;
• is able to act as an evaluator in the mentoring monitoring process.

 The Manager has the role of the organiser and evaluator of the mentoring process. He/she:

• organizes the selection of the Mentees and analyses their needs;
• forms groups of Mentees (in case of group mentoring);
• selects the best Mentor for the groups of Mentees or for the individuals;
• organizes trainings for Mentors and Mentees;
• organizes the initial and the final face-to-face meeting of Mentors and Mentees and the mentoring process;
• solves problems during the mentoring process;
• changes the Mentor for the group if needed;
• organizes the monitoring sessions within the mentoring process in order to evaluate the progress.

 Selection of the Mentees

One of the main responsibilities of the Manager is the selection of Mentees. In order to facilitate this procedure the template “Mentee’s Profile” should be used (mandatory tool). An example of the Mentee’s Profile can be found here. The Manager should give the template to fill-in to every person who would like to become a Mentee in order to collect basic information and to know, if the Mentee’s needs on the planned mentoring process could be fulfilled. Also the Mentee in her/his profile provides the Manager with information about the Mentor she/he would like to have.

Except the Mentee’s Profile, the Manager can arrange a personal interview, which could support the identification of Mentees needs. To be aware of own needs might be an excessive demand for some people and become one of the main aims of the mentoring process later on. For this people the assistance of the Manager could be helpful; a skilled Manager could also have an objective estimation about what is necessary to improve.

Selection of the Mentors

After the Mentees are selected the Manger’s next task is to find appropriate Mentors. Finding potential Mentors and subsequent selection of the most appropriate ones is basically dependent on comparing needs of the Mentees with the specification and skills of Mentors. The Manager may have to contact various suitable persons and offer them to become a Mentor. Then he/she has to compare their skills and experiences with the needs and expectations of the Mentees. For the selection of the Mentors a self-check questionnaire (optional tool) and a personal interview can be used. The questionnaire could help the Manager to get basic information about the Mentor, his/her skills and competences, possible experience in mentoring and his/her expectations for the mentoring process. An example of a self-check questionnaire for a person to be a Mentor can be found here.

A personal interview when selecting Mentors can be useful as well. Talking in person the Manager can get an authentic impression, which eases him/her the further selection. Moreover, they can talk about the previous experiences and skills in detail as well as identify the areas where training is necessary.

Matching of the groups/pairs

When a number of Mentees and Mentors are selected, the final step is to match the appropriate Mentor with his/her Mentee(s). The information the Manager gathered in need analysis and interviews builds the base for the matching:

• wishes and expectations of the Mentees and the Mentor;
• motivation and commitment;
• interaction skills;
• educational background and experience of life;
• similarity of values;
• age
• gender
• family
• hobbies
• line of business.

But also a feeling for the right “chemistry” is important!

The aim of matching in group mentoring is to find a Mentor and Mentees, who can form a working team. When the group is not determined, the Manager’s task is to create a group of Mentees which can be a kind of Peer-Mentors to each other. Probability of a well matching will be increased, if some common features are found. It is easier to build up trust and to communicate to each other within a small group of Mentees, 4-5 per group maximum.

Training of the Mentors

The role of the Mentor in the mentoring process is essential and for this reason the selection and training should be treated with great importance. The Managers’ task is to introduce the specific mentoring programme to the Mentors and to prepare them for their role as Mentor in the process. Therefore he/she should organise training for the Mentors. During the training the Mentors get information about:

• the mentoring method;
• roles and tasks of Manager, Mentor and Mentee in the mentoring process;
• the mentoring process and how it is structured;
• the strong points and challenges of e-Mentoring;
• possibilities how to communicate with the Mentee(-s) and how to help them to reach their goals.

An e-Learning course for Mentors, which the Manager can use as a basis for a training or recommend the Mentors for self-training can be found here.

Training of the Mentees

Before the first meeting with the Mentor also training for Mentees has to be organised in order to provide them with information about mentoring, prepare them for their role as a Mentee in the mentoring process and equip them with the knowledge and skills needed for successful participation in the process:

• method mentoring and the structure of the process;
• strong points and challenges of e-Mentoring;
• roles of Manager, Mentor and Mentee in the mentoring process;
• how to participate in the mentoring process;
• how to establish individual and common group goals;
• the relation between Mentees and Mentor (in the group);
• mentoring tools;
• OERs on Web 2.0 for self-learning.

The Manager is responsible for the training for Mentees by organising this training on his/her own or by giving them the instructions on how to use the training for Mentees in the e-Mentoring platform, which can be found here.