Module VI: How to ensure an effective mentoring process?

Managing and monitoring tools

The templates for special managing and monitoring tools (mandatory and optional) are developed to ensure the effective mentoring process. To help the Manager to become fully-aware of these 14 tools, which could be used during the mentoring sessions, the common document "The list of the managing and monitoring tools“ is developed and could be found here. This document will give a Manager the instructions on which tools are mandatory and which are optional as well as who is responsible to fill-in and upload those documents to the e-Platform. Uploading functionality is activated only for Mentors and Manager.

Eight out of the 14 managing and monitoring tools are highly recommended to use (mandatory tools). They facilitate the selection phase (Mentee’s Profile), the initial mentoring session (Personal goals and objectives, Group’s goals and objectives, Contract between 3M-Actors, Session plan), the further meetings (Diary of mentoring) and the monitoring (Initial monitoring questionnaire for Mentee , Final monitoring questionnaire for Mentee). The Manager has to make sure to facilitate the filling in and uploading the tools he/she is responsible for and also has to explain the Mentor why he/she has to work with the tools in his/her responsibility, how to use and where to get them. The six optional tools can be used in addition to facilitate the selection phase (Self-check questionnaire for a person to be a Mentor), the initial and final mentoring session (Common list of participants) and the monitoring (Plan for mid-term monitoring, Monitoring questions for the mid-term interview with Mentors and Mentees, Monitoring questions for the final discussion, Final monitoring questionnaire for Mentor).

Effective e-teamwork

It is very important to keep e-teamwork effective from start to end. The more effective the work is the more results the Mentee(-s) will receive. Most probably in pair mentoring, it is easier to keep effective e-teamwork on-going because the Mentor can totally focus on one Mentee. The suggested structure agenda of an e-Mentoring session will help to keep the e-teamwork effective and is described in Module V.

In group mentoring, some Mentees may be more active and eager than others. In order to keep the group motivated, the Mentor can give some homework for the Mentees or ask them to provide some information for the whole group. This homework must be naturally in line with the goals the Mentees wish to achieve. Homework and other information will be reviewed during the next mentoring session. The homework can be done by doing self-directed learning exercises on OER Employability  or Entrepreneurship or it can be based on the Mentee’s special needs in achieving her/his goals.

During e-Mentoring sessions, the Mentor will observe that each Mentee has a possibility to talk or chat as much as the others and that all of them have the same possibility to develop their goals. The Mentor is the group leader and facilitator on various topics and the one who keeps the e-teamwork spirit high.

Even if the Manager is not actively involved in the mentoring sessions, he/she is an important part of the team. His/her responsibility does not end after the initial mentoring session. Throughout the whole process he/she is the contact person for the Mentor and for Mentees as well. He/she is responsible to give advice if asked, to solve problems and – of course – to evaluate the results of the mentoring process. Especially in the beginning of the process the Manager can actively contact the Mentor and get feedback on how the pair/group is working.

How to solve conflicts and problems in remote e-Mentoring

There may occur, however, all kinds of challenges in remote mentoring. There may be very different personalities in the group or pair mentoring. Maybe some of the Mentees in group mentoring will not regularly attend e-Mentoring sessions or they will completely ‘disappear’. Some of them may expect that the Mentor solves all of their problems. Some of the Mentees may talk all the time so that the others have no possibility to talk at all during e-Mentoring sessions etc. It is also possible that in remote e-Mentoring the relationship between the Mentor and the Mentee(s) may remain more distant than in purely face-to-face mentoring. And naturally: life situations may change especially during a long mentoring process.

In case the Mentor notices a conflict or a problem, it is recommended that he/she first discusses it together with the group of Mentees or the individual Mentee. In case there is no improvement, he/she should contact the Manager of the mentoring process. The Manager is the primary contact of the Mentor in challenging or sensitive situations. Other experienced Mentors in the network can also help. However, the Mentor has to keep in mind that he/she must protect the Mentee’s identity since there is an agreement that the relationship is confidential.

Sometimes the life situation of a Mentor may change as well. In such a case, the Mentor is asked to contact the Manager of the process as soon as possible. The Manager and the Mentor will together discuss how to proceed.

Change of Mentor

In case it is not possible for Mentor and Mentee(s) to continue together, the Manager will solve the problem most probably by finding another Mentor. If this happens it is recommended that Mentor and Mentee(s) end their relationship in a last common meeting, which the Manager is also attending. The Manager has to analyse the problems in the mentoring pair/group in order to be able to find a new and more suitable Mentor. At this point it may be necessary to encourage the Mentee(s) not to quit the mentoring and to take their responsibility for a more successful process with another Mentor. However, it is desirable that the ‘former’ Mentor will guarantee a smooth Mentor change and there will be no interruption in mentoring.

Monitoring of the mentoring process

One of the main tasks of the Manager in order to ensure an effective mentoring process is the monitoring, that starts already with the initial meeting. The monitoring can be done by various tools provided within this training course:

1. Monitoring initial questionnaire for Mentee (mandatory tool)
2. Plan for mid-term monitoring of mentoring process (optional tool)
3. Monitoring questions for the mid-term interview with Mentors and Mentees (optional tool)
4. Monitoring questions for the final discussion on mentoring process (optional tool)
5. Final monitoring questionnaire for Mentee (mandatory tool)
6. Final monitoring questionnaire for Mentor (optional tool)

More detailed explanations how to use the tools have been given in Module V.