In building the STAMINa Mentoring network we wanted to consider all the permutations of mentoring which can be offered so that we can share good practice in mentoring scheme sustainability across as wide a network as possible.
When developing the STAMINa framework we shared our own experiences as mentoring scheme coordinators and researched various sources identifying some key themes which need to be considered when organizing a mentoring scheme. The themes or strands
are there to help you navigate the options you have as a mentoring scheme coordinator and the options/changes you might need to consider when trying to refresh /problem-solve /grow a mentoring scheme.
Key themes and issues associated mentoring schemes:
Purpose of the Mentoring scheme
Determining what the purpose is of your mentoring scheme is crucial. What does your mentoring scheme set out to achieve for its participants and for the organization(s) concerned? You may have more than one purpose, however, so do think about what
may be the secondary as well as the primary purpose of your mentoring scheme. Review our list of possible purposes and read the case studies associated with those categories.
- Organizational socialization
- Employability
- Transition between education/career
- Leadership
- Organizational Focus/Strategy
- Equality/Diversity
- Retention
- Return to work
- Supporting social enterprise
- Community engagement
- Retirement
- Improving workplace culture
- Readjustment (post institutional)
Forms of Mentoring
There are many ways of delivering mentoring and this strand captures some of the options which can be considered in the development of a scheme. It may be that your scheme could several of these forms of mentoring or use more than one form to
reach a wide range of mentors and mentees.
- 1 to 1
- Face to face
- Group mentoring
- E-mentoring
- Reverse mentoring
- Speed mentoring
- Hybrid mentoring
Marketing of the Mentoring scheme
Our experiences suggest that it is important to effectively engage your mentors and mentees throughout the lifecycle of your scheme. There are several ways of achieving this and we outline the main options with examples from case study schemes to
help you identify which might work for your mentoring scheme.
- Open evening/event
- Social media campaign
- Word of mouth (through network and previous participants)
- Trade Press
- Newsletter
- Press release
- Website information
- Career interviews
- Annual symposium
- Induction
Recruitment and selection of mentors and mentees
Acquiring mentors and mentees is another potentially challenging area for mentoring scheme coordinators. In this strand, we provide the choices available to coordinators. It could be that you should select different forms of recruitment and
selection for your mentors and mentees, and deploy more than one method for some participants. Use the options below to identify the case studies and resources used by other mentoring schemes.
- Self-referral
- Referral
- Application form (paper)
- Interview
- Engagement with related activities
- Online promotion and registration
- Sourced by networks (coordinator led)
Matching
Coordinators have a range of options available to them when they match mentors and mentees. These options depend upon the nature of the mentoring scheme and comprise different levels of mentor and mentee input into the matching process. Review our
list of possible matching practices and read the case studies associated with the options.
- Speed matching
- Mutual agreement of mentors and mentees
- Blind matching on both sides
- Mentor or mentee agrees (semi-blind matching)
- Software matching
- Coordinator matched
- Mentoring committee
Administration and training
Operating a mentoring scheme involves a great deal of administration and deciding how to manage the practical details and activities associated with highly personal data is a crucial part of a coordinator’s role. In our experience, as mentoring
coordinators we have tried various administrative approaches and moved between approaches as our schemes have grown and developed. The following list provides the key administrative practices we have used as well as linked case studies and outline
resources.
- Paper based
- MS office (Excel) or spreadsheets
- Website development and use
- Specifying online mentoring system
- Shared drives approach - Google Docs, OneDrive, Dropbox solutions
- Use of online mentoring platform
Monitoring and management of mentoring relationships
Another key aspect of operating and managing a mentoring scheme involves identifying how involved coordinators/administrators become in overseeing and supporting individual mentoring relationships. It may be that within your own scheme mentees or
mentors may need additional support or various check-in points to encourage dyads to develop their relationships. Below we outline the main options with examples from case studies to help you orientate which might be suitable for your mentoring
scheme.
- Induction/Briefing
- Online goal setting
- Regular email/calls check-in with mentees/mentors
- Informal networking/Social events
- Awards ceremony
- Recognition and announcement communications
Evaluation
Evaluation of mentoring schemes is a widely-discussed topic. There are several aspects to consider from the scheme’s practical operations through to how well the mentoring relationships develop and ultimately achievement of the purpose of the
scheme. In our experience, evaluation can usefully take place at several points, as a formative activity (during the ongoing scheme), as well as at summative points (after the scheme). In addition, for clearer evaluation insights we also recognize
pre-and post-evaluation opportunities and practices. The following list provides the key evaluation methods we have experiences as well as linked case studies and outline resources.
- Formative evaluation surveys (mentors and mentees)
- Before and After evaluation surveys (mentors and mentees)
- Summative evaluation surveys (mentors and mentees)
- Central HR data (re-grading, promotions, awards)
- Organizational metrics (Athena Swan plan)
- Staff attitude surveys
- Focus groups
- Social Media capture – blogs, vlogs and posts
- Retention and Turnover rates