A mixed method mentorship audit: assessing the culture that impacts teaching and learning in a polytechnic

Abstract

The benefits of mentorship to individuals in post-secondary relate to wellbeing, satisfaction, and perceived success which translates to organizational commitment. Mentorship improves skills in academic roles and leadership, yet a disconnect remains on what mentees and mentors expect and what institutions provide. Supports are required for mentorship to be effective in empowering employees and creating a culture that espouses competence and autonomy through collaboration and creativity. The aim of this research was to replicate and advance an earlier study assessing nursing and health sciences in a polytechnic to describe the perceived mentorship culture for faculty, professional services, and leadership, across a provincial organization. This was accomplished through a sequential descriptive mixed methods study assessing the building blocks and hallmarks of a Mentorship Culture Audit. This paper reports on both the comparative assessment from 2013 and this new quantitative survey, along with a qualitative component enhancing the understanding of the mentorship culture within a polytechnic providing a variety of programming for vocational students. The audit revealed the employee perception of a mentorship culture to a mean of 4.52 on a seven-point Likert scale and noted areas of strength or infrastructure to be developed. Qualitative data portrayed further understanding where hallmarks of mentorship promoted or were lacking for informal or formal structures. Organizations benefit from mentorship. Tailoring mentorship to a framework ensures mentorship is anchored for success. This study is unique in its replication, the mixed methods approach, and its originality as an organizational level mentorship assessment.

Optimizing a mentorship program from the perspective of academic medicine leadership – a qualitative study

“…Departmental leaders are crucial in creating and maintaining a mentorship infrastructure [ 15 ] and thus their engagement is critical for mentorship success. Additionally, they have an encompassing perspective of the program, the mentoring relationships within, and can elucidate the mentorship needs at various career stages since many are experienced faculty.…”

Unpacking Engineering Faculty’s Discrepant Views of Mentoring through the Lens of Attachment Theory

“…It might be tempting to think that all mentorship should be informal and organically developed. Still, an ad-hoc approach is overly reliant on the initiative of mentors and mentees and may leave some individuals without the adequate support they need [14]. Faculty mentorship outcomes are influenced by institutional involvement, and the investment made into mentoring programs could have a greater impact by shifting the approach [1], [4], [14], [18], [35].…”

“…Still, an ad-hoc approach is overly reliant on the initiative of mentors and mentees and may leave some individuals without the adequate support they need [14]. Faculty mentorship outcomes are influenced by institutional involvement, and the investment made into mentoring programs could have a greater impact by shifting the approach [1], [4], [14], [18], [35]. For instance, similar to the way responsiveness and availability of a mentor are more important than the actual support provided, satisfaction with a mentoring relationship has a greater impact on positive mentoring outcomes than any design feature of a formal mentorship program [23], [24].…”

“…The benefits of faculty receiving mentorship are well documented and include increased productivity, career satisfaction, career success, organizational commitment, and general wellbeing [13], [14]. Comparatively, little research has examined challenges associated with mentorship [15], even though a mentoring relationship, like every other human relationship, involves negative and positive experiences.…”