Mentoring and organisational learning in research and development

Abstract

This paper presents and discusses the contribution of ‘mentoring’ relationships to organisational learning and knowledge creation in the early stages of research and development (R&D) projects. Our study considers the characteristics of a scientific leader, the nature of the context he creates, and how dialogue contributes to scientific breakthrough. Our study is unusual in as much as research on knowledge creation has developed separately, yet in parallel, with that of mentoring. It is rare to combine these disciplines and yet our research shows there is much to learn from examining the two as a process. We conducted our research at TECHNO, a high‐tech‐based European company producing advanced equipment dedicated to particles acceleration. Interviews were carried out in 2002–2003 with the founder of the company, the head of the R&D and engineering department, and team members involved in the low energy cyclotron project. Our exploratory research enabled us to identify differences in actors' perceptions about the nature and characteristics of these relationships. Our study also suggests that not all sets of relationships can tolerate the degree of intensity provided by the ‘mentor’. TECHNO has other ‘mentors’ who do not manage to generate the same creative context. Complementary mentoring styles based on premises and process reflection allow to support and enhance ‘upper levels’ learning by junior team members. We examine the nature of the leaders as mentors and catalysts within the learning process and briefly discuss implications for setting up and maintaining learning teams.

Individual Inventors in the R&D Factory

“…O'Connor and McDermott focus on what we refer to as technical value, i.e., generally related to product characteristics and performance. The same goes for Borredon and Ingham (2005) in their discussion on mentoring in an R&D context. They advocate the central role of dialogue between senior and junior inventors, which in their terms is something ‘far beyond the classical exchange of ideas and information’ (p. 499), implying that there is more to the generative dialogue than technical matters.…”

The Effect of External Technology Cooperation and Internal Relation on Innovative Behavior in Technology Intensive Organizations

“…It is suggested that it is desirable to support the creation of innovation through effective communication within and outside the organization. Borredon and Ingham(2005) emphasized the importance of interactions and communication within the leader's team to promote mentoring and learning in research and development. This interaction emphasizes the diffusion of learning within the organization.…”

Mentoring as information practice: Unpacking the black box

“…A few studies have examined mentoring as a process for personal learning (Lankau & Scandura, ), described the narrative aspects of mentoring (Swap, Leonard, Shields, & Abrams, ), and evaluated how mentoring influences organizational learning and preserves intellectual capital for an organization (Borredon & Ingham, ). In these studies there is some indirect consideration of the information transfer that takes place in mentoring, but no analysis of actual information practices in the mentoring relationship.…”