Mentoring dyads in higher education: It feels lucky, but it's more than luck

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the formation, maintenance and sustenance of a mentoring dyad in higher education. By investigating the reflections of a female mentor and mentee, who both engaged in a formal Mentoring Program, the intention is to inform the design of future programs and expectations of participants, enhance the quality of future practice and understand the benefits mentoring might offer to the academic community.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers utilised a self-study research design to explore their reflections of a mentoring dyad in higher education. The project was informed by a personal–constructivist–collaborative approach, with participants maintaining journals throughout the partnership. These reflections were then compared in order to understand the perceptions of the participants as their relationship developed.FindingsSix themes emerged from the analysis representing the mentoring dyad experience under three categories: (1) forming – making the match, (2) maintaining – flexibility, responsiveness, and persistence, and (3) sustaining – desire to not disappoint and reciprocal learning.Research limitations/implicationsWhile this paper focuses on the experiences of two participants, the in-depth nature of this exploration draws out significant practical considerations that can be applied to the development and/or reinvigoration of formal mentoring programs and/mentoring dyads in other contexts.Originality/valueThese unique insights into their mentoring dyad over a significant period of time add to this dynamic body of knowledge. This study gives voice to female academics and lays bare their vulnerability and openness in sharing their lived experiences of participating in a formal mentoring program.

Relational Leadership: Advancing Leaders in Higher Education through Mentoring

“…The study confirmed past research that found mentoring relationships are beneficial in the process of acclimation to the academy [4]. The results also extended research in relational leadership to include mentoring relationships [14,26,[34][35][36]. Characteristics of relational leaders include an emphasis on communication, social interactions, networking, and developing self-confidence in others, and the narrative comments demonstrated a strong preference for mentors who possess these characteristics.…”

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“…En esta línea se valora especialmente el intercambio y estudio conjunto y socialización de experiencias entre pares, porque permite a las y los docentes reflexionar sobre las acciones de otros y, a la vez, apropiarse de iniciativas profesionalmente interesantes (Padilla & Madueño, 2019). Por último, cabe destacar también la incorporación de la observación de clases, el uso de videos y feedback entre pares, que contribuye de manera fundamental al desarrollo académico y a la reflexión de la propia práctica (Fitzgerald & McNamara, 2021;Miranda et al, 2021;Wass & Rogers, 2021).…”

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“…As a result, most educational institutions in the world employ mentorship programs to suit their objectives as well as workers' developmental requirements. In the higher educational system, mentoring has been found to support staff development and learning (Fitzgerald and McNamara, 2021;Searby et al, 2015). With global competition in university ranking (Jones and Smith, 2022), rapid technological changes, the question of teaching and learning excellence (Stevenson et al, 2017), constrained resources, inadequate infrastructure, and incessant industrial stalemate amongst other challenges, higher educational institutions are always looking for methods to achieve so much with so little.…”