Lillian T. Eby

Career Benefits Associated With Mentoring for Proteges: A Meta-Analysis

Meta-analysis was used to review and synthesize existing empirical research concerning the career benefits associated with mentoring for the protégé. Both objective (e.g., compensation) and subjective (e.g., career satisfaction) career outcomes were examined. Comparisons of mentored versus nonmemored groups were included, along with relationships between mentoring provided and outcomes. The findings were generally supportive of the benefits associated with mentoring, but effect sizes associated with objective outcomes were small. There was also some indication that the outcomes studied differed in the magnitude of their relationship with the type of mentoring provided (i.e. career or psychosocial).

A review of research methods in IO/OB work-family research.

A methodological review was conducted of work-family (WF) research published in industrial-organizational psychology and organizational behavior journals over a period of 24 years (1980-2003). Content analysis was conducted on 225 individual studies published in 210 articles to categorize methodological features, including the research design, sources of data used, data analysis techniques, reliability and validity of measures used, and sociodemographic characteristics of the samples. Results support many of the criticisms of WF research and suggest that scholars publishing WF research in industrial-organizational psychology and organizational behavior journals could make greater use of longitudinal and experimental research designs, gather more multisource data, and move beyond the individual level of analysis. Adopting more diverse conceptualizations of family, including a greater proportion of racial and ethnic minorities, and studying workers in occupations other than managerial or professional positions also appear warranted. Finally, methodological trends varied across specific WF content areas, which suggests that distinct methodologies might be useful to advance knowledge of specific WF topics.

Mentorship Behaviors and Mentorship Quality Associated with Formal Mentoring Programs: Closing the Gap Between Research and Practice

Formal mentoring programs continue to gain popularity within organizations despite limited empirical research regarding how these programs should be designed to achieve maximum effectiveness. The present study examined perceived design features of formal mentoring programs and outcomes from both mentor and protégé perspectives. The outcomes examined were career and psychosocial mentoring, role modeling, and mentorship quality. In general, the results indicated that perceived input into the mentoring process and training perceived as high in quality were consistently related to the outcome variables. Implications for the design of formal mentoring programs and future theory development are discussed.

Relationship Effectiveness for Mentors: Factors Associated with Learning and Quality:

The present study focused on mentorship effectiveness from the perspective of the mentor. Specifically, factors related to relationship quality and learning were investigated. Mentors in relationships with others perceived to be similar reported the mentorship to be of higher quality and greater learning than did mentors in relationships with less similar others. Results also indicated that mentorship type (formal vs. informal) did not have a direct relationship with mentorship effectiveness, but did interact with mentorship duration. Additional results and implications are discussed.

Psychological sense of community at work: A measurement system and explanatory framework

Organizational research has long dealt with community-related themes such as organizational commitment, workgroup cohesion, psychological climate, and morale. More recently, psychological contracts and organizational citizenship behaviors have approached the concept of community in more specific terms (Rousseau, 1995; Graham & Organ, 1993; Van Dyne, Graham, & Dienesch, 1994). The present investigation integrated the existing literature on community-related variables. This theoretical and empirical foundation was used to operationalize the construct of psychological sense of community in the workplace (PSCW), develop a measurement system and assess its psychometric properties, and test an initial framework of antecedents and consequences of PSCW. A cross-organizational sample of 256 employees partially support the proposed framework.

Factors Related to Mentor Reports of Mentoring Functions Provided: Gender and Relational Characteristics

In this study we examined the relationship between mentor gender, protégé gender, mentorship characteristics (e.g., mentorship type, mentorship duration, mentor experience), and mentoring functions provided as reported by mentors. Drawing on research regarding diversified mentorships and interpersonal relationships, we proposed that mentoring effectiveness would vary as a function of the gender of the mentorship participants and the characteristics of the relationship. As hypothesized, several interesting gender differences emerged from the data. Male mentors reported providing more career mentoring to their protégés, whereas female mentors reported providing more psychosocial mentoring. Contrary to expectations, mentors in informal mentorships did not report providing more mentoring than did mentors in formal mentorships. The findings demonstrate the importance of examining mentoring from the perspective of the mentor.

An interdisciplinary meta-analysis of the potential antecedents, correlates, and consequences of protégé perceptions of mentoring.

This meta-analysis summarized youth, academic, and workplace research on the potential antecedents (demographics, human capital, and relationship attributes), correlates (interaction frequency, relationship length, performance, motivation, and social capital), and consequences (attitudinal, behavioral, career-related, and health-related outcomes) of protégé perceptions of instrumental support, psychosocial support, and relationship quality to the mentor or to the relationship. A total of 173 meta-analytic correlations were computed based on data from 173 samples and a combined N of 40,737. Among antecedents, positive protégé perceptions were most strongly associated with greater similarity in attitudes, values, beliefs, and personality with their mentors (ρ ranged from .38 to .59). Among correlates, protégé perceptions of greater instrumental support (ρ = .35) and relationship quality (ρ = .54) were most strongly associated with social capital while protégé perceptions of greater psychosocial support were most strongly associated with interaction frequency (ρ = .25). Among consequences, protégé perceptions of greater instrumental support (ρ = .36) and relationship quality (ρ = .38) were most strongly associated with situational satisfaction while protégé perceptions of psychosocial support were most highly associated with sense of affiliation (ρ = .41). Comparisons between academic and workplace mentoring generally revealed differences in magnitude, rather than direction, of the obtained effects. The results should be interpreted in light of the methodological limitations (primarily cross-sectional designs and single-source data) and, in some instances, a small number of primary studies.

Further Investigation of Protégés’ Negative Mentoring Experiences: Patterns and Outcomes

Negative mentoring experiences encountered by 242 protégés across their career histories were examined. Negative mentoring experiences clustered into two factors: Distancing/Manipulative Behavior and Poor Dyadic Fit. Protégés’ reports of the impact that these experiences had on them further suggested that several types of negative mentoring experiences were related to job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and stress. Finally, protégés in formally initiated mentoring relationships reported the most negative experience as having more of an effect on turnover intentions and stress than protégés in informal relationships. The results are discussed in the context of broadening the focus of mentoring research and implications for applied practice.

The intersection of work and family life: the role of affect.

This review examines the role that trait-based and state-based affect plays in understanding the intersection of work and family life. We start with the definition of key terms and concepts. This is followed by a historical overview of the two bodies of scholarship that are the focus of this review, the work-family interface and affect. Next, we provide a review and synthesis of 79 empirical studies examining affect in relation to work-family interaction, organized around three perspectives: the dispositional perspective, the state-based specific affective reactions perspective, and the state-based global affective reactions perspective. A methodological critique of these studies follows, providing a springboard for the discussion of recommended methodologies and data analytic approaches, along with directions for future research.

The Boundaryless Career Experiences of Mobile Spouses in Dual-Earner Marriages

The boundaryless career experiences of spouses who accompany their partners in job-related relocations were examined with a heterogeneous sample of 414 spouses in dual-earner marriages. Results indicated that spouses experienced lateral interfirm mobility in terms of intrinsic job characteristics (e. g., job satisfaction, quality of work life) and downward mobility in terms of extrinsic job characteristics (e. g., pay, promotion opportunities). In addition, the quality of spouse reemployment was related to human capital variables, family power variables, role theory variables, and job search and social capital variables. These findings are discussed in terms of implications for theory and research on boundaryless careers and individual career development. Practical suggestions for career management are also provided.