Design Mentoring Approach in Companies in Poland

Abstract

In the contemporary world of business, mentoring has become common practice. Its objectives include the personal and professional development of employees, training new employees, nurturing talents, planning for successions and developing leaders. A literature review has enabled the author to conclude that a structured, systematic, coordinated and evaluated mentoring program helps businesses achieve the expected results, i.e., the construction of lasting mentoring relationships leading to the realization of intended goals and benefits. The question therefore arises, how do companies build effective mentoring programs? The aim of the article is to determine the conditions for building effective mentoring programs. The research was conducted on a non-probable sample of 30 companies operating in Poland that have implemented mentoring programs within the last 3-5 years. Triangulation of research methods was applied. PAPI and IDI methods were used to survey representatives of chosen companies who manage mentoring programs. The effective mentoring program is achieved by defining the roles of participants in the mentoring process precisely and by defining their competencies, responsibilities and objectives. Furthermore, it is important to establish transparent rules for participation in the mentoring program, i.e., participation criteria for mentors, selection criteria for mentees and placement criteria for bringing participants together into suitable pairs or groups. It is crucial to provide mentoring participants with support in the form of advice, consultation before and between mentoring sessions, and monitoring their expectations of and satisfaction from participating in the program.