Cognitive mentorship: Protégé behavior as a mediator to performance

ABSTRACT Researchers have examined the role of cognitive apprenticeship in relation to individual performance in the classroom, but there has been limited quantitative research directly linking cognitive behaviors to mentoring relationships and workplace performance. This study investigates the characteristics of mentoring behavior that influence group performance using data from 52 different organizations. A mediation model was tested and the results indicate that the group-level construct protégé cognitive behavior plays a central role in the mentor-protégé-performance relationship. The findings indicate that the protégés collective articulation of problem solving processes fully mediate unit performance, while exploration partially mediates the relationship. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.