- “Would you offer yourself as a mentor?
- Of course, without thinking twice.
- Why?
- Because it is very pleasant to see someone who has helped succeed and because I give back to others what, in turn, I have received ”.
(Response from a potential mentor received during a feasibility analysis for the Facilitation of a Mentoring Process in the Latin America Division of a company).
Synopsis - Abstract
It is increasingly evident that the knowledge generated and accumulated in an organization is a strategic asset, decisive when it comes to ensuring the quality of performance.
Companies are honing their skills to attract, incorporate, maintain and increase knowledge, skills and experience, capitalizing on the successes and mistakes made. However, the development of computer systems (via intranet, for example), which generate an information storage space to which knowledge must be provided and which must be used to incorporate it, does not by itself achieve the contribution and subsequent consultation.
Components have been identified in a climate in which knowledge is shared and a significant correlation has been established between the ability to share knowledge and mentoring as a facilitator of this climate of sharing.
The installation of a Facilitated Mentoring Process that multiplies the opportunities to bring together "a person with more knowledge, skills and experience with another who needs to develop them with the specific objective that it grows and develops" (Murray, 2001), has shown its effectiveness in establishing relationships of trust and commitment between these two people to transfer knowledge, skills and experiences.
The process is explained below and examples and results of its use are provided.
introduction
Peter Drucker (1998) argues that knowledge is the only true source of competitive advantage in today's knowledge society. The ability of an organization to create new knowledge and extract the value of existing, and its ability to develop an environment that promotes knowledge sharing are considered the main challenges.
Know-how, Intellectual Capital, and Knowledge Capital identify an intangible asset that finds expression in some quantities: number of patents, number of scientists, number of national and international awards and recognitions, research and development budget, research agreements with centers recognized.
It is striking that financial terminology must be used to name and raise awareness about the importance of knowledge and people as an asset of an organization. It is true that this allows us to visualize that we must take care of:
1. Identify knowledge and skills to obtain results
2. Survey available knowledge and skills, and determine the missing ones
3. Identify possible sources
4. Incorporate knowledge
5. Develop strategies to retain and multiply knowledge.
Unlike the other components of capital, that of knowledge is not of sum 0 (what one takes, takes it from another), but can be multiplied if a favorable climate is created for it.
How do we go about achieving it?
Technological solution: Develop a warehouse (datawarehouse) in which everyone puts what they know and to which those who need it can turn.
“The installation of the datawarehouse on our intranet to share information has been relatively useful. What helped was the possibility of setting up virtual forums, which helped in the crisis situation that we went through through the exit from convertibility. After years of price stability, we had little experience on how to act in periods of inflation. Later the use of the intranet was declining. Information is not knowledge ”. (Interview with the Director of Knowledge Management of a telecommunications company in Argentina).
Sociological solution: Create the conditions for multidisciplinary groups to self-organize.
Implement a process that takes into account individual needs, those of the organization and creates relationships of mutual trust that promote knowledge sharing.
II. Development
1. Origin of the concept
We can safely assume that the role of mentor dates back to the origins of man. Around the 12th century BC, Homer in his Odyssey mentions Mentor as the one chosen by Ulysses to accompany the growth and development of his son Telemachus. Before his departure, to fight in the wars he fought, Ulysses sought out someone experienced and trustworthy to care for, educate, love, comfort and care for Telemachus, and prepare him to succeed Ulysses on the throne. Later we would know that Mentor was the incarnation of Pallas Athenea, the Greek goddess of wisdom, the arts, science and industry. (Minerva for the Romans).
The Bible presents Joshua and Elisha advised and guided by Moses and Elijah respectively.
The Larousse Dictionary says: “Mentor: friend of Ulysses and teacher of his son Telemachus. His name has become synonymous with wise counselor. "
Who has not ever received prudent advice? Many of us may have experienced the satisfaction mentioned by our interviewee in the quote at the beginning. In all our organizations this type of relationship exists informally.
What if we found a way to multiply these mentor-counselee relationships?
Surely many other people (both mentors and counseled) would reap the benefits of such a relationship.
2. Knowledge
Unfortunately, we don't know much about what managerial knowledge really is, and while we have a vague feeling about what this kind of knowledge is, there aren't many definitions in the managerial context.
Kim suggests that knowledge is a combination of "knowing how" and "knowing why" (Baets). Other authors identify two types of knowledge: explicit and tacit. In reality, explicit knowledge that can be turned into sentences, statements, schemes, formulas, processes, etc. it is more feasible to exchange through data warehouses. Quality assurance systems such as the application of ISO standards, for example, make it possible to make explicit and express in processes, standards and diagrams a good amount of essential knowledge for the performance of the organization.
When knowledge is linked to the senses, motor skills, individual perception, physical experiences and intuitions, we are dealing with tacit knowledge. It is often difficult to describe and pass on to others.
A person justifies the veracity of his beliefs based on his observations of the world. These observations depend on individual experience and personal sensitivity. Thus, knowledge can be seen as a construction of reality rather than as a truth of universal value.
Sharing knowledge is not sharing facts but a unique human process that involves a cognitive dimension that is difficult to reproduce.
For a fuller understanding of knowledge, we should pay attention to its relationship to information. A distinction has always been made between information (data organized in an understandable way) and knowledge. We know that it is relatively easy to transfer information from one place to another. Knowledge for its part is more elusive, more difficult to transfer from one person to another.
Recognition of the difficulties inherent in the transfer of knowledge from one person to another has tended to underline the importance of tacit knowledge.
Tacit knowledge
Intuitively, most people make sense of the idea of tacit knowledge, it is enough to note the rapid acceptance of the concept of emotional intelligence: we intuited that intelligence had to do with more dimensions than those measured by IQ tests. Therefore, one of the critical challenges in knowledge-intensive companies is recognizing the value of tacit knowledge and finding a way to use it. Tacit knowledge can seem too mysterious for its useful application in a business situation, hence it is important to facilitate the multiplication of this creative resource rather than ignore it or gag it.
Tacit knowledge forms a mental web, a unique set of beliefs and assumptions through which we filter and interpret what we see and do. This plot guides our behavior and filters our interpretation and understanding of experiences. In this way, our performance and results are strongly influenced by our previous experience.
Tacit knowledge is most likely the knowledge that truly adds value to a company. A knowledge base in an organization should point to tacit knowledge, rather than explicit knowledge, if this is to constitute the differentiating competence of a company.
Sharing tacit knowledge
More and more knowledge managers find that the term "knowledge sharing" better describes what they are doing than " knowledge management." The advantages of using the term “knowledge sharing” are the clarity of the definition and the interaction that it implies.
Sharing tacit knowledge requires individuals to share their personal beliefs about a situation. Each individual is faced with the enormous challenge of justifying their true beliefs to others, and it is this need for justification and this human connectivity that makes sharing tacit knowledge a very fragile process.
Sharing knowledge between people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and motivations is a critical step in creating organizational knowledge. Individuals' emotions, feelings, and mental models have to be shared to develop mutual trust.
To facilitate this sharing, we need a space in which people can interact with each other through face-to-face dialogues. This is how they share experiences and synchronize their body and mental rhythms. The typical field of interaction is a self-organizing team, or mentor-mentored pair, in which people with diverse backgrounds and belief systems share experiences.
Difficulties in sharing tacit knowledge
Difficulties in sharing tacit knowledge are mainly related to perceptions and language, but also to time, courage and distance. The poor adaptation and threat to self-image are individual barriers to the creation of knowledge.
Perception and language are the main difficulties in sharing knowledge. Tacit knowledge is so internalized that it has become a natural part of our behavior and thinking. Since most of our tacit knowledge is part of our unconscious, we are seldom aware of its full dimension, and hence we experience problems when we try to share and express what we don't know we know. Furthermore, since tacit knowledge is held in a non-verbal form, we experience difficulties when we try to share it with others through words, either orally or in writing. Additional difficulties also appear when a novice is learning from an expert. The expert often uses words the novice has never been exposed to before.Knowledge sharing is based on a common mental fabric, and if people don't understand each other, they can't share tacit knowledge.
Distance makes difficulties appear in the case of sharing tacit knowledge. Many geographically dispersed, virtual and global organizations experience problems sharing tacit knowledge. This is because the most common way to share is through face-to-face interaction. Even though a great deal of communication occurs through information technology, face-to-face interaction is preferred to build a trusting relationship.
The threat to self-image is inherent to all of us. Many organizations face difficulties in overcoming this barrier to sharing knowledge. What we know - and how it affects what we do - is often at the roots of our personal identity. Because knowledge is so closely tied to self-image, people may be reluctant to share what they know. It usually takes two forms: we resist sharing knowledge that only we have so that we don't become less valuable to our company, and we resist sharing our thoughts, beliefs and ideas if they could potentially make us appear foolish. Hence a culture that values sharing and is open to new ideas, regardless of how wrong they may be,it is a culture that shares knowledge.
A mentoring system, both as a management tool and as an organizational philosophy embedded in the culture, can help companies to deal with these difficulties.
2.1. Mentoring as a technique to share knowledge
As we saw in "Origin of the concept", Greek mythology accounts for the role of the Mentor. It would be surprising if we could easily find in modern organizations the classic mentoring relationship that existed between Mentor and Telemachus. Over time and with the demands of the situations in which mentoring occurs, adaptations of the classic mentor-mentored pair have emerged to meet specific needs, giving rise to a wide range of variants.
Mentoring as a means of sharing knowledge
Effectively sharing tacit knowledge depends on a facilitating context, which can be defined as a space that stimulates the relationships that appear. This organizational context can be physical, virtual, or mental, or more likely a mixture of all three. An essential element is that all knowledge as opposed to information or data, depends on its context. We could say that knowledge is embedded in its context, and that supporting the process of sharing knowledge requires the necessary space to share tacit knowledge. A mentor-mentor pair, formal or informal, can create this important context for sharing tacit knowledge.
Attention. The concept of care matters a lot in an organization when its managers provide a context in which knowledge is freely shared. The concept of care quite satisfactorily describes relationships that have a positive impact on the culture of knowledge sharing. Top management must communicate care, by example and oral and written statements. In general, a mentoring process in an organization will support the concept of care.
Conversations and trust. We tend to start our relationships closed in on ourselves and as we begin to communicate and exchange information we can go through the stages of asking, becoming aware, beginning to trust, fully trusting as our relationship becomes more open (Gibb, 1967). The same thing happens in the mentor-tutee relationship. Gibb points out that the two variables that influence this progress towards open and trusting relationships are the time and intensity of the situation in which the information is shared. Interestingly, while executives often insist on expensive information technology systems, quantifiable databases, and measurement tools, one of the best means of sharing information already exists within their companies.
2.2 Factors that influence the effectiveness of mentoring to share knowledge.
The basic theory for sharing knowledge through mentoring has traditionally focused on 3 significant variables: personality, gender and age.
Personality. Two studies show an investigation of the impact of personality factors on mentoring. The first shows a direct and indirect relationship between high self-esteem / communication skills and participation in mentoring relationships. The relationship was valid for both mentors and mentees. The second study investigates the relationships between personality factors of the mentee, initiation of mentoring, the mentoring experience and career success. The conclusion was that mentees determine the amount of care they receive when initiating relationships with mentors. The capacity for internal control, high self-control, and high emotional stability are personality characteristics that affect the mentoring received. In the present study,Truls Engström investigates the perception of creating a climate of knowledge sharing as a result of a mentor-tutored pair and the personality of the participants.
Gender. Gender is another relevant perspective in mentoring today. Traditional mentor-mentee pairs were often of the same sex. The increase in the female presence in the labor force and in particular in managerial positions presents the opportunity for pairs of different sexes. However, because there are more men in high positions, and thus more potential mentors than female mentors, a woman who wishes to enter into a mentoring relationship must frequently seek out a mentor of the opposite sex. It has been suggested that women face serious barriers to establishing informal mentoring relationships, because others in the organization may view that relationship as sexual.
Age. Although mentoring and creating a climate of knowledge sharing is the main focus of Truls Engström's (2003) research, we have taken the opportunity to consider the relationship between age and the factors that influence the climate of knowledge sharing. This problem is relevant because demographic changes in today's society (developed countries) are creating a workforce with an increase in older workers.. A strategy to meet this challenge could be to lower the retirement age, but for macroeconomic reasons this is not possible. Therefore, people of all ages, with all kinds of work backgrounds, will have to work together in the future without the usual hierarchical structure. The mix of ages often brings a greater breadth of experience and ideas for business. Managers encounter problems when they have to work with three different generations, each with their own set of values, perceptions, expectations, and anxieties.
3. Empirical research
Having established the theoretical basis for knowledge sharing through mentoring, a study will be summarized here in which informal mentoring experiences among young managers and professionals in the Norwegian hotel industry were examined.
3.1. Design and method
Based on the foregoing, we designed a questionnaire to determine if mentoring and personality, age, and / or gender can be used as an indicator of the ease of sharing knowledge and knowledge creation in organizations.
Problem formulation:
To what extent is informal mentoring an indicator of the climate of knowledge sharing, job satisfaction, and career satisfaction?
To what extent are personal variables such as personality, age and gender additional indicators of the climate of knowledge sharing and job satisfaction?
571 students from the Norwegian School of Hotel Management responded to a questionnaire divided into sections:
Demographic questions about age, gender, marital status and income
Educational level and career development
Current position
Perception of factors that facilitate knowledge sharing
Questions related to mentoring
The part of the questionnaire on the 5 personality factors.
3.2. Factors that facilitate knowledge sharing
To develop in the workplace, people need to be able to receive and share knowledge with peers, managers, and subordinates. If we want our employees to develop cognitive knowledge (know what), advanced skills (know how), systemic understanding (know why), and self-motivated creativity (take charge why), we need to ensure that an environment is established for sharing knowledge and that team members really perceive their existence.
3.3 Facilitators of knowledge:
Climate of knowledge sharing: To focus on the kind of knowledge that we want to be shared, it is very important to have an environment that allows the possibility of sharing knowledge, whether tacit or explicit. To measure the climate of knowledge sharing, we developed a list of 4 points. For example: "Possibility of working on topics in which I use my knowledge." The reliability of internal consistency (Cronbachs's Alpha) for the knowledge sharing factor was.74.
Satisfaction with the career: To be part of the development of an organization it is important to be involved with what is being done. We used work by Greenhaus (1990) and others, and translated their three-point scale to measure career satisfaction. For example: "I am satisfied with the success I have achieved in my career" the reliability (Cronbachs's Alpha) for the factor satisfaction with the career was.84.
Satisfaction with the task: To be continuously part of the knowledge exchange, it is considered important that the collaborators feel satisfaction in the work situation. Based on the work of Quinn and Shepard (1974) we developed a 5-point checklist. For example: for "Summing up, how much could you say that you are satisfied with your task?" the reliability (Cronbachs's Alpha) for the task satisfaction factor was.82.
Career possibilities: To develop relevant knowledge and contribute it to the organization, people need to be able to grow and develop personally on a continuous basis. One of the most important factors in being able to do so is having room for career development and progress. We use a 4-point scale (Greenhaus, Parasuraman, & Wormley, 1990) to measure career prospects. For example: for “I have very good prospects for promotion in this company” the reliability (Cronbachs's Alpha) for the Career Possibilities factor was.68.
3.4. Personality scores
The test used to investigate key personality factors originates from the model of the five factors, which determine personality.
The factors used were: extroversion, emotional stability, affability, conscientious work, and openness to experience.
The information was analyzed by a software for personality scores (5pfa) developed by Engevik (1994). The results of this program, along with the rest of the survey scores, were graphed, and responses with blank values were eliminated. A multiple regression analysis was used to identify the effects of the knowledge-sharing climate indicator variables (level of mentoring, frequency of mentoring, personality, age and gender).
4. Results
The level of mentoring and the frequency of informal mentoring in the workplace are indicators of a climate of knowledge sharing, career satisfaction, career prospects, and job satisfaction. Additionally, it has been determined that older age is an indicator of the climate of sharing knowledge and satisfaction with the task. Finally, the emotional stability factor is an indicator of perception of the climate of knowledge sharing, in the same way that emotional stability, openness to experience and extraversion are indicators of satisfaction with the career.
As stated before, sharing tacit knowledge is difficult, and creating an environment that makes sharing possible is a complex challenge. Informal mentoring alone cannot make this happen by itself; however, as it is important to accelerate knowledge growth and create a climate of knowledge sharing in most organizations, the findings of this research are valuable to organizations. By revealing that mentoring in itself has a sustainable positive effect in creating a knowledge facilitation climate, it is recommended that professionals and organizations encourage and support informal mentoring relationships.
5. The Facilitated Mentoring Process
Although mentoring has been shown to be an important tool and an important managerial technique for fostering a climate of knowledge sharing, we have only discovered a small part of its potential. This empirical study only considered informal mentoring: its full potential has yet to be investigated.
The above results confirm that informal mentoring relationships are effective creators of the climate of knowledge sharing and the predisposition to mentoring is an indicator of the feasibility of developing a better climate of knowledge sharing. We can now ask ourselves what would happen if the organization's Management supports the multiplication of mentoring relationships, taking precautions so that these relationships go from fragile to healthy and vigorous.
We understand facilitated mentoring as “the deliberate meeting of a person with more knowledge, skills and experience with another who needs to develop them, with the specific objective that it grows and develops” (Margo Murray, Beyond the Myths and Magic of mentoring. How to Facilitate an Effective Mentoring Process. 1991/2001. Jossey - Bass. San Francisco).
5.1 Roles
Mentor / Tutor: “The ideal tutor should be a trustworthy person, who knows how to listen and is able to offer constructive feedback. You must be willing to give your clients time and share with them not only your success stories, but also, and sometimes fundamentally, your mistakes and failures. In short, he must be a generous and open person, who recognizes that each one learns in his own way and who lets his guides find their own way, accepting that his work consists only in indicating what he sincerely considers the correct direction. ”(La Nación, 1998)). Where possible, the mentor belongs to the organization.
Mentored / Protects: The ideal mentee should take responsibility for their own development, and with the resources provided, design, and then implement, their personal development plan. She is the one who makes the process work by demanding the help she requires to implement the personal development plan. You should give feedback to your mentor and the coordination team.
Team Leader / Leader: Contributes their knowledge of the ward in the design of their development plan.
Coordination Team: “Do not expect this Process to manage itself” (Murray, 2001). Resources must be provided to manage, measure, monitor, communicate. The coordination team is also in charge of identifying and engaging potential mentors.
5.2. characteristics
Experience indicates that some key characteristics for the success of the process are:
Close relationship with the strategic needs / opportunities of the business and with the development needs of the ward.
Creation and communication of policies and procedures. Management team support. Kay Stiles of Chevron Information Technology describes strategies to establish a follow-up team and obtain their continued support: “The key points are to research best practices, both externally and internally, and to develop a case that requires strong mentoring” (Murray, 2001)
Feasibility analysis. Ask yourself what is the gap you want to close with the mentoring process.
Luis Gasparotto and Raul Hornos interviewed 22 hotel managers and members of 18 management teams from Starwood Hotels and Resorts in Latin America to verify that the mentoring process was the appropriate intervention to implement the Management Development System (Murray, 2001).
Voluntary participation. Of those who meet the requirements of the target group.
Coordinator training.
Responsibility of the ward for their own development.
Personal agreement between Mentor and Guardian. With confidentiality clause, termination without fault and time that they will dedicate.
Rotation of mentors. The vision of the Guardianship is enriched. There are more managers who can give their opinion on a ward.
Direct boss participation providing feedback during the preparation of the Individual Development Plan. The boss cannot be a mentor.
Accompaniment of the Process for at least 3 years. It is necessary to ensure that the process has effectively contributed to installing a culture of knowledge sharing in the organization.
5.3. Reasons for implementing a facilitated mentoring process
Objectives set by the organizations. 636 pairs (Mentor - Tutored). Year 1997
41% Career Development: Ashley Fields, Lead Coordinator of Facilitated Mentoring Process at Shell Oil says “We hope that tomorrow the participants will see this mentoring relationship and realize that it was one of the most beneficial experiences for their careers. in terms of moving to the next level of responsibility in an organization ”(Murray, 2001).
30% Transfer of technical skills. In the AYES (Automotive Youth Education System) program, students develop auto repair skills by learning from both their classroom instructor and the technical mentor at the General Motors dealership workshop. (Murray, 2001).
12% Diversity - others. “We are building a pool of representative leaders from diverse groups that we would not have been able to identify through traditional processes. Although most people think of diversity in terms of race or gender, it is actually something broader… involving thought processes, problem-solving approaches, and experience, ”says Leslie Mays, global practice leader on diversity and process sponsor. at Royal Dutch / Shell. (Murray, 2001).
9% Multitasking, Flexibility.
4% Succession plan - Executive development.
3% Advancement of women in managerial positions.
0.5% Improve employee morale.
5.4. Valued practice
A survey of Fortune 500 companies found that 96% of executives value mentoring as an important tool for staff development, while 75% indicated that they owed in part the success of their own careers to having had a mentor to guide them.
Frontline companies such as 3M, Arthur Andersen, Texas Instruments, ABN AMRO Bank or Hoechst actively participate in inter-company mentoring programs. These programs, based on regional criteria, that is, where the participants work in the same city, have been highly positive, although it is necessary to point out that they require a cooperative attitude rather than competition among the participating companies. (La Nación, 1999).
5.5. Steps
1. Presentation of the concept and the process to the Executive Level
2. Evaluation of the organization's objectives and needs. Individual interviews with members of the team. Group interview with a sample of potential mentors and with a sample of potential mentors
3. Evaluation of the predisposition of the organization. Preliminary report with a summary of the interviews held.
4. Identification of the first group of ward. Coordination team training.
5. Development of the objectives of the process and the plan to implement it. Communication plan and results evaluation plan.
6. Presentation meeting
7. Application of participants. Acceptance of mentors and tutee. Armed in pairs.
8. Orientation to mentors.
9. Guidance to the ward
10. Negotiation of the mentored-tutored agreement
11. Design of the individual development plan
12. Execution of the Plan
13. Periodic meetings
14. Report to the coordination team
15. Conclusion of the agreement
16. Monitoring and evaluation by part of the coordination team
5.6. Keys to a successful Mentoring process
Close articulation with the Business Strategy
Identification of needs, objectives, opportunity, predisposition
Planning and design
Communication
Concordance, agreements
Orientation / Training
Development plans = healthy relationships
Evaluation
5.7. Application Cases
"Mentoring follows IBM's Human Resources policy, which seeks to reward those who differ in their contribution to the company with more and better development opportunities."
"In addition, we achieved several objectives: identify potentials, develop skills, provide us with a database of people with potential, develop managers as tutors and improve communication in the company."
“IBM has a policy of promoting the career of women with potential from the beginning, to increase their presence at management levels. We believe that it is necessary to favor them early and in a special way, that is why they are considered with potential from a step lower than men, "explains Gisela Saia, IBM Jobs Coordinator. (The nation).
Alameda County (California, United States) contracted planning for the 90-Day Welfare Reform Project. The team, MMHA Associates The Managers' Mentors, Inc. was led by Margo Murray, MMHA President and CEO. Welfare reform and statutory deadlines posed a particular challenge to Alameda County, given the significant number of recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)… It was clear that finding a job, child care for the children and transportation for all the beneficiaries of Social Assistance was going to be a difficult and complex task. And it was going to be even more difficult to ensure that those who got the job stayed with it.An interested mentor can assist the newcomer in conducting himself successfully in the workplace and company culture.
Most employers have programs that teach the skills necessary for the task; But who is going to teach the "unwritten rules" of the workplace? If the intent of welfare reform is to help the poor achieve self-sustainability and not just to get out of welfare, then a solid system - mentoring - of post-entry support must be put in place. (Craig)
By entrusting the Public Health Institute with the organization of a Family Planning Leadership Program for countries with great needs to improve the sexual and reproductive health of the population, the Bill and Melinda Gates and David and Lucile Packard foundations They requested that the concept of mentoring be included and that the participants be committed to identifying other leaders in their countries and committing to pass on the knowledge, skills, experience and material they received in their three-week training in California. In the period 2000-2005, each year 50 leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin America participated in this Program and multiplied the impact of the training through their commitment to share knowledge.
Some aspects related to the implementation of the Facilitated Mentoring Process have already been mentioned in:
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Latin America,
Royal Dutch / Shell Oil
Chevron Information Technologies
PanAmerican Energy
In all cases we have proven that offering the possibility of establishing mentoring relationships in an environment that ensures mutual respect and the development of a climate of trust, allows people to give their best: the willingness to share their skills, experience, values, vision and your time.
6. The Business Strategy
In Keys to a Successful Mentoring Process, we mention the need for a close relationship with the Business Strategy: the art of directing operations to meet needs, objectives and generate and take advantage of business opportunities, something critical to achieving results and of the satisfaction of shareholders, collaborators, clients and community.
To carry out this strategy, it will be essential to have a business plan, a financial plan and an operational plan. To formulate them, and subsequently implement them, it will be necessary to design the structure of the organization that supports it.
This will imply the definition of each job position and its interrelationships with the rest. The required resources and competencies will also need to be identified and responsibilities described. It is also essential to formulate the objectives and the way to measure performance, with its corresponding feedback and system of consequences (reinforcement or correction of performance, depending on whether or not the performance objectives are achieved).
6.1. Human Management Strategy
Once the structure is designed, it is necessary to incorporate the people who can perform effectively in the organization. This implies formulating a strategy for the selection and development of people, establishing the profile of required competencies. It is also necessary to establish a compensation system that will include monetary and non-monetary components and will take into account the work environment and satisfaction with the task and in the organization. The climate will affect productivity and employee retention.
To improve results and anticipate changes, it is convenient to ask yourself what would be the optimal structure for achieving business objectives (current and future) and compare it with the existing one. To bridge the gaps that are identified, it will be necessary to formulate a strategy that allows the organization and the people to have the necessary skills at the right time.
7. Personal Development Plan
The mentor-tutored relationship is built on the task of implementing the actions established in the Personal Skills Development Plan. The organization must establish the profile of competencies required to achieve its objectives and the profile of competencies for each position. It should also provide the resources to develop those skills. In this approach, the mentor is one of the resources that helps to take advantage of explicit knowledge and to create the conditions for sharing tacit knowledge.
Process for Personal Development Plan
1. Identify the business objectives, needs and opportunities
2. Determine the skills necessary to achieve the objectives.
3. Establish current levels of competence in the organization.
4. Plan how to achieve the required levels of competence.
5. Determine the profile of those who should participate.
6. Relieve the predisposition of the organization to implement the changes.
7. Implement a Career
Self-Development System that: • Provides self-assessment tools, Career Planning and assistance for the design of the development plan itself.
• Select and provide resources for the development of skills:
- Seminars, workshops (in-company / public), e-learning
- Assignment of tasks
- Readings
- Mentor
8. Evaluate Results against business objectives, needs and opportunities
9. Go back to step 3. Periodically update what was revealed in steps 1 and 2.
III. Conclusions
Engström has found that the degree of mentoring and the frequency of informal mentoring in the workplace are indicators of knowledge sharing, career satisfaction, career prospects and job satisfaction. Also that sharing tacit knowledge is difficult and creating an environment to share knowledge is a complex challenge. Although informal mentoring alone does not achieve a climate of knowledge sharing, it is recommended to support and support informal mentoring relationships.
In our practice of assisting in the implementation of the Facilitated Mentoring Process we have verified the effectiveness of aligning the Process with the business strategy and the People Management strategy.
We have also collected valuable experience and testimonies of the high degree of satisfaction with the opportunity to share knowledge. (“It is good to know that my experience will not be lost.” “When you teach, you learn twice,” or become aware of your tacit knowledge).
The commitment of collaborators with voluntary tasks in their community sponsored by the organization, causes a notable impact on the organization's climate; The voluntary task of sharing knowledge with other members of the organization generates a virtuous circle, which is fed back with the positive experiences and results reported by the coordination team.
Bibliography
Baets, WRJ, Organizational learning and knowledge technologies in a dynamic environment. 1998. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Dordrecht. Small Larousse in Color. 1991.
Craig, Launa. From
Welfare to Work: How a Mentor Can Support the Difficult Transition (Welfare to Work Mentoring) in New Dimensions Journal - Volume VI.
Drucker, Peter. The information executives truly need. In Harvard Business Review on Measuring Corporate Performance. 1998. Harvard Business School Press. Boston.
The Book of the People of God. Book of Numbers, Chap 27, Deuteronomy, Chap 34, Book of Kings I, Chap. 18. 1987. Ediciones Paulinas. Madrid - Buenos Aires.
Engström, Truls EJ. "Sharing Knowledge Through Mentoring" in Performance Improvement. V.42 Number 8, September 2003. International Society for Performance Improvement. Silver Spring.
Engevik, H. Manual til 5pf. ISV –test og Psykologisk institutt. (1994). University of Oslo.
Gibb, J. Is help helpful? 1964, February. Forum.
Greenhaus, JH, Parasuraman, S & Wormley, W, Organizational experiences and career successes of black and white managers, 1990. Academy of Management Journal, 33.
Lopez Galelo, Graciela "Growing up with the guidance of a tutor", La Nación / Jobs, 08.30.98. Buenos Aires.
Lopez Galelo, Graciela. ”The tutorials in the company”. Commentary on the book “Moving up through Mentoring. Shimon-Craig Van Collie. Workforce, March 1998 ”La Nación / Jobs, 1999. Buenos Aires.
Murray, Margo. Beyond the Myths and Magic of mentoring. How to Facilitate an Effective Mentoring Process ”2001. Jossey - Bass. San Francisco, Larousse. Madrid - Buenos Aires - Mexico.
Quinn, RP, & Shepard, LJ. The 1972-3 quality of employment survey 1974. University of Michigan.
Institutes for Social Research.
