“ON MENTORING”

At the World Economic Forum, Davos, this year, Mr. Narayana Murthy, was in a panel of discussions, which was led by the noted Management consultant, Rosabeth Moss Kanter.
She was impressed with the title of Mr. Murthy, i.e. Chairman and Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies Limited.
That, mentoring is used as one of the potent management
interventions ,is no big news. What is significant is, that it has been espoused by such eminent, successful entrepreneurs and role models as Mr. Murthy, wholeheartedly.
Business leaders, have realized since long that it is the human capital which makes or mars an organization. Organizational culture has to be an inbuilt component of this capital.
The enriched human capital is the most coveted, intangible asset, of any organization. Management designs ; “connectivity, creativity and competence”. The enhancement measures. A culture shift is aimed at.

All very well said, but how does one achieve all this? Especially in an era where the major concern area for management, is the alarmingly increasing attrition rate; attention is sharp- focused on the plausible solutions. The attrition rate hits at the very root of an organization, i.e. a” stable team” which ensures continuity of operations.

Is there something which can be done about checking attrition?
There was a time, when society was concerned about the ‘brain-drain’ from our nation.
In the context of an organization, the concern rings a similar note. Imagine there is some one available today, in your team and you allot him an important job. The next day he is just not there. The most disconcerting factor is that, he may not have any substantive rationale for the separation.
“Just like that! “; that is the answer in the exit interview.

Mentoring offers a likely solution, and it is time we study in depth, this specific management intervention.

TWO ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF A TASK.

For an effective, timely, and quality completion of a given task, there are two basic prerequisites to be arranged by the management.
• The task related infrastructure support,
• An emotional support.

In the current context the infrastructure support i.e. the place of work, office furniture, computers, servers, water-coolers, canteen, required tools and tackle, entertainment facilities (within the workplace), vending machines et ala is abundantly taken care of.
Hygiene- factors as the old management school termed it; sub-served the basic needs.
It should be functionally comfortable; aesthetically and hygienically appropriate that is all.

Just an aside; about how it is carried to ridiculous extent sometimes:
A proud HR executive once bragged to me haughtily:
“Our team must have the best food Five star hotels, supply the food and beverages. Snacks only from Oberoi, which are couriered daily from Mumbai, and only chilled mineral water, even at the wash basins. !! We can’t compromise, for anything less.”
I was reminded of the hyper sensitive billionaire; celebrated Howard Hughes. Covering himself with Kleenex for fear of contamination from the environmental pollution.
I mentioned to the HR chap,” Please have a look at the construction worker; toiling in the heat; just out of the window and reality will dawn on you.”
These “pseudo culturists” will one day make me, embrace Communism.

I mentioned the instance above; a factual one; just to let you know the extent to which the present day employer is traveling, to combat the attrition.

WHAT IS MENTORING?

Mentoring is a mutually beneficial learning partnership, in which individuals assist each other; with personal and career development through coaching, role-modeling, sharing knowledge and providing emotional support.
It could be arranged in an informal unstructured manner or in a structured formal one, which is embedded in the organizational system. It serves as a sounding board too, for the new entrants. Some thorny issues, like politics in the organization are also introduced to the new entrants in this induction process. He can be insulated by the mentor so as his learning process, and professional progress, is not hampered.

“People who grew up in difficult circumstances and yet are successful have one thing in common. At a critical juncture in their adolescence, they had a positive relationship with a caring adult.” Guess who had said this? Past President of U.S., Bill Clinton.
I believe that sums up the role of a mentor.
Mentor facilitates the career progress of a young entrant, in the corporate world.
Whenever a young aspirant joins an organization, he has a number of queries, doubts, problems, (imaginary or real) but perceived in an exaggerated form.
On joining, he is instructed about the hierarchical order, i.e. who he is supposed to report to, and the pecking order in general.
In spite of the knowledge acquired in B schools for performing successfully on the job, he is totally lost in actual field life. He is groping in the dark for a “safe room”. One is searching for a place when one can display his ignorance, seek solutions, support from a senior and considerate individual. A true Mentor never takes undue advantage of this privileged communication.
This “communication channel need” is unlikely to be fulfilled by the structured reporting channel i.e. through the immediate superior. He is more concerned about the performance of the assigned job in time etc. He has neither time nor inclination to spend time in educating and bringing up someone on the job, with “kid gloves”.
"He will learn like we all did. I have no time to humor him "A standard phrase used by the boss.
A typical mother-in-law syndrome.
This is where the MENTOR enters the scene .He is not from the charted reporting relationship but from altogether a different function .For example a Finance Manager with the right inclinations could be the mentor for a Graduate engineer trainee from production or planning. He has nothing to do with his job performance but he will hold the hand of the mentee and provide the much needed emotional support.
I have witnessed how bright young scholars also crave to have a kind word. They are like Alice in Wonderland in the corporate world while taking their first steps.

SETTING UP THE SCHEME

One has to market the scheme of mentoring through news letters, email, notice-boards and it has to have the approval of the top. If this does not exist then the entire scheme will be a flop.
Those; who offer to be mentors may not have any financial gain perhaps. But ones who are people-oriented and desire to have the esteem from peer group, do opt to be the mentors. The routine oriented ones who are always busy in their given tasks should never be the mentors.

Matching the mentors and mentees should be the job of the HR department who would know the suitability of both.

• RUNNING and monitoring the scheme is equally important. You have to prepare the senior executives in the organization to participate in the scheme.
• Initiate the scheme
• Develop procedures and schedules of meetings between mentor and mentee.
• Evaluate its progress and correct process
• It is not only that mentoring is restricted for the young entrants
• In the case of Computer Associates, one of the companies where a large number of acquisitions have taken place, within seven days of the merger, the management would inform the employees the jobs to be done. In fact their President, an Indian Mr.Sanjay Kumar was adept at letting the merged entity know precisely who will be required for specific functions and who would have to explore their fortunes elsewhere.
• Bringing the relationship to a close; is also essential; otherwise the mentees will be permanently under the wings of the mentor. The external influences such as mergers and acquisitions bring in a lot of stress; it has to be handled deftly.
• Example is of Daimler Chrysler, when the two auto giants Daimler Benz and Chrysler, merged in November,1998, the cultures were diverse. Germans; concerned about quality, at all costs; and not bothered so much about the expenses and Chrysler, about the costs and bottom line, with due regard to quality.
• In fact in the post Iacocca period Chrysler was the least- cost auto company. When they merged; Daimler’s profit was just 2% as against 5% of Chrysler. Labor laws, tax- laws, quality standards, DIN vs. American, production and quality processes are different. Salary structures were at variance, American far higher as compared to German. To solve these and other related issues and evolve a distinctly different CULTURE of the merged entity; 98 integration teams were deployed, for three years. This is indirectly doing the job of mentoring, not at the entry level ONLY, but organization wide.

CORPORATE PRACTICES

At some successful companies a lot of technology is deployed in the process of mentoring. At IBM” mentor place” student achievements are enhanced through e’mentoring. At Oracle Portway school, “e’pals, “in Newham London takes care of the ethnical diversity, in the workforce. The intention is to make the new entrants feel at home. At Intel the mentees are allowed and encouraged to select a skill related goal. The mentee then through a web based tool selects a mentor, having higher levels of skills in the specific domain. Thus an EMPLOYEE development, takes place, under the close tutelage of an individual, who helps buildup a mindset, necessary for a continuous improvement.

DESIRED ATTRIBUTES OF MENTEES.

Patiently observe own mistakes, be prepared to change, allow free play for your creativity, intuition. Be enthusiastic. Ask questions.
Mentor is neither a ringmaster nor the timekeeper; he is a facilitator. Don’t be a puppet on the string.
Once one of the successful seniors advised the young entrant” Don’t just listen to the admonition, if it is not deserved, explain clearly and hit back.”
At the entry level one of the main concern-areas is the building of capabilities, suitable for the organizational needs. Identifying star material, motivating them and preparing the young cubs for taking on next higher positions as and when the need arises. This ensures a continuous improvement.

WHO COULD BE MENTOR?

Mentor has to have the role of a caring parent displaying more understanding, than the rule book. Don’t overpower and overawe the mentee with your knowledge or authority. Mentor has to be a person who walks the talk, and can really be a role model.
A lot of learning takes place outside the class room .It is on the outside of the workplace that the value system is absorbed through observation and imitation of the role models.
Mentor must give regular feedback to the mentee and in specific terms e.g. integrity, punctuality, acquisition of new knowledge through specific attempts. Let the decision to change be left to the mentee. Don’t force it on him. Never deride the mistakes. A little humor is tolerated but humiliation never.

TRAINING NEEDED PRIOR TO COMMENCEMENT OF SCHEME

The essential part of the mentoring process, is the training for both the mentors, and the mentees. Soft skills are the neglected lot. Unless the mentors are trained in the skills such as communication, listening and adult learning they are not equipped to take on the job.

These skills have to be imparted to both the parties by facilitators. Mentoring will help the mentees acquire micro-competencies, such as generic skills. Personal development, inter-personal skills, ability to manage a given task, an efficient management of information, are the specific skills which have to be imparted. The mentor perceives, understands and acts upon process events which occur in mentees’ environment; without giving him a feel that he is being walked around.


GENESIS OF MENTORING

In Greek mythology Mentor was the adviser of young Telemachus. Homer in his epic ODYSSEY, has depicted MENTOR as the friend of Ulysses. He helped Telemachus find Ulysses, and was continuously helped IN THE ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY by goddess Minerva. This is the way Homer’s Odyssey introduces Mentor to us.
In fact at times, it is Goddess Minerva who takes on the masculine mask and manifests as Mentor.
This genesis CONVEYS a lot, about the role of “mentor” to us.
He has to have the motherly instincts, in interacting with the mentee . He has to hand-hold the mentee in taking him to the higher interests in life, maintain the connectedness. Induct the young one into the culture gradually with patience, tolerance and without pulling the rank, as the HIERARCHICAL bosses may tend to do.

UNFOLDING OF MENTOR’S ROLE.

At the first level it is the peer group, who plays the role of a mentor. This only supplies information about the systems and procedures, e.g. how to apply for leave and where and how to get the advance for the travel; where to open an account with the bank and ensure that the forms are filled in properly. The next higher one on the pyramid, is the enhancement of capabilities .Thereafter comes the emotional support and development of the E. Q. .
Identifying values and correcting the belief system follows next .It should ideally culminate to a spiritual level; more like actualization and realizing the potential of oneself.
There are challenges and choices. Mentor provides fresh and plausible insights and goads one to different ways of thinking. “Think Different” as the ad slogan, coined by Steve Jobs, suggests.
From management of the routine, this takes him to management of change. They help him to look at things from different perspectives.

CONCLUSION

In the entire gamut of management activities, the undercurrent is experimentation. We go on trying new ideas to seek positive concrete, results.
There are several interventions tried; Zero defect, Value Analysis, T.Q.M, reengineering, Theory Z, Quality Circles, Employee Involvement, Kan Ban, Supply Chain Managment, JIT, ,Excellence movement ,Knowledge Management; and what have you. ?
Many new management ideas keep coming and momentarily every one talks about them. Over a period they just wither away to be replaced by new ones.
I feel mentoring as a management intervention will last for long, since the results are everlasting. These ideas are tried and have yielded more than satisfactory results.
The basic difference is, that in mentoring, the culture is handed down to the successive generations. The process will perpetuate, with every new generation enriching and adding to what they had received.

There will be more and more business leaders who would like their “titles” reflect "Mentoring” as the key word; in them.

M. S. RANADE,
mranade@vsnl.com

This is big article and is Published in The Times of India Its Supplement on 10th Feb, 06 (Its Part) and 10th March,06 (II part)); in part. This is a publication of Times which is sent exclusively to IT /ITES industries, by them. Hence sent to you.
PUBLISHED IN THE TIMES OF INDIA, 10TH FEBRUARY 2006, 10TH MARCH 2006, FRIDAY.