Mentorship and career mobility: An empirical investigation

TLDR

Mentorship literature shows that mentors provide vocational and psychosocial support to protégés. The study examines how mentorship functions relate to protégés’ career mobility. In a sample of 244 manufacturing managers, mentorship functions were linked to higher salaries and promotions, confirming prior research.

Abstract

Abstract The literature on mentorship is briefly reviewed, revealing that many studies have documented the functions that mentors provide to proteges, including vocational and psychosocial support. This study investigates the link between these functions and the career mobility outcomes of proteges. Results from a random sample of 244 manufacturing managers supports previous research on the dimensions of mentoring. Further, vocational (coaching) and psycho‐social (social support) were found to be related to managers' salary level and promotions. Implications of these results for future studies of mentoring are discussed.