Mentoring and women managers: another look at the field

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a discussion of some salient research relating to mentoring for women managers. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws mainly upon writing and research from the UK, USA, Canada and Australia to explore some of the issues that continue to be pertinent for the mentoring of women managers. Findings The paper explores some of the early arguments promoting mentoring for women in the light of more recent research. From the literature, three key issues that have important implications for women in mentoring relationships are considered. These are identifying the nature and focus of mentoring relationships; managing cross‐gender mentoring and negotiating the power dimension that underpins the mentoring relationship. Practical implications The paper provides a discussion of the practical implications of three key issues that are significant for women managers. Originality/value The paper draws together work in the field and distils a number of issues and their implications that require further attention and discussion.