7 Different Types of Workplace Mentoring

Workplace mentoring has morphed. An experienced sage sharing career advice with an newcomer is only part of the picture now. Reverse mentoring, peer mentoring, high-potential mentoring, eMentoring, diversity mentoring and a host of other mentor buzzwords are popping up in today’s competitive, quickly evolving business world.

Touted as one more way to help boost sagging employee engagement and retention, mentoring is also credited with helping to more quickly develop employees, help with succession planning and foster diversity.

Let’s start with the mentoring basics.

Mentoring is a non-threatening relationship where one person with expertise, knowledge or connections (the mentor) takes time to teach and encourage someone else (the protégé or mentee). Usually, the protégé hopes to gain wisdom, friendship or support. Mentors benefit as well, by building new relationships, gaining insight and opportunities to improve communication or supervisory skills. Many also find satisfaction and a renewed interest in their own work, brought about as they revisit processes and decision-making (that have largely become automatic) so they can  better explain them to someone else.    

Next, let’s clarify some of those terms starting with two of the most commonly discussed types of mentoring: Formal and informal.

• Formal mentoring programs are usually structured, in-house programs created by organizations to pair individuals with a specific purpose and for a specific length of time. Participants are often intentionally matched after completing rich profiles identifying competencies, interests or even personalities. And they’re usually instructed or trained on expectations for their roles and on the best ways to set goals, discuss confidentiality, give feedback and interact.

• Informal mentoring is a more organic relationship voluntarily formed between two people. It could be initiated by either person and is of indeterminate length. It could also be the extension of what started out as a well-matched formal mentoring program. Ideally, a protégé identifies a goal or purpose, such as learning a specific skill or having a sounding board for proposals. Protégés may also find it helpful to have a network of mentors, each with a varying purpose.  

Moving on to some of the other mentoring terms:

• Reverse mentoring has come about largely because of the surge in new technology. Often, young, entry-level employees are more technologically proficient or comfortable in some areas than more experienced workers. These newcomers take on the role of mentor, helping more senior colleagues or even managers, better understand younger customers or newer technologies. These relationships offer benefits to both parties as more experienced workers build relationships and understanding with newer colleagues.

• Peer mentoring is a way to exchange knowledge and seek feedback and advice on your performance from people at a similar level position to your own. These relationships are usually mutual and are described to be most valuable if the pairs work in different areas of the business, but have worked together on a project. In addition to providing trusted feedback, these relationships help provide broader perspectives of the organization.

• High-potential mentoring connects a top employee with a senior-level executive or leader who can advise and coach him or her. To maintain objectivity and the ability to discuss challenges openly, ideally the pairs are not in the same chain of command. This type of mentoring plays the dual role of developing and retaining promising talent as well as helping organizations prepare for the future by developing tomorrow’s leaders.

• eMentoring (also known as virtual mentoring or online mentoring) takes the mentoring relationship into the digital world. Email, online chats and conferencing tools lift geographic constraints of potential mentoring partners. And while it is thought to offer many of the same benefits as one-on-one mentoring, it makes sharing resources easier and can make communication for younger or inexperienced workers less intimidating. Drawbacks include needing access to technology and the necessity for a higher level of self-direction by participants.

• Diversity mentoring helps diverse organizations build more inclusive, open-minded cultures. The benefits of diversity within organizations are often touted. But these varying backgrounds and skills can easily lead to misunderstandings, slowing progress. By intentionally pairing individuals from specific employee subsets, these one-on-one relationships help employees become more culturally aware and supportive of each other.

Mentorship programs are popular with 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies and a quarter of small organizations currently offering a formal mentoring program. Along with this boost in popularity comes expected nuances.

Consider the differences and the opportunities each provides. And don’t think of them as exclusive. Reverse mentoring may well fill the bill as diversity mentoring. Formal mentoring could easily be for high-potential employees. Overlaps could easily be the solution for you or your organization.