Mentors' Impact on the Development of Adaptability Skills via Experiential Learning
Date
2007-12-12T19:18:30Z
Authors
Kemp, Cary
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Abstract
This research investigated the process of protégé development, focusing on the development of adaptability skills via experiential learning. Mentors facilitated skill development by challenging protégés during the conceptualization stage of learning. This finding highlights the importance of framebreaking and re-framing activities, and the role that mentors can play in promoting the development of new mental models. Mentors also facilitated development by frequently instructing protégés to intuitively grasp new concepts and to experiment with new skills. All mentoring functions except friendship were positively related to mentors' instruction to use experiential learning activities, suggesting that mentoring functions serve as platforms for learning activities. Career development facilitation and friendship were the only two functions directly related to skill development. Skill development was related to performance improvement and protégé satisfaction. Implications for mentor training and future research are discussed.
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Keywords
Mentor, Leader, Adaptability development, Experiential learning