The Mentor Connection

In the past several years the concept of the mentor has become a part of the common parlance. There is a widespread interest in the pivotal role of mentoring for the success of individuals. Research has made it plain that mentors play a major role in career development. Now human resources and organizational development groups have come to appreciate the role of mentoring on the donor as well as recipient, for the career of the helper no less than the person(s) being helped. Michael Zey, in this study based upon interviews with over 150 executives in Fortune 500 companies and smaller firms, provides a major exploration of the sociological dynamics of the mentoring relationships, locating this phenomenon in the fields of career growth, job satisfaction, and social mobility. In doing so, Zey offers a framework for the understanding of corporate culture, an approach that raises this volume far beyond the usual self-help literature found in this field.