Name: Gary Ivey
Gary Ivey
Area of Study: Organizational
In what program are you currently enrolled? PhD
What year of the program are you currently in? 7
Citation in APA format Ivey, G. W., & Dupre, K. E. (in press). Workplace mentorship: A critical review. Journal of Career Development.
Plain language abstract: Mentoring is a popular workplace practice, bolstered by a substantial body of literature that has underscored its positive outcomes for protégés and organizations. Less pronounced are the potential risks and costs associated with workplace mentorship. In this paper we consolidate what is known about workplace mentorship, and draw on organizational justice research, self-determination theory, and findings related to indirect exposure to expand on the potentially darker side of workplace mentorship. Our comprehensive review suggests that workplace mentorship appears to have positive consequences in particular circumstances for particular groups of employees, but the conclusiveness of its positive effects is limited by significant gaps in the research. To assist in determining if the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks and costs, we offer a list of considerations for individual employees who are considering engaging in a mentoring relationship, and for those implementing workplace mentoring programs.
How did the idea for this research come about?
This research was initiated a few years ago as a research proposal for a graduate level Organizational Psychology course delivered by Dr. Kate Dupre. By then, I had done quite a bit of research in the leadership domain, and also in the areas of workplace well-being and organizational fairness, so when we did some readings on mentoring, it got me thinking about research gaps. With further research, clear gaps and questions emerged. Once my paper was graded, Dr. Dupre offered some other perspectives and insights based on her own research which we incorporated into a critical review.
How did you collect the data for this project?
I conducted a comprehensive review of the literature (peer-reviewed journals, books) identified primarily through PsycINFO and Scopus using keywords, including mentor, mentee, protégé, non-mentored, unmentored, and work(place). I first focussed on more recent research and worked backward as appropriate, resulting in the inclusion of seminal works from 25-35 years ago. Research on mentoring outside of the workplace context (e.g., student mentoring) were excluded unless they touched on fairness or other factors of interest to workplace mentoring. Dr. Dupre supplemented this research (conducted a few years ago) with an updated review of the literature published since 2016.
Was the journal you published in the first journal you submitted this paper to?
No
Why did you choose this journal?
In addition to highlighting research gaps, our article has practical implications on the workplace, including the career development of individuals, selection/promotion practices, building diversity, conflict management, and well-being. The Journal of Career Development strives to provide workplace professionals with insight into theory, research, and practice in these areas, so it was a very good fit for our article.
How many other journals did you submit this paper to before it landed in the journal that eventually published your work?
1
What was your revision experience? It was a bit odd. We submitted in 2018, did not hear back for over a year so we had assumed it was rejected. However, we eventually received our revise and resubmit instructions, and things were quite efficient thereafter – The questions and revisions were reasonable, and the decision to accept post-revisions came quite quickly.
How many rounds of revision did you experience?
1
Did you need to collect new data to satisfy a reviewer?
Yes
How long did it take from first submission to acceptance?
24 months
Was this paper conducted as part of your MA thesis?
No
Was this paper conducted as part of your PhD dissertation?
No
How did this project come about?
This project was initiated as a research proposal for a graduate level Organizational Psychology course.
Was this research conducted with your supervisor?
No
Was this research conducted with fellow graduate students in our program?
No
Was this research conducted with researchers external to Carleton?
No