April 15, 2009
Kathy E. Kram and Monica C. Higgins
A New Mindset on Mentoring: Creating Developmental Networks at Work
Copyright Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. All rights reserved. Reprint 50431
HUMAN RESOURCES
A New Mindset on Mentoring: Creating Developmental Networks at Work
By Kathy E. Kram and Monica C. Higgins
Kathy E. Kram is a professor of organizational behavior and a distinguished faculty scholar at Boston University’s School of Management. Monica C. Higgins is an associate professor focused on leadership and organizational behavior at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.
FINDING a mentor is not the solution to an executive’s career advancement, professional development, or satisfaction in contemporary work settings; nor is assigning formal men- tors to high potential employees the solution to building a high performance, learning organization. With today’s fast-changing technology, increasingly global, multi-cultural, and team-based work environments, no one mentor can possibly provide the guidance, exposure, and opportunities that are so essential to effectively manage current job challenges or prepare for future leadership roles. So, what is the alternative?