Essay Example on Worldwide many organizations have come to recognize the Value

Worldwide many organizations have come to recognize the value of mentorships and have tried to formalize these relationships as part of the planned career development of junior managers and professionals Noe 1988 Wilson Elman 1990 The basic distinction between formal and informal mentorships lies in the formation of the relationship Formal mentorships are programs that are managed and sanctioned by the organization Chao Walz Gardner 1992 Formal mentoring programs include training for mentors Murray 2006 They tie the mentoring program to business goals with measurable results and conduct periodic evaluations and coordination offering ongoing support for mentoring pairs Day et al 2009 suggest that formal mentoring programmes are recommended for contemporary leadership development because leadership development is more effective in the context of work i e learning by doing than in traditional classroom settings Many Organizations across the globe have attempted to encash on the benefits of mentoring by developing formal mentoring programs in which mentors and mentee are matched and extended support for their relationship 

Moreover in formal mentoring relationship mentor may choose to participate in the program out of sheer dedication for the organization rather than a personal connection to the protégé Consequently mentors may be less committed to their protégés and the mentor and mentees may never get to develop a bond and a fully trusting relationship Also formal programs tend to focus on short term career goals instead of the long term focus of an informal relationship The reason why informal mentoring relationships have been found to be more beneficial may also be attributed to the fact that many a times mentors assigned to employees by formal programs may not interact with the assigned mentees in the same manner as informal mentors Also if they have not supervised the individual they may not possess feedback information that can shed light on the mentee's role and guide him her in the role negotiation process Jackson Schuler 1985 According to Delong Gabarro Lees 2008 the notion that a standardized mentoring system will solve one's problems is an illusion Rewarding a mentor for engaging in prescribed interactions with subordinates simply doesn t work Mentoring process whether formal or informal should be one which can create an effective relationship between the employees and the organization in such a way that both the parties benefit equitably Chebolu 2005