Terri Scandura discusses what she has learned about mentoring in 20 years of research on the topic.

Mike interviews Terri Scandura regarding her body of research on mentoring at work. She discusses the relationship between mentoring and leadership, the effects of gender on mentoring relationships, and how dysfunctional mentoring relationships occur. She finishes by giving recommendations to both mentors and mentees on how to start and maintain a good mentoring relationship.

Terri Scandura (scandura@miami.edu) is a professor of management and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Miami. Her research interests focus on work relationships, enhancing personal and organizational performance, including supervisor-subordinate relationships, mentoring, teams and networks. She is also well-known for her work on applied research methods.

Date of the interview: March 18, 2008

Recommended further readings:

Allen, T.D., Eby, L.T., & Lentz, E. (2006). Mentorship behaviors and mentorship quality associated with formal mentoring programs: Closing the gap between research and practice. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 567-578.

Ensher, E.A., & Murphy, S.E. (2005). Power mentoring: How successful mentors and protégés get the most out of their relationships. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

The handbook of mentoring at work: Theory, research, and practice. (2007). B.R. Ragins and K.E. Kram (eds.), Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Scandura, T.A., & Schriesheim, C.A. (1994). Leader-member exchange and supervisor career mentoring as complementary constructs in leadership research. Academy of ManagementJournal, 37, 1588-1602.

Michael Johnson is an Assistant Professor in Department of Management and Organization at the University of Washington. He can be reached via mdj3@u.washington.edu