By S. Hadi Abdullah                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
COMPANIES are experimenting with ways to update, guide, advise                                                                                        
and retain its workforce. One method that companies are                                                                                               
adopting is known as mentoring.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
Mentoring is nothing new it is perhaps as old as history                                                                                              
itself. We have commonly heard of guru, si-fu and mentor.                                                                                             
Confucius, Lao Tze, Socrates and Plato of old had many                                                                                                
proteges learning and seeking advice from them.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
The word "mentoring" itself is of Greek origin. Literally                                                                                   
translated, it means "to remember, think, counsel." Therefore,                                                                              
a mentor would be somebody who provides wise counsel, thus                                                                                            
helping his or her mentee (protege) to grow.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
Mentoring has taken different forms. The old method of doing                                                                                          
it would be for the mentee to follow the si-fu or guru and                                                                                            
learn from observing, questioning and emulating his mentor.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
There could be occasions when mentees-were told to perform a                                                                                          
certain task without being told the reason for doing it. The                                                                                          
mentees were expected to learn from experience or told to                                                                                             
perform a task repeatedly before the moral of the story was                                                                                           
related to them.                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
Nowadays, the relationship is less of reverence; at times it                                                                                          
is seen as mutually beneficial.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
Some companies make it a point to separate the manager/boss                                                                                           
and the mentor. That is they are two different persons. This                                                                                          
is the more traditional approach. Others feel that the                                                                                                
managers themselves can act as the mentors, thus playing a                                                                                            
dual role.                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
The methods chosen would depend on the maturity and corporate                                                                                         
culture of the organisation.  The former method of mentoring                                                                                          
is clearly seen in the diagram.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
The manager focuses on results staff performance, deadlines,                                                                                          
budgets, standards and maintenance of team spirit. The mentor                                                                                         
on the other hand focuses on the learner and his/her                                                                                                  
development, career aspirations, needs, ambition, etc.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
As shown in the diagram, both the manager and the mentor                                                                                              
involve themselves in active listening, coaching, counselling,                                                                                        
decision-making and other such activities.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
In the latter method, the manager or boss plays all these                                                                                             
roles put together. It could be a daunting task but many                                                                                              
people have been able to do it. The method where the roles are                                                                                        
separated is preferred because the mentee could have some                                                                                             
inhibition relating private matters to his or her mentor. This                                                                                        
takes into cognisance the fact that today's youth face enough                                                                                         
problems, both in and outside the office.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Consultant William Gray relates that almost all participants                                                                                          
in his time when they needed mentoring and no one stepped                                                                                             
forward to provide it.                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
Management gurus say that mentoring would take a more                                                                                                 
important role today, with the flattening and delayering of                                                                                           
organisations."Employers and organisations are not offering                                                                                      
the kind of security and caretaking that they used to,                                                                                                
therefore mentoring is seen as an alternative to that," says                                                                                     
Kathleen Kram of Boston School of Management.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
Rosabeth Moss Kanter of Harvard University has concluded that                                                                                         
"having a mentor is critical to one's career success."                                                                                      
Mentoring is more focused towards newcomers who need to be                                                                                            
quickly introduced to the company's culture and way of doing                                                                                          
things.                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
Reg Hamilton says: "Mentoring is a way of helping another                                                                                        
understand more fully and learn more comprehensively from                                                                                             
their day-today experience. It works best when it is a                                                                                                
confidential relationship which gives the learner the                                                                                                 
opportunity to speak freely about their concerns."                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
A good example of mentoring is that practiced by General                                                                                              
Electric (GE) of America. The programme grew out of efforts                                                                                           
made to integrate minorities and women at GE subsidiaries. The                                                                                        
goal was to create a climate that was "inclusive."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
In 1995, G.E. had more than 1,000 mentors or pairs. It was                                                                                            
most successful at their appliance manufacturing factory at                                                                                           
Louisville, Kentucky. Here, 300 pairs work on this programme.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
There is nothing hard and fast about it, some pairs meet                                                                                              
often, others do not. In one case the pair met five times a                                                                                           
week, then had a lapse of a few months, and then met again two                                                                                        
to three times a week. It is an informal set-up that seems to                                                                                         
be working.                                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
British Airways ranks among the world's most successful                                                                                               
airlines (profit of US$684 million in 1995 the second highest                                                                                         
in the world). It wanted to improve the quality of its                                                                                                
training but faced a temporary shortage of management people.                                                                                         
Therefore, the airline turned to mentoring.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
Trainees kept in touch with their study supervisors who were                                                                                          
assigned to them early in their career. They met and advised                                                                                          
each other on how best to "enter" and learn from a certain                                                                                  
department. In addition, the trainees as a group met for                                                                                              
specific training like report writing.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
The mentors also participated as part of the                                                                                                          
"self-development" training programme. The mentors for this                                                                                 
particular scheme were young managers on the move. The company                                                                                        
felt that their experience would have a maturing and                                                                                                  
beneficial effect. The managers chosen had good interpersonal                                                                                         
skills and were also given training in counselling skills.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
Richard Pascle and Anthony G. Athos talk of the Sempai-Kohai                                                                                          
(Senior-Junior) relationship in Japanese companies. They say:                                                                                         
"Corresponding to the mentor-protege relationship in the West,                                                                                   
it is probably one of the most constructive forces for                                                                                                
productive and harmonious working relationships in Japanese                                                                                           
companies. The Japanese have made an institution of it."                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
The Japanese emphasise and focus on relationship rather than                                                                                          
on each individual and his role. The relationship has both                                                                                            
emotional and functional ties. Senior and junior are seen as                                                                                          
inescapably linked one's failure or success necessarily                                                                                               
affects the other. It is not hierarchical but something that                                                                                          
binds both parties.                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
One's Sempai is usually outside of one's direct reporting                                                                                             
relationships, thus acting more like a godfather.  However, it                                                                                        
is noted that it does influence the direct boss-subordinate                                                                                           
relationship.                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
The Sempai expects his Kohai to understand him and compensate                                                                                         
for him when needed. Their relationship goes on till the Kohai                                                                                        
himself becomes a Sempai. Thus new recruits are given a                                                                                               
helping hand, introduced to the company culture and the way                                                                                           
things are done in the organisation.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
Among Malaysian companies practising mentoring are Shell                                                                                              
Malaysia and Malaysian Institute of Management. MIM introduced                                                                                        
an informal mentoring system about three years ago, with                                                                                              
senior staff members acting as mentors. It is a voluntary                                                                                             
system, where mentees choose their own mentors.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
The system, although informal and loosely run, has benefited a                                                                                        
number of younger people who have taken steps to acquire                                                                                              
higher quatifications, broaden their horizons and are in the                                                                                          
midst of fast-traking. The organisation is now taking steps to                                                                                        
involve more younger staff and newcomers into this system.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
Mentoring, according to Eric Gunn, must have the full support                                                                                         
of top management. Besides, the programme should be open to                                                                                           
all members of the staff.                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Both mentors and proteges should be told what to expect, which                                                                                        
could involve some training. The programme should communicate                                                                                         
in no uncertain terms that it does not guarantee a promotion.                                                                                         
Lastly, the selection criteria for mentors should be made                                                                                             
clear to all.                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
Companies like Cadbury's of England have been practising                                                                                              
mentoring for centuries, in developing their young for career                                                                                         
progression. Likewise, family-owned companies in Malaysia.                                                                                            
Lately, Tun Daim Zainuddin's mentees have been making waves in                                                                                        
the Malaysian scene.                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
Organisations can adopt this system to "break" new staff,                                                                                   
fast-track them, give them the benefit of a senior staff's                                                                                            
wisdom, and at the same time retain them for their own good                                                                                           
and the organisation's.