Maximizing Mentoring Relationships: How Structure Influences Outcomes

• In Event: Accounting, Behavior and Organizations 1

Abstract

Many public accounting firms consider mentoring programs to be a critical strategy for career development and retention of both women and men professionals. We examine mentoring relationships in a large public accounting firm to provide additional insights on how program structure may influence outcomes. We find that accounting professionals who have a mentor report both lower turnover intentions and higher career aspirations. Gender and rank are also significantly related to career aspirations, but not turnover intentions. Those in mentoring relationships that have an informal origin report significantly higher scores for mentoring functions than those whose mentors were assigned through a formal firm program. Moreover, protégés paired with same-sex mentors report significantly higher scores for mentoring functions than those in cross-gender relationships. In turn, higher scores on mentoring functions relate to increased job satisfaction and job performance and lower turnover intentions. These results can guide firms in structuring mentoring programs to provide the maximum benefits to both women and men.

Authors

• Cynthia P Guthrie, Bucknell University

• Ambrose Jones, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro