Strategies to Build Culture
Natasha Rodriguez
Edu 675
Prof. Laurie Wellner
May 28, 2014

The strategy I chose to build relationships in my work place is Mentoring. I chose mentoring because it is a way for workers to work with one another as well as learn from one another. What better way to build a relationship with someone while learning from them. I would assign new employees with those who have been in the field for some time and can offer advice, suggestions, and insight on a job that can be extremely stressful and time consuming. The beauty of mentoring programs is that there is not only advantages for the employee, the employer benefits as well. “The employer of a mentored employee gains from greater productivity in the workplace. As employees turn to their mentors for advice, they make fewer mistakes on the job, cutting losses to the employer” (Tingum, 2014). There is also a sense of loyalty and bonding because employees do not come into a new job with no direction. They have someone to guide them and also help them feel included. The first articles I have located that focus on my strategy of mentoring is, Mentoring work values: Implications for counselors by Carolyn, Kern. This article discusses the mentoring values of man to younger generations. Details on career and developmental theories; Definition of mentoring; Implication of mentoring to work values. It was a great source for getting a better understanding on how to implement mentoring into the work place, the benefits of mentoring for everyone in the work place and discusses in depth how mentoring can be beneficial to older employees. I chose the strategy of mentoring to build relationships because there is genuine interaction between two people. It allows for everyone to grow professionally and personally in my work environment. Kern (2014) states, mentoring is effective in increasing the productivity of workers, reducing turnover and enhancing communication at all levels of an organization. An emphasis on mentoring relationships indicates personal and professional development for individuals and organizations. When workers get a long, the work environment is positive and more gets done. While more work is getting done and employees are getting along, “this allows for a business to become more creative and focus its attention on growth, rather than training” (Tingum, 2014). As stated previously in the paper, the article discusses how mentoring programs in the work place is also beneficial for older workers because it gives them a sense of purpose. In previous jobs that I have held, the older people are always the isolated ones. They rarely interacted their younger coworkers and were considered “cranky” or “mean”. Mentoring gives these elder employees the opportunity to interact with their younger coworkers and build a relationship that they otherwise would not have done. Kern (2014) stated individuals need to see values in action and be able to discuss their benefits. Older workers in our society have developed skills, abilities, and values that are essential for young people today. It is for this reason that implementing the mentoring program would be beneficial to fostering relationships in my work place. Older people can feel included and younger people can learn something. The second article I chose was, Why mentoring in workplace works? By Mary Hamilton & Stephen Hamilton (2014) defines a mentor as an older more experienced person who seeks to further the development of character and competence in a younger person by guiding the latter in acquiring mastery of progressively more complex skills and tasks in which the mentor is already efficient. The article discusses the efficiency of workplace mentoring. It discusses how the work place is an ideal place for mentoring between older workers and young employees. “The idea of mentoring is firmly rooted in the commonsense belief that it is good for a young person to have a close relationship with a caring older person, other than a parent, who can teach and advise and simply be an adult in her or his presence”(Hamilton 2014). Imagine a young girl who comes into a new job in corporate America. She is nervous about her real first job, and does not know what to expect or how her job really operates. Offering a more “seasoned” employee as a mentor is a great way to potentially build a great relationship. The article also discusses how good work-based learning involves mentoring and adults teaching younger workers the in and out of the work place and also how some become confidants or advisers. The article also discusses a case study that was conducted with mentors and younger workers. It shared stories and experiences of those who were partnered with a mentor or mentee and what they learned from the whole experience. There were positive outcomes and research found that there was psychological benefits to mentoring. My strategy of mentoring according the reading has a lot of benefits, however is not always perfect. Pairing individuals is extremely important in ensuring that it is going to be a positive experience. As a supervisor it is important to check on each pair and ensure that things are going well and everyone is learning and growing. Pairs would be changed every 3 months or as new workers come in and mentors are needed. It gives everyone the opportunity to learn from others. As the years progress mentees will become mentors and continue the cycle of teaching and helping others while building more relationships. Mentoring will benefit the culture of my organization most in that guidance is always needed and encouraged. There are so many workers and things moving around so quickly, this is a great way to encourage more communication amongst each other and actually taking the time out to slow down and help someone who really needs it. If most of my jobs had this, my experience could have been a bit more positive. In most of my jobs I felt as if I was thrown into the position and was expected to do my job effectively. There was very little formal training and a lot of demands. Mentoring offers some sense of security because a new employee may have no idea what they are doing but know they can go to at least one person who is going to help them.

References

Hamilton, M. & Hamilton S. (2002). Why mentoring in the workplace works. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=33f7cb4c-dcd0-4b42-9723-8c2a3bf334a2%40sessionmgr113&vid=5&hid=106 Kern, Carolyn W. (2014). Mentoring work values: Implications for counselors. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/detail?vid=4&sid=33f7cb4c-dcd0-4b42-9723 8c2a3bf334a2%40sessionmgr113&hid=106&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=aph&AN=768760

Tingum, J. (2014). The advantages of mentoring in the workplace. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-mentoring-workplace-18437.html