Micro Lecture The Mentor Role

The Mentor Role

Microlecture:

Managers rely on four major resources to accomplish organizational goals:

1. People
2. Equipment
3. Finances (e.g., budgets)
4. Information (ex. computer systems)
The Human Resources Model deals primarily with the development of people, individually
and as teams, through the Mentor and Facilitator Roles.
Note that Quinn usually follows a pattern in developing the three Competencies (skills) for each
management role, i.e., first he concentrates on you, the manager, next the individual worker
and, finally, the organization.
The Manager as a Mentor
Check the discussion of the Mentor Role on pages 35 and 36. In today's environment, the
mentor role is becoming ever more vital. Consider the following:
1. One of the most important relationships between people is trust. Trust forms the
foundation for building understanding, cooperation and motivation between workers
and management. Without trust, managers have to rely mostly on threats, coercion or
bribery (short term rewards), to get adequate performance from workers.
2. Workers (as well as all of us) instinctively look for "congruence" in our relationships
with the organization. That is, we expect that if we exert effort to accomplish the
organization's goals then the organization, in turn, will reward us and help us achieve
our career goals. This is commonly referred to as a "quid pro quo" (this for that)
relationship.
3. Quinn also emphasizes the importance of empathy for understanding our work force.
Empathy is defined on page 42 as " truly putting yourself in the position of others and
trying to see the world as they see it". Table 2.2 on page 43 lists "Rules for Practicing
Empathy". It is important to note that just because you understand someone's thinking
and feelings, it does not mean that you necessarily have to agree with him/her.
Empathy gives you an understanding of where a person is coming from. This will help
you to be more effective in resolving differences or motivating people.
4. Douglas McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y constructs focus on managers' attitudes,
not their actions. For example, Theory Y managers can discipline or fire employees as
readily as Theory X managers, but they would take their actions only after making a
reasonable effort to convert the recalcitrant worker into a productive member of the
organization.
The Manager as a Communicator
I don't think there is much disagreement as to the importance of good communications.
Robbins provides some good techniques for developing your Active Listening Skills (a very
important component of communication) on page 402 "Why are Active Listening Skills
Important".
Quinn goes a step further and in Reflective Listening (on pages 50 to 52), he combines the
techniques for active listening with an empathetic approach to better understand what is really
being said.
Developing Subordinates
Quinn emphasizes the use of performance appraisals "as a tool to facilitate the development of
subordinates, to clarify expectations, and to improve performance".
After reading Competency 3, consider the performance appraisal system in your organization
and compare it to his presentation.
Do you think that performance appraisals are useful for your (or any other) organization?
How effective do you think your organization's system is?
Where can you see room for improvement? (These are rhetorical questions for your benefit,
and you could address them in your conference discussions).

Delegation
In Competency 3, "Delegating Effectively", Quinn gives an excellent overview of this important
concept. Without proper delegation of authority and responsibility you cannot have effective
employee empowerment. Also, your own valuable time is wasted if you neglect to delegate
lesser duties to subordinates, trained to perform such functions. Pay special attention to the
eight "Keys to Effective Delegation".
Communications
Develop your communications skills by using the Left-Hand Analysis and Practive (see page
52, 53)

Discussion Questions:
IN YOUR DISCUSSION SECTION:

The following topics are subjects for your discussions. Feel free to add as many others as you find
useful.

1. Discuss learnings from your readings of the text and articles.
2. Discuss issues from your research brief. Did any of the readings
help you see different aspects of your job?
3. Discuss the value of performance appraisals for companies and
employees. What works and what does not work and why? Share
your thoughts as to the best way to handle this touchy subject.
4.
Discuss healthy conflict management processes in organizations. Why may conflict be
healthy- even essential - for organizations.

Research Brief #2:
Written Work: Research Brief # 2

Due: May 23
 Communication: Identify some of the most frequently encountered barriers to effective
communication. Then suggest ways for managers to overcome them and become more
adept at communicating at the work place.
 < font>Extract from each assigned article two key learning(s) for you and indicate (briefly)
how you might want to apply these learning to your own management style/behavior
(the latter part is very important for you to address as it will help you to make the
connection from the theory to your practice.

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The Mentor Role

IN YOUR DISCUSSION SECTION:

Written Work: Research Brief # 2

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