Abstract
This paper reviews the literature on the mentoring process in organizations and why mentoring can be critical to the career success of women managers and professionals. It examines some of the reasons why it is more difficult for women to find mentors than it is for men. Particular attention is paid to potential problems in cross-gender mentoring. A feminist perspective is then applied to the general notion of mentorships for women. The paper concludes with an examination of what organizations can do to further mentor relationships and an agenda for further research in this area.
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Ronald J. Burke is the Imperial Life Professor in Organizational Behavior and Senior Fellow at the National Centre for Research and Development, School of Business Administration, The University of Western Ontario. He conducts research in the areas of organizational behavior and human resources management. Professor Burke earned a B.A. from the University of Manitoba and an M.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.
Carol A. McKeen is a professor of Accounting in the School of Business, Queen's University. Prior to joining the Queen's faculty in 1982 she was a member of the aduit staff at Deloitte, Haskins and Sells, Minneapolis, and an internal auditor at Honeywell, Inc. She is coauthor of several articles in the area of women in management and management education for women.
Preparation of this manuscript was supported in part by a research grant from the Faculty of Administrative Studies, York University, and by the Imperial Life Professorship in Organizational Behaviour, National Centre for Management Research and Development, School of Business Administration, The University of Western Ontario.
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Burke, R.J., McKeen, C.A. Mentoring in organizations: Implications for women. Journal of Business Ethics 9, 317–332 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00380330
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00380330