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Mentoring of Women Faculty: The Role of Organizational Politics and Culture

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Abstract

This article reports on a key finding of a phenomenological study on the mentoring experiences of women faculty. The study revealed the political climate of the organization as an essential attribute of this experience. Women faculty identified organizational culture and gender issues that affected the mentoring they received. This study suggests the need for human resource and organization development initiatives to facilitate the provision of academic mentoring for women faculty—individually, departmentally, and culturally—as a means to foster transformation and change in academic institutions.

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Correspondence to Sharon K. Gibson.

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Sharon K. Gibson is an Assistant Professor of organization learning and development at the University of St. Thomas. She received her Ph.D. in adult education from the University of Minnesota. She holds an M.S.W. degree and graduate certificate in labor and industrial relations from the University of Michigan and a B.S. from Cornell University. Her research interests focus on developmental relationships including mentoring and coaching, strategic human resource and organization development, and adult learning.

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Gibson, S.K. Mentoring of Women Faculty: The Role of Organizational Politics and Culture. Innov High Educ 31, 63–79 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-006-9007-7

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