Why Mentoring Impacts on Organisational Performance

Examinations of organisational behaviour from the early twentieth century revealed the influence of something as simple as human interaction. The well-publicised ‘Hawthorn Studies’ and the resultant ‘Hawthorne Effect’ showed that productivity increases, which at first appeared to be an effect of altering environmental factors, were really a result of workers being given attention.

In recent years, the obsession with restructuring - focusing on cost-efficiency, downsizing and re-engineering the workplace - has impacted on the social and interpersonal aspects of organisational life. A purely mechanistic approach to organisational development fails to recognise the organic, human nature of every establishment.

Synergy literally means that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. We are all connected and today people need people like never before. Cultural, generational and gender differences, and global, economical and political forces make it essential that humans interact to find common spirit.

People are the vital element in any organisational system. A change in any part of a system causes change in every other part. For better or worse, conversations and relationships do impact on individual and organisational performance.

Synergy is achieved through a mentoring process that enables people to gain insight, make informed decisions, plan action, implement new strategies and review their progress. Mentoring conversations recognise that one person cannot impose change on another. However, by simply talking to one another, people can have a profound impact on each other. Two people together can create more than either could alone.

Productivity at the organisational level is a reflection of the performance of people. The positive influence of mentoring individuals therefore contributes to the whole organisation.