A Group Mentoring Program for Graduate Librarians

By Ann Ritchie and Paul Genon

Originally published in the IMA "Mentor Connections" Newsletter, Fall 2000

INDEX:

• Differentiating Group Versus Traditional Mentoring Approaches
• The ALIA Approach to Group Mentoring in General
• A Unique Two Level Mentoring Structure
• The ALIA Mentor-Protege Matching Strategy
• ALIA Program Details and Learning Objectives
• The Philosophy and Operating Principles
• Program Evaluation Findings

Differentiating Group Versus Traditional Mentoring Approaches

Traditional mentoring is a one-to-one relationship, an experiential approach to support of human development, that is at least 2,500 years old and goes back to the Ancient Greeks. Often traditional mentoring is conceived as a one way flow of experience and wisdom from the mentor to a younger, less experienced protege.

Group mentoring is a relatively new concept which has been incompletely defined and under represented in the literature to date. Generally group programs have ranged along a continuum varying in degree of formality, approach, and focus, as shown in the figure below.

Degree of Formality	Informal	< < > >	Formal
Approach	Networking, contacts, and support	< < > >	Facilitated and structured
Focus - Goals	Varies with each member of the group	< < > >	Group agrees to focus for their shared learning

The variations in group mentoring range from a networking-style of mentoring, in which individuals have some affiliation to a larger group (for example, a professional association), to more formal, structured, and facilitated small group programs focused on inquiry into strategic or personally interesting professional topics. These topics emain a focus as long as it serves the need of the group and can vary as the group wishes. When the group is sponsored by an organization, the organization's own strategic initiatives will frequently influence the topic of learning.

See below for more details on the ALIA approach.

The ALIA Approach to Group Mentoring in General

The Australian Library and Information Association's (ALIA) Group Mentoring Program is a one year program for new graduates in librarianship.

The main aim of the Program is to facilitate the transition of new graduates into the profession. The Program was developed in Perth, Western Australia, in 1995. As a result of the effectiveness of the Western Australia Program, the model has since been adopted by the Victorian and South Australian Branches of the Association as well.

Based on a review of the literature and previous experience in mentoring programs, the following characteristics were formulated and described by the initiators of the Group Mentoring Program in order to ensure that the newly developed group format incorporated the essence of mentoring. The three essential characteristics of effective mentoring adopted for this program are:

• Mentoring is a two-way, learning relationship which draws upon the knowledge and wisdom of suitably experienced practitioners.
• Mentoring in the ALIA Program is designed to fulfill two broad purposes of career and psychosocial development, with the specific goals of the relationship being determined by the individuals involved
• Mentoring relationships develop over time, i.e. there is more than just a short-term or passing interest on the part of the mentor in the mentoree, and the relationship passes through a series of developmental stages. (This distinguishes mentoring from other shorter term training methods such as coaching.)

A Unique Two Level Mentoring Structure

In establishing the Group Mentoring Program, it was decided that, in addition to the mentoring provided by group members with each other, that the functions and roles of conventional, individual mentoring relationships could be supplemented by the group's facilitators, who would:

• Perform a group facilitation role
• Serve in a learning leader role
• Act as individual mentors as requested by group participants, and
• Support the development of peer mentoring relationships within the group.

The ALIA Mentor-Protege Matching Strategy

It was intended that pairing of peers would occur through a natural selection process among group members. From previous experience in assigned, individual mentoring programs it had been found that matching of pairs was often problematic and lack of "chemistry" has been cited as one of the main reasons that partnerships sometimes do not work. While this effect may be related to the degree of training pairs have for their work together, the ALIA Program choose the less formal, self-matching approach.

ALIA Program Details and Learning Objectives

For the past five years there have been an average of twenty participants in each year's Program.

The formal meetings comprise eleven, two-hour, monthly sessions in which the Group's learning objectives are addressed. In the interim the two facilitators (acting in their mentor roles) are also available for small group and one-to-one mentoring sessions.

As with all mentoring programs, the specific goals of each partnership or group are developed by the participants themselves. Having been prompted to give prior thought to their own professional objectives for the year, the Group Mentoring participants develop the learning objectives for the Group in the first meeting and these form the basis of the year's program.

The formal objectives of the Western Australian Mentoring Program are:

• To provide opportunities for continuing professional development in librarianship
• To facilitate the sharing of information ideas and feedback in a supportive environment
• To encourage the application of the theory learned in formal education to practical issues and experiences
• To assist participants to develop and achieve their career plans
• To provide opportunities for participants to learn and practice mentoring and peer support skills
• To encourage the development of leadership roles within the group
• To introduce the participants to ALIA committees.

The philosophy and operating principles developed by the facilitators are:

• Mutuality and complementarity: we are all learners and teachers for each other
• Principles of adult learning: participants are responsible for their own learning and independent, self-directed learning is encouraged
• Teamwork: the aim will be to foster a team spirit and develop a learning environment in which communication, cooperation and compassion are norms
• Synergy is the preferred style of teaching and learning: the creative potential of the group is greater than the sum of its parts
• Transitional stages can be stressful: mentoring provides a network of support and teaches coping skills
• Mentoring relationships are supportive of individuals: group norms which concur with this philosophy must be established and maintained in the group.

Program Evaluation Findings

The 1997 program was evaluated using a quasi-experimental research design. The main findings are that a one year program is not sufficient for the full development of individual's professional identity,

However, there is a significant result in one of the dimensions of professionalism (having a sense of calling to the field).

The program also resulted in significant benefits for graduates in the career development sphere, a primary goal of the Program.

The authors are librarians who have both been involved in continuing professional development and mentoring for the Australian Library and Information Association for the past 10 years. They established both the individual and group mentoring programs for the ALIF in Western Australia, and co-facilitated the Group Mentoring Program for 4 years. They have also developed a workshop on how to set up a facilitated group mentoring program. They can be contacted by email: annritchie@yahoo.com or paul@biblio.curtin.edu.au

An additional reference:

Genoni, P. W., & Ritchie, A. (1996). Mentoring as continuing professional development: the ALIA (WA) Group Mentoring Programme, in "Reading the Future: Proceedings of the Biennial Conference of the Australian Library and Information Association". World Congress Centre, Melbourne Australia 6-11 October 1996. (pp. 187-195). Melbourne: Australian Library and Information Association.

Edited by Barry Sweeny, IMA Board of Directors.

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