Mentoring
Mentoring is the process of using specially selected
and trained individuals to provide guidance, prag-
matic advice and continuing support that will help
the person or persons allocated to them to learn and
develop. Mentors prepare people to perform better
in the future and groom them for higher and greater
things, ie career advancement. Mentoring can play
an important part in a leadership and management
development programme.
Mentoring is a method of helping people to learn
and develop, as distinct from coaching, which is a
relatively directive means of increasing people’s com-
petence. Mentoring promotes learning on-the-job,
which is always the best way of acquiring the
particular skills and knowledge the job holder
needs. Mentoring also complements formal training
by providing those who benefit from it with individual
guidance from experienced managers who are ‘wise
in the ways of the organization’.
E-learning
E-learning involves the use of computer, networked
and web-based technology to provide learning mat-
erial and guidance to individual employees. It can
be delivered through a firm’s intranet system.
E-learning enhances learning by extending and
supplementing face-to-face learning rather than
replacing it. It enables learning to take place when it
is most needed (just-in-time as distinct from just-in-
case) and when it is most convenient. Learning can
be provided in short segments or bites that focus on
specific learning objectives. It is ‘learner-centric’ in
that it can be customized to suit an individual’s
learning needs – learners can choose different learning
objects within an overall package. The main draw-
backs are the need for learners to be self-motivated,
the time and effort required to develop and update
e-learning programmes and, sometimes, the avail-
ability of computers.
E-learning programmes may cover common
business applications and processes, induction
programmes and, frequently, IT skills development.
They are not so effective for developing soft skills
such as team building, communication or presen-
tation that rely on interpersonal contact. But
programmes can still cover basic principles that
prepare people for practical face-to-face sessions,
provide reinforcement through post-event reading,
help with self-assessment and lead to chat-room
support.
The emphasis is on self-paced learning – learners
control the rate at which they learn, although they
may be given targets for completion and guidance
from tutors on how they should learn. However,
the impact of e-learning is strongly influenced by the
quality of the support provided to learners. It is the
effectiveness of this support rather than the sophis-
tication of the technology that counts.
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