2. Meanings of formal mentoring to women managers’ career development Anna-Maija Lämsä University of Jyväskylä School of Business and Economics Sanna Mutanen Sandvik Mining and Construction Ltd. Human Resources, Tampere

3. School of Business and Economics Background NASTA, Women’s leadership – a research and education development project A joint project between three universities in Finland during 2005-2009. Consists of several subprojects www.nastaproject.fi

4. School of Business and Economics The purpose of the study The purpose was to investigate empirically the mentoring experiences of women mentees in relation to their careers. The focus was on a formal mentoring programme in a large business organization. The programme was targeted only for women to advance their careers in management.

5. School of Business and Economics Women’s career development in management and leadership Difficulties in hierarchical career development: glass ceiling and glass labyrinth, double bind, tokenism A challenge for gender equality and the full use of human competence Recently, special programmes to support women’s career development in management: HRM practices, a part of HRM strategy

6. School of Business and Economics Mentoring: a way to advance women’s careers Mentor was the name of the person to whom Odysseus entrusted the care of his son, Telemachus, when he set out on his wanderings. A developmental and confidential relationship between two people, a more experienced mentor and a less experienced mentee, which enhances both individual’s growth and advancement. Formal and informal mentoring

7. School of Business and Economics Mentoring functions Kram (1983) identified two main functions: Career development functions: sponsorship, coaching, protection, challenging assignments as well as exposure and visibility. Psycho-social functions address interpersonal aspects of the mentoring relationship and provide four functions: acceptance and confirmation, counseling, friendship and role modeling.

8. School of Business and Economics Mentoring and gender The underlying view of a good and successful mentor in a business management context: a man. Formal programs can be useful for women by facilitating their possibilities to initiate mentoring relationships. Differences in the quality of mentoring relationships may depend on partners' gender: - same-gender relationships are more desirable since women have more concerns about the image of the relationships. - mentees tend to believe that a same gender mentor is important from the viewpoint of role- modeling

9. School of Business and Economics Method A qualitative research focusing on the experiences of five women case-managers who have acted as mentees. The aim was to get “an inner look” at the experiences, and in that way to interpret the meanings of mentoring for the women: the main point was to learn what the women say that mentoring is for them. Taped, in-depth interviews, transcribed word by word. Interviews when two years had passed from the mentoring experiences. Two of the women had had a male mentor whereas three a female mentor. Women from a same company in a finance sector, participated in the formal mentoring programme; age varied from 28 to 48 years.

10. School of Business and Economics Results “A career focus” refers to mentoring as a way to advance consciously the mentee’s managerial career. Women started to think more deeply about the direction and future of their careers. This meaning construction emerged particularly in male mentor – female mentee relationships. “In the same boat” refers to mentoring as sharing of experience and wisdom which ties two women together. The meaning construction came up particularly in female- female relationships. A common topic of the discussion was the career path of the mentor and the obstacles she had had to overcome to get to her position.

11. School of Business and Economics Results “An emotion handling space” refers to mentoring as a socially secure and open space, where the expression of (also negative) emotions was allowed instead of having to suppress them. This kind of a heart-to- heart relationship seemed to develop more easily between two women.

12. School of Business and Economics Summary and conclusion It is concluded that a male mentor was experienced to act following a traditional masculine way of behaving in a mentoring role, whereas a female mentor was experienced to act following a traditional feminine way of behaving.

13. School of Business and Economics Summary and conclusion It is proposed that the appropriate mentoring model depends on what stage of a career the woman mentee is. In different stages of the career, women are likely to have different needs and expectations for mentoring. Women may need both a woman and a man mentor at different times during their careers to be able to advance in a managerial rank.

14. School of Business and Economics Summary and conclusion The gendered nature of the women’s experiences can also be interpreted as a stereotypical generalization. It is proposed that the view of a career boosting mentor may have become masculine in the same way as is the view of an “efficient” manager. A stereotypical view may limit both mentor’s and mentee’s socio-cultural space of thinking and acting in mentoring processes. It is suggested that it would be crucial also to study the “dark side of mentoring.