| The purposes of this study were: (1) to measure the professional success and personal growth and development of individuals involved in a mentor relationship, as part of a formal program or as an informal development; (2) to determine the effects of cross-gender and cross-race mentoring on the protege; (3) to determine the effects of mentoring on the professional success of minorities and women; (4) to assess the benefits accrued to the mentor in an informal relationship and in a formal program.;The sample was limited to civilian technical members of an engineering organization of the United States Government. These included 75 white men, 75 minority men, and 75 white women as well as all of the 35 minority women who qualified as subjects. The minority participants included Asian, Black, and Hispanic.;Of the 198 participants, 55.6 percent reported that they had received mentoring during their career. The professional success of three groups, those who developed informal mentor dyads, those who participated in formal organization sponsored programs, and those who were not mentored, were compared. Significant differences in success were found between the informal and nonmentored groups. In cross-gender relationships the comparison of female-male and male-female protege-mentor relationships were not found significantly different in professional success. The same-gender and cross-gender relationships were also tested for significance, but differences were not determined. The professional success of mentored cross-race, same-race minorities, and same-race non-minorities were compared. Significance was found between the same-race non-minorities, white-white dyads, and the nonmentored. |
