Fluent Essays

timeline for making profit: Investors will need an indication of when they expect some return on their investment so you need to provide some reasonable timelines of when that will be Tips for Your Problem or Purpose Statement Getting Started by Starting Where You Are A useful way for you to begin is by identifying your concerns or interests. These can stem from your personal life story or biography (a job, an illness, a living arrangement, a relationship, etc.) or remote biography and personal history (past identities or experiences, family customs, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, class background, religion, and so forth). Its helpful if you start by brainstorming anything that comes to mind when you think about aspects of your biography that intrigue, trouble, or interest you, and writing these thoughts down without trying to organize or analyze them. Following this, select one or two areas which feel the most compelling, and write about them in a ½ -to-1 page paper. Describe what your area of interest is, how it connects to your own biography, and what fascinates you most about it. At the end, include several questions you have about your areas of interest. If you find you cant come up with any questions, write about why you think you cant. Write the paper for yourself, but include enough information so that someone else can understand it. What problem are you attempting to address? The problem I am trying to address is… * * * * * * * * * * * * Tips: · State the problem clearly and completely – one or two sentences will suffice. This is a critical starting point – work on it, practice presenting it to your friends and colleagues. · Make sure what you are addressing is feasible – you will probably not save the world or write the ULTIMATE thesis on anything at this moment, but your project should be something you can manage! Also, you can take longer than one semester if you want to – just work it out with your faculty member. · Be precise – clarity is your friend. Read your one or two sentences to others and then have them relate back to you what they heard. · Make sure you have an open mind about the subject. If you believe you already know the answer then you may have a hard time conducting a legitimate research project or finding that a project you implement doesn’t do what you thought it would. Be open and be honest. · Edit your statement. Others will not be interested in your work if it is not well presented. · If your problem is too big to do within the time frame, one or two semesters, then consider taking a sub-component and working on that. Addressing a piece of the puzzle is better than making no connection at all. · You are attempting to add to the understanding of an issue or problem. This can be through replication or taking a different perspective, but it is not providing the “answer” to a question that someone can simply Google. Survey Question Part A: General Information of the Student/Respondent Please answer the following questions by ticking appropriately where necessary 1. Please indicate your gender Male Female 2. Please indicate your age 18-22 23-27 28 and above 3. What is your major/program? 4. Indicate your current year of study or classification Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior Graduate Student 5. In your view, what is the average duration for the students to become proficient and examinable in English? Two Weeks Four Weeks Six Weeks Eight Weeks and above 6. Are you more likely to become an ESL instructor because you have gained the relevant skills? Yes No In Doubt Part B: Personal Information on ESL Progress This survey deals with your personal opinion concerning your experience with English as Second Language lessons in your school. Please indicate by ticking the level of satisfaction in terms of quality and experience with English as Second Language. Strongly Agree = 1 Agree = 2 Neutral = 3 Disagree = 4 Strongly Disagree = 5 Level of importance 1 2 3 4 5 1. My level of understanding of the English as Second Language is at the best after two months. 2. My school provides the best learning environment as far as English as Second Language is concerned. 3. ESL students experience fewer challenges as compared to the rest of the students. 4. The evaluations and regular tests provide the actual information about the strengths or weaknesses of the ESL leaners. 5. The instructors are friendly and assist learners in the most appropriate way. 6. The administration supports extra programs that enable learners to pass their evaluations and tests. 7. In my institution, there are practices that enhance and support the achievement of the ESL programs. 8. The stakeholders collaborate with other institutions as well as the school-based initiatives to help in developing the best approaches for combating the problems facing ESL. 9. I can confidently speak in public using English as Second Language after completing my studies. 10. The native speakers assist in practicing how to communicate in English, both spoken and written. Part C: ESL Program Discussion Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability 1. Typically, what is the frequency of your meeting and communication with your tutor? a) Hourly b) Daily c) Weekly d) Monthly 2. What is your recommendation for the ESL syllabus to the administrators? Type of service: Writing from scratch Work type: Capstone project Subject or discipline: Education Title: Writers choice Number of sources: 2 Paper format: APA # of pages: 2 Spacing: Double spaced # of words: 550 Paper details: Dear writer, I upload the file that have the problem statement for my capstone and the file that have the survey. just I want you to see the professors comments on this paper with red color and make changes on this paper. Also, I want you to determine which one have to give them the survey either students or teachers or both of them. finally, please make changes on the survey and make it very clear and very simple questions. MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 2 Abstract The purpose of this mix-method study was to investigate a link between mentor relationships and job fulfillment in a local workplace. Twenty subjects were surveyed and were asked to describe their experiences with professional mentoring relationships. Two surveys were administered: one to mentors and one to mentees. Results indicated that the majority of mentees felt a strong impact from a mentor relationship and perceived those impacts to be beneficial to their job fulfillment, organizational socialization and awareness, and business acumen. There was a significant relationship between having a mentor and becoming a mentor. Keywords: mentor, mentee, job fulfillment, organizational mentoring program MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 3 Perceived Impacts of Mentoring in the Workplace Introduction Many employees lack mentor relationships. These individuals progress throughout their careers without experiencing the positive impacts a mentor can provide. An employee’s perception about mentoring can influence the development of their career. For instance, a person who experienced a positive relationship with a mentor or mentee may feel a greater sense of overall career fulfillment, whereas a person who had a negative relationship may feel as if they wasted their time. Furthermore, a mentor relationship can have a direct impact on an individual’s career. Mentor relationships affect employees on several different levels. A mentor can provide a unique insight into an individual’s professional development as well as their personal development. Employees who have a direct avenue to communicate and establish relationships with leaders in the company feel more engaged in their work. These types of relationships are especially important for creating a deeper sense of trust from an organization’s leaders. They can also enhance an individual’s opportunity for networking with leaders in the company that they may not have otherwise had a chance to interact with. Furthermore, research supports the notion that these effects can be linked to greater commitment to the company, reduced attrition rates, and overall employee satisfaction. In a society with an extremely competitive job market, it is important for employers to take this information into consideration. Local and nationwide organizations spend millions of dollars each year on the professional development of their employees and maintaining a healthy organizational culture. It is commonly known among people in the workforce that employees who experience fulfillment within his or her job are more likely to succeed and grow themselves within their current MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 4 organization. A mentor relationship can greatly influence an employee’s organizational success and individual development. These relationships also have the ability to enhance one’s resources within the organization, further suggesting that the opportunity for establishing positive networks within the organization become more prevalent. Prior research strongly suggests there is a correlation between mentor relationships and job success and satisfaction. The purpose of the proposed study is to examine the link between mentor relationships and employee job fulfillment in a local workplace environment. The research question for the proposed study asks: do employees with mentor relationships feel more job fulfillment? Literature Review A study performed by Fagan and Walter (1982) established the idea of a mentor. “A mentor is an experienced adult who befriends and guides a less experienced adult. A mentor can offer support, advice, and opportunity to a young adult” (Fagan and Walter, 1982). Mentoring has been regarded as an important relationship for an individual to have within an organization (Baugh and Scandura, 1999, p. 503). While the concept of formal mentoring is not new, many companies are beginning to leverage these relationships in different ways (Srivastava, 2011, p. 48). Organizations are attempting to formalize mentoring relationships among new hires and existing employees in order to socialize and retain new employees (Heimann and Pittenger, 1996, p. 108). For the purpose of this study, job fulfillment will be defined by an individual’s perception of their career opportunities and social support within their organization. Scandura (1992) investigated the relationship between mentor functions and career outcomes of mentees by performing a study that divided mentoring into two functions: vocational mentoring (career- MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 5 coaching) and psycho-social mentoring (role modeling and social support). Each mentoring function was related to performance ratings, salary level, and promotions (p. 170). Results of this study linked the two mentoring functions to career attainment, in terms of promotions and salary (Scandura, 1992, p. 173). In addition, a study by Srivastava (2011) suggested that social support is attained by the interpersonal relationship between a mentor and a mentee (p. 49). The framework of mentoring can be linked to Albert Bandura, a well-known psychologist who has been contributing to the field of psychology for many years. He is widely known for his Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1971). Bandura suggests that people learn and display most of their behaviors by observing the example of others. In order for people to be motivated to act, they must be provided with an example that will reinforce a desired response (Bandura, 1971, p. 3-4). Similarly, motivation to learn is a crucial component for a mentor relationship (Rueywei, Shih-Ying, & Min-Lang, 2014, p. 488). In order to gain these valued outcomes, an individual may be more motivated to learn from another person’s prior experiences rather than just their own. “As a result of prior experiences, people come to expect that certain actions will gain them outcomes they value” (Bandura, 1971). There are several components that make up a mentor relationship. Kram (1983) performed a qualitative study that examined the relationships of eighteen mentors and mentees (p. 610). Kram found that mentor relationships are limited in value and time. This finding is a result of changing individual needs and organizational circumstances (p. 623). Also, mentor relationships may not be easily accessible in the early stages of an individual’s career (Kram, 1983, p. 623). Likewise, Heimann and Pittenger (1996) found that there is a strong correlation between frequency of interaction with a mentor (p. 114). Additionally, they suggested that companies designing formal mentoring relationships should seek settings conducive to frequent MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 6 interaction between mentor and mentee (Heiman and Pittenger, 1996, p. 114). Alternatively, Baugh and Scandura (1999) found in their quantitative study that too many mentors can result in negative effects (p. 514). In contrast to Kram (1983), Heimann and Pittenger’s (1996) studies that suggested organizational circumstances may decrease mentor and mentee interaction, Baugh and Scandura (1999) suggest that giving an individual too many mentors can lead to role conflict. When an individual has more than one mentor, it becomes possible for an individual to become confused due to conflicting guidance from the mentors themselves (Baugh and Scandura, 1999, p. 514). However, it is likely for an individual to have several developmental relationships over the course of their career (Kram, 1983, p. 623). In addition to the various components of mentoring, a number of studies highlight the numerous benefits of these relationships within organizations. Fagan and Walter (1982) performed a chi- square test which led to results indicating that mentor relationships correlated positively to job satisfaction, job burnout, and tendency to mentor (p. 116). Respondents gave credit to mentors for confidence levels, they felt less job burnout when they had mentor relationships, and they were more likely to be a mentor if they had a mentor themselves (Fagan and Walter, 1982, p. 116). Comparable to this finding, Srivastava (2011) suggested that mentoring can help reduce job burnout by acting as a “moderating” agent between job satisfaction and job burnout (p. 54). In situations where employees are faced with adverse work conditions, mentors can be an effective tool to help improve positive employee outcomes (Srivastava, 2011, p. 54). A mentor can provide career-related functions and socials functions (Srivastava, p. 49). In summary, mentor relationships have distinct characteristics and various benefits to an individual and an organization. Under most circumstances, a good example is a better teacher MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 7 than the consequences of unguided actions (Bandura, 1971, p. 5). Evidence provided in these studies suggests that mentors provide good examples for individuals and their relationships have strong correlations to employee job fulfillment in the workplace. Methodology This mix-method research was based on the study of twenty employees working in a local organization. All participants worked for the same company. The study aimed to examine a correlation between mentoring and job fulfillment in the workplace. Participants were purposely recruited on the notion that they held current or previous mentoring relationships. This group of targeted individuals included both males and females ranging in age from 21 to 65. An email was sent to the individuals requesting their voluntary participation and they were also given the opportunity to decline. Twenty participants of the twenty-five that were emailed chose to participate. Each participant was presented with the voluntary consent form on the first page of the link to the survey. The two surveys were both linked to surveymonkey.com; a free, online survey instrument. Mentors were presented with a “mentor” survey, and mentees were given the “mentee” survey. Each survey had ten respondents and contained ten total questions, none of which could potentially reveal a participants’ identity. The mentor survey asked three qualitative questions and seven quantitative questions. The mentee survey asked two qualitative questions and eight quantitative questions. The quantitative questions were presented in multiple-choice format, and the qualitative questions were open-ended. Items on both surveys asked questions pertaining to the participants’ mentor relationships. All responses were collected within two weeks of distribution. Results were immediately analyzed upon collection on surveymonkey.com. Prior to data analysis, it was decided that all qualitative questions from the mentee survey were MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 8 invaluable to the research project and were removed. Two of the three qualitative questions on the mentor survey were also removed for the same reason. Data from the two surveys was analyzed in two forms: graphical representations illustrate all quantitative data (see Appendix B), and common themes which were derived from the qualitative question. Results Both mentee and mentor surveys asked respondents how many years of professional work experience they had. Of the mentees, 30\% had zero to three years, 30\% had four to seven years, 20\% had eight to eleven years, 0\% had 12-15 years, and 20\% with 16+ years of professional work experience. In comparison, mentors responded with 20\% having four to seven years, 30\% with eight to eleven years, and 50\% of mentors had 16+ years or more of professional work experience. When asked why they chose to participate in a mentee-mentor relationship. 33\% of mentees responded that they were encouraged by their manager and 77\% responded that they were self-seeking opportunities. In a question allowing participants to select any applicable answers, only one out of ten chose both responses. Mentors were asked a similar question but were given different answer choices. When asked why they entered into a mentor relationship, they were told to select any applicable answers. 40\% of mentors marked that they were encouraged from their executive leadership, 70\% said they wanted to enhance their leadership skills, 90\% reported that they wanted to share personal experiences, 50\% said they desired to strengthen their coaching skills, and 80\% reported that they were interested in contributing to others outside of their direct team. 90\% of mentees reported that they expect career advice, goals, and strategies from a mentor relationship and also an increased organizational awareness. When asked about MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 9 mentoring experiences, mentees indicated that 40\% experienced some impact while 60\% experienced a strong impact. Mentees also reported that mentoring relationships had a positive effect on job fulfillment, organizational socialization, and organizational awareness with 80\% in agreement. Similarly, mentors were asked what they perceived mentoring relationships to have an impact on. 90\% responded that mentoring relationships enhance employee job fulfillment and improve networking opportunities. Mentors were in 100\% agreement stating that mentoring relationships had an effect on increasing employee retention. 60\% of mentors responded that they believed that mentoring had an impact on organizational socialization of new employees and increased employee support for the organization’s business goals. Mentors were asked in an open-ended format if they believed that their knowledge and experience was valuable information to share with a professional colleague or acquaintance that was less experienced than themselves. General themes that were derived from their responses indicated that mentors believed that they could provide a different perspective or deeper insight, they could help mentees avoid pitfalls (that they may have made themselves) and share their successes, while also encouraging and instilling confidence in their less experienced counterparts. A significant relationship was indicated from both mentees and mentors on having a mentor and being a mentor. Mentors were asked if they had ever been mentored before and 80\% responded “yes” while 20\% responded “no”. Of the 80\% who had been mentored at some point in their career, all reported that they would be more likely to mentor someone because of their experience of being mentored. Similarly, 100\% of mentees reported that they were more likely to mentor someone because they had been mentored themselves. MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 10 Mentees and mentors were both asked questions regarding the frequency of interaction with their mentees and mentors. Results indicated that there were no significant relationships between frequency of interaction and impact of their mentor relationship experiences. Limitations This study was limited by time and sample. The designated amount of time for research, data gathering and analysis was limited to the 16 weeks. Due to the time constraints, the sample size was affected. The sample was limited to a local workplace and consisted of twenty subjects. In order get a larger sample, more time would have been necessary. There was also a limitation on the sample due to the workplace’s human resources policies. The HR department of the company did not want a large sample of people being surveyed and they also placed restrictions on what types of questions could be asked. The researcher had to carefully word the questions in order to protect the privacy rights of the employees. Another limitation was that the researcher did not gather information about the format of the mentor relationships which were described. No questions were asked that would report information on the structure of the relationship; whether it was formal or informal, organic, etc. This information would have been useful in determining what kind of structure that mentees and mentors preferred and how if their current structure was proving successful. Discussion Due to the sample size and limitations of questions, it is important not to generalize the findings of the results. Therefore, the researcher offers the following presumptive conclusions. The results of this study indicated very optimistic outcomes for the research questions in mind, with a majority of mentees and mentors both in agreement on the positive impacts that mentoring relationships can provide. To reiterate, the purpose of this research was to investigate MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 11 a link between mentor relationships and job fulfillment. Evidence from the survey responses showed a strong link between mentoring relationships and job fulfillment with about 80\% of respondents in agreement. Other impacts that were not the primary concern of the researcher but became evident outcomes were positive relationships among mentoring relationships and organizational socialization and awareness, as well as improved networking opportunities for mentees. While these results are not conclusive on the value of mentoring, they do suggest that the concept of mentoring holds value within an organization for several reasons. All of the mentors agreed that mentoring increased employee retention, which would lead one to believe that this would be a valuable concept for an organization to adopt. Not only would the organization gain direct benefits from lost work time and money to recruit new employees, it would also provide new opportunities for mentees that they might not have otherwise been exposed to. It is also important to discuss the significant relationship between having a mentor and being a mentor. While this was not a primary focus for the researcher, it would be worth further investigating. All respondents (who had been mentored) reported that they would be a mentor because they had been mentored before. Again, while not conclusive, this evidence highly suggests that as a mentee, their experiences were positive and provided enough value that they would take the time to mentor someone else. This evidence is very useful for organizations that are attempting to develop mentoring programs. The more people who have been mentored, the more people they will have in their pool to mentor other people down the road. Furthermore, a ‘cycle’ of mentoring could potentially be started and could possibly help narrow the gap on trying to encourage people to become a mentor. MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 12 Although there were no significant relationships discovered between the frequencies of interactions with a mentor, it would be worthwhile to further the research on this area of mentor relationships. Perhaps a larger, more diverse sample size (subjects from other organizations) would garner different results. Contribution The aim of this research was to determine if employees with mentor relationships experience more job fulfillment. A potential contribution of this study will provide evidence to organizations that mentoring programs are beneficial and necessary for successfully retaining and developing their employees. Recommendations For future research, it would be worth capturing more information on the relationship between having a mentor and being a mentor. A much larger sample size would need to be examined and would gain more validity if the participants were from various local workplaces, as opposed to only one. The results of these findings could further implicate the importance of mentoring programs on organizations and help to close the gap on the lack of individuals willing to mentor. MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 13 References Bandura, A. (1971). Social Learning Theory. New York. General Learning Press. Baugh, S. G., and Scandura, T. A. (1999). The effect of multiple mentors on protégé attitudes toward the work setting. Journal of Social Behavior & Personality, 14(4), 503-521. Fagan, M. and Walter, G. (1982). Mentoring among teachers. The Journal of Educational Research, 76(2), 113-118. Heimann, B. and Pittenger, K.K.S. (1996). The impact of formal mentorship on socialization and commitment of newcomers. Journal of Managerial Issues, 8(1), 108-117. Kram, Kathy E., and Isabella, Lynn A. (1985). The role of peer relationships in career development. Academy of Management, 28(1), 110-132. Rueywei, G., Shih-Ying, C., & Min-Lang, Y. (2014). Career outcome of employees: The mediating effect of mentoring. Social Behavior & personality: An International Journal, 42(3), 487-501. Scandura, T. (1992). Mentorship and career mobility: An empirical investigation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13(2), 169-174. Srivastava, S. (2011). Analysing the impact of mentoring on job burnout – job satisfaction relationship: An empirical study on Indian managers. Paradigm, 15(1/2), 48-57. MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 14 APPENDIX A Mentor Survey 1. How many years of professional work experience do you have? A. 0-3 years B. 4-7 years C. 8-11 years D. 11-15 years E. 16 + years 2. Why did you enter into a mentor relationship? Select all that apply. A. Encouragement from executive leadership B. Enhance my leadership skills C. To share my personal experiences that could potentially benefit others D. To strengthen coaching skills and developmental skills E. Contribute to developing others outside of own team 3. Do you feel that mentoring has an impact on any of the following? (Select all that apply) - Enhanced employee job fulfillment - Increased employee retention - Increased organizational socialization of new employees - Improved communication throughout the company - Increased employee support of the organization’s strategic business goals - Improved networking opportunities - Other (please specify) _____________________________ 4. As a mentor, do you feel like your knowledge and experience is valuable information to share with a professional colleague or acquaintance that is less experienced? Why or Why Not? 5. How many times have you been a mentor before? A. Once B. Twice C. Three or more times 6. Have you been mentored before? A. Yes B. No MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 15 7. If you have been mentored, would you agree that you are more likely to mentor someone because you have been mentored? A. Yes B. No C. Undecided D. I have not been mentored 8. On average, how often were you able to meet/communicate with your current or most recent mentee? A. Daily B. Weekly C. Bi-Weekly D. Monthly E. Quarterly 9. If your company were to formalize a mentoring program, what do you think would be valuable advice for the program coordinator? 10. How did you find your mentee? MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 16 Mentee Survey 1. How many years of professional work experience do you have? A. 0-3 years B. 4-7 years C. 8-11 years D. 11-15 years E. 16 + years 2. Why did you participate in a mentee/mentor relationship? (Select all that apply) A. Encouraged by manager B. Required by manager C. Self-seeking opportunity D. Other (please specify) __________________________ 3. What do you expect from a mentor relationship? (Select all that apply) A. Career advice (goals/ strategies, etc) B. Improved communication skills (self-awareness, potential, confidence, etc) C. Enhanced network D. Increased organizational awareness E. Enhanced job fulfillment F. Other (please specify) _________________________________ 4. Please rate how impactful your experiences with a mentor have been to your professional development: A. No impact B. Low impact C. Undecided D. Some impact E. Strong impact 5. Have your previous or current professional mentoring relationship(s) had a positive effect on the following: A. Job fulfillment B. Organizational Socialization C. Organizational Awareness D. Business Acumen E. None of the above MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 17 6. Are you more likely to mentor someone because you have been mentored? A. Yes B. No C. Undecided 7. On average, how often were you able to meet/communicate with your mentor? A. Daily B. Weekly C. Bi-weekly D. Monthly E. Quarterly 8. Do you feel you had ample opportunities to communicate/interact with your mentor? A. Yes, I had ample opportunities to connect with my mentor B. No, I would have liked more opportunities to connect 9. If your company were to formalize a mentoring program, what do you think would be valuable advice for the program director? 10. How did you find your mentor? MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 18 MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 19 MENTORING AND JOB FULFILLMENT 20