Organisational Development

A component of the CSU CONTINUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK: aligning the professional development needs of staff with organisational priorities to enable the University to achieve its strategic directions

Formal Mentoring

There are numerous definitions of mentoring which exist to outline expectations and outcomes of mentoring. eg:

Mentoring is "..the facilitation of an individual's learning process, enabling the individual to take ownership for their own development."
(Britnor Guest, 2001)

Mentoring is a relationship which gives people the opportunity to share their professional and personal skills and experiences, and to grow and develop in the process. Typically, it is a one-to-one relationship between a more experienced and a less experienced employee. It is based upon encouragement, constructive comments, openness, mutual trust, respect and a willingness to learn and share.
(ODEOPE, 1999)

A mentor is "Someone who takes a vested interest in another's career development, helping them identify and achieve short and long term goals for growth."
(Schneider, 2000)

All these definitions would agree that mentoring is...

Informal Staff Support

Informal staff support practices are different from mentoring. Most informal staff support activities will centre on induction of new staff into the context of the university, the school and the workplace. These activities may also include mentoring-type relationships, where people come together to provide guidance and support others eg: initial career learning and support, a buddy system or peer support programs.

Any informal staff support practices should ensure equity of opportunity and an assured quality of guidance, advice and assistance provided for all staff. Whilst informal staff support is generally a more short term activity, the aspects of formal mentoring still apply, i.e. it is a collaborative, voluntary activity, which is centred around an agreed expectation and benefits all parties.