A Peer into Peer to Peer Mentoring

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ASTD
MPI

A Peer into�
Peer to Peer Mentoring

�

by Les McKeown

�

In the last year or so, the volume of requests we've had for

help with the design of one particular form of mentoring -

peer to peer mentoring - has risen considerably.

Recent events, particular the downturn in employment

prospects in the tech sector, mean that demand for this form

of mentoring is likely to continue to rise, so here's our

take on:

Why peer to peer mentoring has grown in popularity
What peer to peer mentoring is�
(and what it isn't)
Common peer to peer mentoring models
Where peer to peer mentoring works best, and
Where it doesn't work so well.

Why Peer to Peer Mentoring has Grown in Popularity

In our experience, peer to peer mentoring - the idea of one

person 'mentoring' someone else at the same 'peer' level

in the organization - has grown, not because of any real

attraction inherent in the concept itself, but because of a

shortage of 'classical' (older, more experienced) mentors.

Four things have contributed to this shortage of 'classical'

mentors:

1.� Bandwidth Constraints.

� Existing managers are simply too busy to take on mentoring

as another perceived task. Consequently 'volunteer' mentors

are harder to come by, and conscription doesn't really work

well as a mentor recruitment tool.

2.� Employee Turnover.

� As we are all aware, people simply aren't staying around as

long as they used to...so older, wiser mentors are harder to

find.

3.� Demographics.

There are a lot more younger, start-up companies around,

many of whom simply don't have 'grayhairs' on the payroll.

4.� Product Cycles.

� In many industries, product cycles have come crashing down

(and of course some high-tech industries are making it up as

they go along), meaning that there *isn't* any 'older,

wiser' perspective to be had - everything's (seemingly) new.

As a result, for many organizations, peer to peer mentoring

has gone hand in hand with 'battlefield promotions' as the

only way to really deal with process-oriented information transfer.

What Peer to Peer Mentoring Is (and What It Isn't)

Peer to peer mentoring, therefore, in most organizations,

isn't 'mentoring' at all - it's really a form of

coaching.

In other words, it concentrates on knowledge or skills

development (as opposed to mentoring, which focuses on

personal development).

Peer to peer 'mentoring' is almost always an attempt to:

A.�� ensure an organized, consistent transfer of

knowledge within a team or group,

B.�� using limited manpower resources.

example:� A banking organization's software

development team of nine people is

faced with a tight deadline for

the design, development and

integration of a new internal,

mission-critical program.

The team supervisor is brand new,

but three of the team members have

been through this process together

before, but on both occasions

everything was very ad-hoc.

There was no structured 'learning'

from the previous design experiences

- documentation was scrappy, and

other than the software itself,

there were no outputs in the form

of design manuals, FAQ's etc.

To maximize the knowledge of the

three 'veterans', and to manage

the documentation process, the team

implement a 'peer to peer mentoring'

program, with the three veterans

'mentoring' the other team members

(including the supervisor.)

It's not really surprising to discover that peer to peer

'mentoring' is usually coaching in disguise...after all,

mentoring (in its truest sense) is all about the person's

individual development - with skills and knowledge as a

secondary issue.

It's hard to expect people to act as 'peer' mentors (and

even harder to ask people to be 'mentored' by peers) - it

takes a sense of respect and confidence that's hard to find

in true peers.

So, as you can see, peer to peer 'mentoring' is really

usually peer to peer coaching, and as such is a close

relative to two other processes -

Buddy Programs�

A buddy program is really a low-level peer coaching program.

The differences between a buddy program and peer coaching is

usually just a matter of content - the processes are very

similar.

Team Leadership

Peer coaching is often similar to team leadership

(particularly when it is sudden and unexpected!), with the

main difference being the issue of responsibility.

Team leadership brings with it clear responsibility and

control considerations (or it should do...). Peer coaching

is usually viewed as NOT having responsibility or control

implications - although the coach may be accountable for the

coachee's progress, the coach is not the boss of the

coachee.

Discussion Point: Some organizations introduce 'peer coaching' programs as a

way to 'fudge' the appointment of clear team leaders (either

because the jury is still out on the management skills of

the individuals, or because there are internal politics at

work.

This is what it seems - a fudge - and as such, tends not to

work.

The 'coaches' aren't being given the right tools (authority

and accountability) to prove themselves as team leaders, and

in any case, the skills required to be a good coach aren't

necessarily the same as those required to be a good team

leader.

One last thing before we leave the issue of what peer to

peer mentoring really is:

There are circumstances where 'peer to peer mentoring' is

genuinely mentoring (i.e. concerned with the development

of the individual, not just her skills or knowledge), and

those circumstances tend to be in areas where there is rapid personal development over a relatively short period of time.

Good examples are the military, and university, where

individuals can often undergo major personal changes in a

relatively short period, thereby becoming competent to act

as mentor to those not far behind them.

Implementation Point

Is the environment into which you intend introducing your

peer program one of intense personal development?

If so, you may genuinely be looking for a peer to peer

mentoring program. Otherwise you probably should use the

phrase 'peer coaching' to accurately describe your program,

and to avoid misperceptions on the part of your coaches and

coachees.

(In the remainder of this article, we'll use 'peer to peer

mentoring' to mean both 'peer to peer mentoring' and 'peer

to peer coaching' - you should 'hear' whichever phrase

applies to your circumstances.)

Common Peer to Peer Mentoring Models

There are four common peer to peer mentoring models:

1.� ONE-WAY

- A mentor/coach is appointed to one or more prot�g�s.

2.�
TWO-WAY

- Individuals in a group act as mentors / coaches to each

other, depending on the topic.��

example:�

Jane, George and Sam work on the

same production line.

Because of their respective

backgrounds and experience, Jane

coaches George and Sam on health

and safety issues, while Sam coaches

George on production-related issues.

3.� SME SEEDED, ONE-WAY

- A mentor/coach is appointed to one or more prot�g�s, with a

subject matter expert (SME) available for assistance.

4.� SME SEEDED, TWO-WAY

- Individuals in a group act as mentors / coaches to each

other, depending on the topic, with subject matter experts

available for assistance.

SME 'seeding' is necessary when the

coaching topic is technical AND the

coachees are inexperienced or�
unsure

of the content.

It's also important to recognize the

�
skills differences between SME's and

coaches - SME's however brilliant,

don't necessarily make great coaches.

Implementation Point

Which peer to peer mentoring model will you implement?

One-way (there's just one role for each person - coach or

coachee), or two-way (each person can be both a coach and

coachee at the same time)?

Will you make SME's available to help the coaches with

coaching content, or are they on their own?

Where Peer to Peer Mentoring Works Best

Here are the circumstances in which you are likely to get

the best results from introducing a peer to peer mentoring

program:

1.� Critical but Incremental Process Change

� If you have a change in a well-accepted existing process,

peer coaching is a great way to implement it.

Because the basic process is known, just one or two people

can be taught the incremental change. They in turn can 'peer

coach' the others.

2.� Supervisor Delegation/Reduction of Manager Span of Control

� Where supervisors make a decision to (permanently) delegate

tasks to operatives, or there is a one-off re-alignment of

managerial responsibilities, then again, peer coaching is a

great way to implement this.

3.� Employee Orientation

� As we've already seen, peer coaching is a near relative of

buddy programs - often used in employee orientation.

� The two go hand in hand very well, with the buddy program

concentrating on integration and mechanical issues, and the

peer coaching focused on operational skills.

If you're having difficulty scheduling orientation regularly

a good buddy and peer coaching program combined can 'plug

the gap' very well for a few weeks.

4.� Esoteric Skills� Got a need for occasional left-handed widget manufacture? Or

a declining knowledge base in wicker-work handbag design?

Peer coaching is a great way to transfer narrow skills.

Where Peer to Peer Mentoring Doesn't Work So Well

At the risk of some abuse :-( here are the areas where we've

found it more difficult to introduce successful peer to peer

mentoring:

1.� Highly Structured Environments

� Larger, more established organizations find it hard to

introduce peer mentoring programs.

� Whether they're coaching or truly mentoring, structured

organizations tend to react constitutionally against peer

development.

Because most larger, structured organizations are used

to vertical, top-down communication, the lateral nature of

peer to peer mentoring shakes the system too much.

Tip: If you're in a larger organization,

introduce peer to peer mentoring

quietly, in a responsive division

or department, before contemplating

rolling it out company-wide.

2.� 24/7 Remote Environments

� If your employees
never meet face to face, it will be

difficult for peer to peer mentoring to 'take'.

� Except for the most straightforward,
factual coaching, there

needs to be *some* personal input, however small,

particularly at the start of a peer mentoring relationship,

for it to gain traction.

Tip: Fight hard for the resources to

get your coaches / mentors and

peers together at the start of

your program - even if only for

a brief while.

You'll greatly increase the

chance of your program's

success.

3.� Poor Supervision/Time Management

Environments where there is poor time management overall

(everyone's always in a rush, nothing ever gets completed on

time), coupled with poor supervision, often fall on peer to

peer mentoring as something of a magic bullet.

There is sometimes a perception that if the managers and

supervisors cannot exercise the right skills to adequately

lead the employee teams, then maybe they (the employees)

will be able to do it for themselves.

�

Tip: Peer to peer mentoring isn't a

substitute for poor management.

If your supervisors aren't doing

a good job, peer to peer mentoring

won't fix it...

...the best peer to peer mentoring

programs work in strong management

environments.

4.� Engineers

� Here's where I really get into trouble...:-)

� While there are obvious exceptions, in my experience getting

engineers to coach (let alone mentor) is tough. They're

inclined to want to tell others what to do, rather than show

them, and that difference is important.

(In the worst cases, engineers will sometimes do neither,

taking the "Give it here, I'll do it myself" attitude.)

Tip: In an engineering environment:

choose your starting point

carefully (find a group that

really wants to work with you);
get personal buy-in from all

the participants before you start;
define the process in writing;
agree outputs in measurable

terms.

J. Leslie McKeown is the President & CEO of Yellowbrick, a training company specializing in employee orientation, retention and mentoring programs.� He is the creator of "The Complete Guide to Mentoring and Coaching" for designing and implementing effective mentoring and coaching programs, and the popular "How to be a Great Mentor...in under 30 minutes" online mentoring training program.� www.deliverthepromise.com
�� ExpertMagazine.com

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