It is crucial for managers to see the value and understand the importance of developing individuals, teams and the overall organisation.
The primary relationship in any coaching or mentoring scheme is between the coach/mentor and the individual, but this may not be the only important relationship. Other key stakeholders such as the people representing the organisation’s interests, in most cases an HR and/or learning and development practitioner, and the individual’s manager. All of these parties are interested in improving the individual’s performance and therefore their contribution to the organisation.
In the case Coca-Cola Foods, a ten-part coaching and mentoring scheme was initiated. Most facilitated mentoring programmes have a formal process which defines each step and audits the ongoing success of the programme. Although these processes will differ somewhat in how they address the needs of the stakeholders, most programmes generally follow procedures similar to those below:
Mentees identified: in this step, Coca- Cola Foods identifies the group of people who are eligible for the mentoring programme. This can be done in a variety of ways looking at certain job levels, departments, employee characteristics, etc. Once the target group is defined, specific mentees can be identified by having them volunteer, be nominated by a boss or other sponsor.
Identify developmental needs: the developmental needs are determined and an individual development plan is prepared in this stage. This can be done by having the mentees disclose what they think are their developmental needs, having bosses determine these needs, and/or having skill deficiencies revealed through assessment.
Identify potential mentors: this step produces a pool of individuals who can serve as mentors. They may volunteer for the role, may be chosen by a mentee, or may be recruited by senior managers. Prior to selection, a mentor’s general ability and