Same Group, Different Group?

One of the most controversial issues in diversity mentoring is whether the mentor should be from the same group or a different group.

A strong practical reason against same-group mentoring in many organisations is that there are not enough people from the minority or disadvantaged group to meet the demand. Because two or at most three mentees per mentor is the maximum recommended, there will frequently be a supply-and-demand problem. One of the major mistakes organisations make is to press into service the handful of senior managers who are black or female (or both), regardless of whether they have the aptitude and interest to be an active and effective mentor.

There seem to be five key aspects to the arguments around this issue.

The first is perspective - whether and how the mentor can help the mentee view his or her issues in a manner useful to learning. The mentor from a different group - especially if he or she is also at a higher level in the organisation - can provide a very different set of viewpoints. If the mentor comes from the powerful majority, he or she may be better at explaining how the system functions and how to work with it rather than against it. The mentor is able to help the mentee see barriers and opportunities in ways that make them easier to tackle.

For example, a young Muslim mentee was having great difficulty adapting to working in a multinational organisation. He expected to be given frequent, clear instructions and to report back to his supervisor constantly. Instead, he found that the supervisor responded with:

‘Look, you know what to do. Why don't you just get on with it?' As a result, relationships between them were very strained, especially when the mentee was passed over for a promotion. Working with the mentor, this young man gradually came to understand what the supervisor's expectations were and the value the organisation placed upon self-reliance and demonstrating initiative. He also worked out how to fit in with the organisation's behavioural expectations, while not sacrificing any of the values important to him from his own culture. He rehearsed with the mentor how he would discuss these issues with his supervisor to build a better understanding between them.

Whereas a difference of perspective was important here, in other cases the dominant need may be for greater empathy. The white mentor above could not easily put himself in the mentee's shoes - he had never been in such a situation. Same-group mentors can extend greater understanding. One of the classic examples is the experiment by part of the Prudential in the UK to assist returning mothers with a mentor. The mentor - a mum who had made the same transition within recent years - contacted the employee some months ahead of the return date and worked with her for several months until she had settled back in again. The mentor in this case was able to share the feelings of guilt, inadequacy and being pulled in too many directions, which so many returning mothers feel. ‘Being able to talk with someone who had been there and come through it made all the difference, ' said one mentee.

The second key aspect is networking. The mentor from the dominant group is likely to be much better connected, and even a mentor who is not in the power structure will be able to introduce the mentee to very different people. The same-group mentor is likely to have networks that largely overlap with those of the mentee.

Power is the third aspect. Minority-group mentors are less likely to be in senior positions, so they cannot provide either the depth of understanding of the organisation (another result of perspective) or - in sponsorship mentoring - the potential to exert influence on the mentee's behalf. If the mentee is ambitious, there is much to be learned from someone who has developed the skills of acquiring and using power wisely.

Being a role model is also an important consideration. Same-group mentors may be more likely to reinforce attitudes and behaviours that are not valued by the organisation. Different-group mentors can provide role models for behaviours that are valued. (However, it may not always be possible for the mentee to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate role models - having a mentor from both groups may provide greater insight. )

In deciding whether the relationship should be constructed within the same group or across different groups, then, a variety of issues has to be taken into account. The most fundamental, however, is what is the mentee's need? If support is the most critical need, then a same-group mentor may be most appropriate. If being stretched is the goal, then a mentor from a different group is likely to be most effective. In addition, it should be remembered that the mentor is not the only potential source of learning for the mentee - the wider the learning net the mentee can create, the more he or she can receive of both nurture and challenge.