Exploring the reverse mentoring-engagement relationship. (c2019)

Abstract

Purpose: Reverse Mentoring programs are crucial in any institution. This is largely because it’s a win-win situation for the three parties involved: namely, the mentee will gain inspiration and at the same time the mentor will gain confidence. The mentor will have the opportunity to pass on his/her updated knowledge to more experienced personnel in a unique exchange of innovation for wisdom. Finally, the third party is the organization itself, where it builds by time an army of knowledgeable human resources from different age groups by adopting such developmental and constructive programs. The target of this study was to examine the relationship between reverse mentoring perceptions, emotional intelligence, and engagement; for that reason, the faculty and students of a university in Lebanon were chosen as sample to contribute to the empirical results of this research. Design/methodology/approach: The (full time and part time) faculty and students of a university in Lebanon served as the base sample. A survey solicited the perception of both parties regarding reverse mentoring. The main purpose of this study was to test the behavior of the faculty and students when engaged in a reverse mentoring relationship – how do their perceptions of reverse mentoring influence their engagement and does emotional intelligence mediate this relationship. The proposed theoretical model was tested using structural equation modeling. Findings: For mentees (faculty), the findings of the researcher didn’t support H1a (There is a positive relationship between perceptions of reverse mentoring and engagement among faculty) but supported H2a (Emotional Intelligence mediates the relationship between perceptions of reverse mentoring and engagement among faculty); whereas, in case of the mentor (students), the findings supported both hypotheses H1b (There is a positive relationship between perceptions of reverse mentoring and engagement among students) and H2b (Emotional Intelligence mediates the relationship between perceptions of reverse mentoring and engagement among students). Originality/value: The value of this work is in understanding the differential effects of reverse mentoring on the engagement of the mentor versus mentee, where emotional intelligence acts as a mediating variable between them. In part the absence of reverse mentoring from the literature is due to the absence of a scale to measure perceptions of reverse mentoring. To that end, this study provides value through the development of a novel reverse mentoring scale with measures of reliability and validity.