Role of informal mentoring in the career success of first‐line bank managers

Purpose This study seeks to examine the role of informal mentoring in career success in an African work environment. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 510 first‐line bank managers through a survey of ten banks in four central business districts of Lagos State, Nigeria. Findings Results of hierarchical regression analysis revealed that informal mentoring accounts for a significant proportion of the variance ( β =0.64, p <0.01) in career success. Informal mentoring increased R 2 from 0.06 to 0.41 ( p <0.01), indicating a significant change in R 2 (Δ R 2 =0.35, p <0.01). Research limitations/implications The findings are based on self‐report measures from respondents in the banking sector. This underscores the need for further research with objective measures from a wider domain. Practical implications An intervention is needed to make informal mentoring thrive, enhance its quality and ensure career success. Originality/value There is a paucity of literature relating mentoring to career success in the Nigerian and, indeed, the African work environment. This study addresses this gap in literature and corrects the inappropriateness of generalising from foreign cultures to the Nigerian society.