Worth the investment? An examination of the organisational outcomes of a formal structured mentoring program

This study investigated the outcomes of a six‐month formal mentoring program on a sample of 194 white‐collar public sector employees. It focused on a clearly specified program, utilised a control group and a pretest‐posttest design, and examined the effects for both mentees and mentors. Significant increases in organisational commitment, perceived organisational support, job satisfaction, organisational citizenship behaviour, and willingness to mentor were found for those who participated in the program, and a significant reduction in intention to leave. The effect sizes were larger than average sizes reported in organisational mentoring literature, which is likely to have been due to a strong program intervention. The study supports the proposition that formal mentoring programs are beneficial to individuals and the organisations in which they work and that organisations would benefit from implementing similar programs to enhance their organisational effectiveness.