Reverse Mentoring
FAQ
Every generation has its own points of view and particular skills. The idea behind reverse mentoring is to turn the classic mentoring structure on its head, giving older, more experienced employees the opportunity to learn from their younger colleagues. This can be particularly useful in areas where younger people are generally more competent than their elders, for instance in relation to digital media and diversity issues. In general, it is about developing better understanding for the concerns of another generation.
Reverse mentoring is a leadership development tool and has been deployed successfully in companies for years. To start with, the Leibniz Leadership Academy is launching a reverse mentoring pilot project.
Young professionals, i.e. doctoral researchers, new postdocs and young knowledge management professionals, are invited to become mentors. Ideally, they will have a few years’ professional experience behind them.
Senior managers in the Leibniz Association are invited to become mentees. In the pilot project we will initially be actively targeting Leibniz Leadership Academy participants and alumni. However, anyone in the Leibniz Association who is interested can apply using the online form. The more applicants we have, the greater the chance of finding a good match.
Both sides can benefit in personal ways from this exchange. Primarily, reverse mentoring fosters understanding for the other generation, for instance by questioning norms and openly discussing each other’s ideas about collaboration. It is also possible to acquire new knowledge and skills within the mentoring partnership, e.g. do’s and dont’s of leading teams. And finally, both sides will expand and diversify their networks.
As well as offering benefits to the individuals involved, reverse mentoring can also benefit the organisation as a whole. Greater (age) diversity can mean increased organisational resilience, creativity and innovation, which in turn improves our problem-solving capacity. Reverse mentoring can help fight discrimination and prejudice, and increase staff satisfaction. In the long term, this can even have a positive effect on employer branding.
The discussion topics should be outlined at the start of the mentoring partnership. Responsibility for this lies primarily with the mentee. As well as identifying the discussion topics, you should also agree on a rough time frame.
The main idea is that you will be learning from the younger mentors. It is therefore up to you as a mentee to control which topics go on the agenda.
What the mentor has to offer is their personal experience, knowledge and network. Their personal views, advice and support are explicitly welcome. The reverse mentoring partnership is usually arranged for a longer period of time. Coaches, by contrast, are professional service providers who have been trained to facilitate discussions. They are neutral parties who usually help the client find their own solution to a specific challenge. This kind of collaboration is therefore usually limited to just a few meetings.
We ask applicants online what topics they are interested in and try to propose suitable matches. If needed, we will also conduct a short interview on Zoom to match interests and preferences as closely as possible.
Since many of the topics will not be restricted to particular subject disciplines, researcher pairs and knowledge management pairs can be as fruitful as pairs where one partner comes from a research background and the other from the knowledge management field.
Ideally, mentor and mentee will work in the same geographical area, so that they can meet up in person.
In order to ensure trust in a reverse mentoring relationship, it should take place outside of existing hierarchies. For this reason, when we match people, we also make sure that they come from different institutes.
In future, we are planning to collaborate with the Helmholtz Association in order to expand our pool of potential mentors.
Common topics concern processes and forms of work and collaboration, such as
- What is important to the “new generation” in the workplace? What expectations do young people have of office/laboratory workplaces and in terms of the balance between office and mobile working?
- How do you balance work and personal life?
- How do you structure your day-to-day work/working hours?
- What role does digitalisation play in your day-to-day life/work?
- How do online discussions and networks work?
- What do I need to do in terms of internal/external communication to reach the younger generation?
- How important are diversity, inclusion and gender-sensitive language?
- What is your view of developments at your own institute? What aspects are important for strategic development?
- What are your expectations of senior leadership?
Reverse mentoring is a tool for fostering inter-generational dialogue. It is about developing understanding for the other person. It is not for giving advice regarding personal conflicts, if for instance tensions emerge to do with working time expectations, excessive workloads, or similar conflicts.
This is something the mentoring pairs decide for themselves. We recommend meeting in person once or twice at the beginning to get to know one another. Afterwards, you can always continue online if you want. The number of meetings and their duration will depend on the topics identified and on your individual situations. However, you should only apply if you are prepared to invest enough time.
A mentoring agreement sets out the scope and framework of the mentoring arrangement in advance. It gives you a chance to align your expectations and a base on which to build your exchange. A good guide for a time frame is six months, depending on how often you plan to meet, but it can always be shorter or longer. We will provide a suggestion here.
Some reverse mentoring discussions can be very personal, with mentors and mentees admitting mistakes and weaknesses. Sometimes discussions also cover internal issues, such as an institute’s culture, management styles and practices. This relies on a trusting relationship, so confidentiality should apply on principle to these topics. Apart from this, you should clarify which topics, if any, may be divulged.
The main point is confidentiality. You should secure this in writing in the mentoring agreement. The rules of good conduct apply here as they do everywhere else. The mentoring programme is voluntary, so it is all the more important that your shared learning is underpinned by the necessary commitment. This includes keeping appointments, being prepared for them, where necessary, and listening to one another and approaching one another with genuine interest. The person sitting opposite you is someone with different experiences and attitudes that have made them who they are today.
The mentoring relationship is a voluntary one. If you are struggling to find common ground, you can end the mentoring at any time. There should be a personal conversation about this, in which you give one another feedback and express your thanks and appreciation for the other person’s time and effort.
We are planning an online introduction for people who are interested in becoming mentees and mentors. In addition, we provide guidelines to help kick-start your discussion. If you experience difficulties, you are welcome to contact us. We are happy to receive any feedback about the reverse mentoring programme.
Of course, you need to be reasonably unbiased and open-minded to consider new answers to old questions and to examine your own beliefs and leadership conduct with a mentor. Mentees can certainly share their own beliefs and tips and tricks as well, but ultimately, as we have said, the idea is to learn from the younger mentors.