ترجمه مقاله مدلی برای تعلیم پایاپای محصلین در موسسات آموزشی کسب ‌و کار - نشریه امرالد

Purpose – The essence of management education lies in preparing and enabling the students to evolve cognitively, affectively and behaviorally into capable ones equipped to meet and manage challenges from within and outside their organisations or workplaces. Mentoring, as pedagogy, results in enhancing effectiveness of B-schools (Institutions offering MBA program) in ensuring the transformation of students into professionals. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and evaluate the formal and teacher-initiated student mentoring in B-schools in Kerala in terms of the designated activities, to establish effectiveness of mentoring as outcomes of faculty-related antecedents and mentoring activities, and to demonstrate the effectiveness in terms of the psycho-social changes of students.

Design/methodology/approach – This research employed a conclusive approach that combined the features of descriptive and explanatory research designs. The respondents of the study comprised 141 permanent teachers, 327 first-year students and 318 final-year students enrolled in the management programs of 19 B-schools in Kerala that had minimum five years of existence and approval of the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE).

Findings – The study revealed that less than half of the B-schools had implemented a mentoring program as part of their pedagogy. A structural equation model using the partial least square technique validated the conceptual model and the findings revealed that socio-demographic characteristics, mentoring activities (teach the job, provide challenge, teach politics, career help, sponsor, career counseling and trust) influenced effectiveness of mentoring.

Research limitations/implications – The study was conducted only among B-schools, hence the research results may lack generalization. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed model further.

Practical Implications – The paper includes a conceptual framework employed for bringing about effectiveness of mentoring, proven to be valid and may be considered by B-schools that are institutionalizing mentoring as an element of the pedagogy.

Originality/value – The paper bridges the perceptible lack of theoretical and empirical bases to explain the dynamics of student mentoring in management institutes in the country and will be an eyeopener to management institutions which have not incorporated mentoring as part of their pedagogy.

Introduction

Management ability, by virtue of its very nature and content, can be transferred experientially and hence management education has got to be essentially an interactive process between the teacher and the taught. Management and B-schools (business schools offering an Master of Business Administration (MBA) program in Kerala, southern India) provide a learner-centered environment wherein the students participate alongside the faculty in learning. Mentoring is considered as an established management development intervention and an important resource for learning and coping with organizational change (Rigsby et al., 1998). It is an important training and development tool in the academic literature of Hunt and Michael (1983). Generally young people are expected to be “work ready” when they enter employment. Mentoring activities in Bschools become significant in this scenario wherein teachers prepare young people for employment. It supports professional growth and renewal, which in turn empowers faculty as individuals and colleagues (Boice, 1992).

Conclusion: implications for B-schools

It has been observed that significant improvement is achieved by the second-year students in institutions where mentoring has been formalized by the time they complete their tenure. They tend to improve on certain qualities like taking responsibility, individualism, capacity to plan, perseverance and efficacy, which is essential for their future transition into the work place. Faculty members involved in mentoring endeavors are more likely to have opportunities to develop professionally (in career orientation) and personally (psycho-socially) over time. Management institutions should be able to create a learning environment rather than a tutoring environment. Business schools should bring forth changes in the curriculum to ensure that students are provided with adequate knowledge, attitudes, skills and abilities to succeed in this turbulent social environment. The various benefits that the institutions stand to accrue as a result of implementing a mentoring program are improved students quality, reduced absenteeism and improved student retention, academic excellence, effective student placements, satisfaction of parents, their goodwill and reputation for the B-schools.