Teachability in leading organizational mentees: A narrative analysis of reverse mentoring as reflexive moments for coping in personal crisis

Mentoring is often situated in leadership and coaching literature as a formal, strategic and a beneficial experience. Additional, studies indicate that mentor/mentee relationships can cause tension and even workplace harassment. Most of these studies focus on the power, whether negative or positive,...

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Main Authors: Robert Tyler Spradley Ph.D., James E. Towns Ph.D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Ralph W. Steen Library, Stephen F. Austin State University 2016-10-01
Series:Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice
Subjects:
Online Access:https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=jhstrp
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author Robert Tyler Spradley Ph.D.
James E. Towns Ph.D.
author_facet Robert Tyler Spradley Ph.D.
James E. Towns Ph.D.
author_sort Robert Tyler Spradley Ph.D.
collection DOAJ
description Mentoring is often situated in leadership and coaching literature as a formal, strategic and a beneficial experience. Additional, studies indicate that mentor/mentee relationships can cause tension and even workplace harassment. Most of these studies focus on the power, whether negative or positive, of the leader versus the mentored. This study synthesizes stories lived and stories told using narrative analysis to balance how reverse mentoring simultaneously assists mentors and mentees in making sense of complex communication environments. Highlighting teachability as a chief characteristic of leading, reverse mentoring co-constructs new narratives for both mentor and mentee to cope with crisis situations. Reciprocal openness to divergent perspectives lends itself to moments in which stories merge and cross to influence both organizational leader and mentee. Thus, bottom-up power is present, not only in follower resistance, but in follower and/or protégé influence in the co-constructing of new organizational and personal narratives.
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spelling doaj.art-3d0f9d0b8d084c33a3171dad007200e02022-12-22T00:52:47ZengRalph W. Steen Library, Stephen F. Austin State UniversityJournal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice2472-131X2016-10-0112124Teachability in leading organizational mentees: A narrative analysis of reverse mentoring as reflexive moments for coping in personal crisisRobert Tyler Spradley Ph.D.0James E. Towns Ph.D.1Stephen F Austin State UniversityStephen F Austin State UniversityMentoring is often situated in leadership and coaching literature as a formal, strategic and a beneficial experience. Additional, studies indicate that mentor/mentee relationships can cause tension and even workplace harassment. Most of these studies focus on the power, whether negative or positive, of the leader versus the mentored. This study synthesizes stories lived and stories told using narrative analysis to balance how reverse mentoring simultaneously assists mentors and mentees in making sense of complex communication environments. Highlighting teachability as a chief characteristic of leading, reverse mentoring co-constructs new narratives for both mentor and mentee to cope with crisis situations. Reciprocal openness to divergent perspectives lends itself to moments in which stories merge and cross to influence both organizational leader and mentee. Thus, bottom-up power is present, not only in follower resistance, but in follower and/or protégé influence in the co-constructing of new organizational and personal narratives.https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=jhstrpfaculty mentorsfaculty teachabilityfaculty mentees
spellingShingle Robert Tyler Spradley Ph.D.
James E. Towns Ph.D.
Teachability in leading organizational mentees: A narrative analysis of reverse mentoring as reflexive moments for coping in personal crisis
Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice
faculty mentors
faculty teachability
faculty mentees
title Teachability in leading organizational mentees: A narrative analysis of reverse mentoring as reflexive moments for coping in personal crisis
title_full Teachability in leading organizational mentees: A narrative analysis of reverse mentoring as reflexive moments for coping in personal crisis
title_fullStr Teachability in leading organizational mentees: A narrative analysis of reverse mentoring as reflexive moments for coping in personal crisis
title_full_unstemmed Teachability in leading organizational mentees: A narrative analysis of reverse mentoring as reflexive moments for coping in personal crisis
title_short Teachability in leading organizational mentees: A narrative analysis of reverse mentoring as reflexive moments for coping in personal crisis
title_sort teachability in leading organizational mentees a narrative analysis of reverse mentoring as reflexive moments for coping in personal crisis
topic faculty mentors
faculty teachability
faculty mentees
url https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=jhstrp
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