The Role of Mentoring in the Information Gathering Processes of Newcomers during Early Organizational Socialization

Abstract An investigation of the effects of mentoring relationships on the learning process of newcomers during early organizational socialization experiences was undertaken by focusing on how newcomers acquired information about the important content domains of the setting (task, role, group, organization) from potential information sources (mentor, supervisor, co-workers, observation, experimentation, and objective referents). The results indicated different patterns of information acquisition for newcomers with and without mentors. Those with mentors tended to rely on observation of others and their mentors, while those without mentors generally relied on observation and co-workers to acquire information about their new setting. The most significant difference between mentored and nonmentored newcomers emerged for the organizational domain; those with mentors were able to learn more about organizational issues and practices compared to nonmentored newcomers. Implications of these findings are discussed.