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Keywords Mentoring, Social networks, Careers, Career satisfaction, Job satisfaction
Abstract This study focused on the relationship between mentoring constellations and intrinsic career success. Hierarchical regression analyses on the data of 416 female and 594 male university members showed that mentoring was positively associated with intrinsic career success (i.e., career satisfaction and intrinsic job satisfaction. Several characteristics of developmental networking appeared to be associated with intrinsic career success, e.g. size of the advice network, range, emotional intensity, frequency of the contacts, and years acquainted. Moreover, some moderating effects of gender on the relationship between mentoring constellations and intrinsic career success were found, e.g. for size of the advice network, emotional intensity, and stability of the relationship. Implications of results and directions for future research are discussed.
Over the years, the benefits of having a mentor have received ample attention (e.g., Fagenson, 1989; Godshalk and Sosik, 2003; Higgins, 2001; Hunt and Michael, 1983; Lankau and Scandura, 2002; Scandura and Williams, 2001). For instance, employees with a mentor report more promotions, higher incomes, and more work satisfaction than employees without a mentor (Baugh and Scandura, 1999; Dreher and Ash, 1990; Ragins et al., 2000; Scandura, 1992; Scandura and Schriesheim, 1994; Turban and Dougherty, 1994; Whitely and Coetsier, 1993). However, it is increasingly acknowledged that not only having a mentor, but especially a network of developmental relationships may be essential to achieving intrinsic career success (Baugh and Scandura, 1999; De Janasz and Sullivan, 2004; Higgins, 2000, 2001). In today's dynamic career environment, having a variety of different types of mentoring relationships is perhaps indispensable, and mentoring researchers agree that having diverse mentoring constellations,i.e. constellations of relationships from a variety of sources, such as more traditionally defined mentoring relationships, but also developmental networking relationships with peers or supervisors (Kram, 1985), is probably most beneficial for protégés (Bozionelos, 2004; De Janasz and Sullivan, 2004; Ensher et al, 2003; Higgins and Thomas, 2001; Kram, 1985). In the present study we will use the term mentoring constellations to refer to the combination of mentoring relationships and developmental networking relationships.
Yet, although much of the current mentoring research has the underlying assumption that effectiveness of mentoring lies in the amount of mentoring provided (De Janasz and Sullivan, 2002; Higgins, 2001; Seibert et al,...