Finding fit in friction: the value of contrast in mentoring for leadership development

Abstract

PurposeThe dual purpose of this paper is (1) to describe and contextualize encounters between mentors' and mentees' differing needs in a leadership development programme and (2) to posit that practice negotiating frictional encounters constructs “good fit” between mentors and mentees and is a potentially important skill for leadership development.Design/methodology/approachThe authors gathered data through qualitative, semi-structured interviews of mentors, mentees and mentoring programme staff participating in a mentoring programme for leadership development offered at a mid-sized Canadian business school. Using a grounded theory, interpretive analytical approach, the authors examine the notion of “good fit” and how it emerged in encounters between participants' diverse needs.FindingsThe authors identified participants' mentoring needs by eliciting their experiences of “good fit” in the focal leadership development programme. The findings revealed that encounters between contrasting needs fell into two categories: (1) the need for career advising versus leadership development and (2) the need for structured versus free-flowing conversation. Those encounters, in turn, generated opportunities for leadership development.Practical implicationsThe findings have valuable implications for designing mentoring for leadership programmes. Namely, the authors propose pairing individuals with similar deeper-level qualities but diverse educational backgrounds and experiences to allow for practice in negotiating encounters with friction and contrast.Originality/valueAs an empirical study of mentoring for leadership development in practice, this study applies a dialectical approach to encounters across contrasting mentoring needs. In doing so, it locates leadership development potential in those frictional encounters.