Cognitive mentorship: Protégé behavior as a mediator to performance

ABSTRACT

Researchers have examined the role of cognitive apprenticeship in relation to individual performance in the classroom, but there has been limited quantitative research directly linking cognitive behaviors to mentoring relationships and workplace performance. This study investigates the characteristics of mentoring behavior that influence group performance using data from 52 different organizations. A mediation model was tested and the results indicate that the group-level construct protégé cognitive behavior plays a central role in the mentor-protégé-performance relationship. The findings indicate that the protégés collective articulation of problem solving processes fully mediate unit performance, while exploration partially mediates the relationship. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Mentorship
• cognitive apprenticeship
• mediation
• performance

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

John Elshaw

John J. Elshaw, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of systems engineering in the Department of Systems Engineering and Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology. He holds a BS in Accounting from The University of Akron, an MBA from Regis University, and a PhD in management with a specialization in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management from Purdue University. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Squadron Officer School and Air Command and Staff College. His research interests include organizational behavior, learning curves, social network analysis, and virtual workspace.

David Fass

R. David Fass, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems Engineering and Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology. He received his BA in Economics and his MBA from the University of New Mexico, and his Ph.D. in Business Administration & Management from New Mexico State University. His research interests include cost analysis, decision analysis, risk analysis, operations research, behavioral economics, organizational behavior, organizational change, and government acquisition policy.

Maj Brian Mauntel

Brian R. Mauntel, Major, United States Air Force, is a graduate from the Department of Systems Engineering and Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology. He received his M.S. in Research and Development Management and a BBA in Business Administration and Management from the University of Kentucky. He is currently a program manager and technical representative for a large Department of Defense acquisition team.