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Case Studies
Client problem
In 2005, one of our U.S. Government clients faced a sizeable challenge. The organization, which consisted of approximately 250 employees, realized that many of its team members were eligible for retirement in the next few years and creating and implementing a succession plan was critical to future success. A key component of this plan was to establish a means for senior level employees to depart their knowledge on more ‘junior’ staff members while allowing newer employees to see how they could grow and develop in the organization. Despite a number of efforts to address the issue, senior leaders realized that the gap between seasoned staff and new associates continued to grow.
What complicated the issue was the complexity of the tasks most team members performed. The nature of their work required effective employees to have a strong grasp on very complicated, and often technical, information. Senior leadership decided that to shorten the learning curve associated with starting to work in the organization, they needed a systematic way to better coach the junior level associate, enabling him or her to accelerate into a new role faster. By partnering a new associate with a seasoned senior level employee, they would benefit from the expertise that had already been gained and help establish a sustainable long-term career path.
They needed a mentorship program designed to facilitate growth in the junior level associate, and solidify the expertise of the senior level employee. After a careful evaluation of our previous workforce development initiatives, as well as talking with our other clients, the organization elected to partner with Wedgewood Group to design and implement an effective mentorship program.
Our solution
Our approach was two-tiered and focused on developing the mentor (seasoned employee) as well as the mentee (junior staff member). To do so, we focused the program on the strength of the relationship and creating an environment where both parties could successfully interact.
Unlike other government mentorship programs that relied predominately on an automated system to determine which individuals were best to group together, Wedgewood Group actively went through each applicant’s profile to help match them with the mentor best suited for their preference, style, experience, and area of specialization. Once successfully paired, we then coached both parties on how to most effectively collaborate together – establishing the conditions, frequency, action plan, and work schedule for both to follow during the course of the program. The coaching included a formal training program where mentors and mentees learned about their role and how to best interact with one another. We then monitored the progress of their meetings/discussions, allowing the mentor and mentee to provide feedback on their development and gain additional third party coaching if and when needed.
In an attempt to make the program as robust as possible, we coordinated sessions in which a subject matter expert would speak to a group of program participants from all levels, to further enhance their development, encourage group discussions, and offer insight from a different perspective. In this forum, the speaker would cover topics ranging from problems/obstacles for each of the group members to anticipate, as well as provide an in-depth explanation on how to reach their desired level of specialization within their chosen profession.
Outcome
The mentorship program continues to help retain qualified team members and increase workforce productivity by affording junior team members the opportunity to learn from more seasoned professionals – solving a workforce development issue that the organization had been concerned about for years. To date, 61 mentor/mentee partnerships have been forged and the program is highly successful and sought after by employees throughout the organization. The program is an example of best practice throughout the Air Force.
Wedgewood Group currently provides ongoing program management support to all mentees/mentors, facilitates mentorship sessions, conducts program evaluations, and communicates program requirements to both current and future team members. The program’s success rests not in what Wedgewood Group says about it, but what leaders and participants say:
• “The Mentorship Program is integral to the development of our highly qualified…leaders. It allows team members to leverage the knowledge, expertise, and insight of seasoned professionals to increase their potential for advancement, and to define and reach career goals. Our program provides mentees support for personal and professional development, and encourages the development of achievable career goals” – Senior Leader
• I have an invaluable mentor. As I embarked on my career development path as a new employee within the organization, my mentor was very knowledgeable, responsive and helpful directing me to key sources for career information. Additionally, my mentor helped me develop short and long term goals to benefit my development and the organization’s mission. I am very thankful for my mentor’s time, interest, and guidance on behalf of my career.” – Program Participant