How Surveys and Focus Group Interviews can help us do:

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Using Survey And Interview Data An Example
Dr. Susann Nourizadeh and Dr. Alma Steinberg
U.S. Army Research Institute Alexandria,
VA 22333-5600 [phone], DSN 767-8295
Presented at the International Military Testing
Association, Pensacola, FL
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Using Surveys and Interview Data

• Surveys
• Provide quantitative data from large samples
  across a wide geographical area in which the
  same questions are asked to all respondents
• Focus Group Interviews
• Provide qualitative data which enables an
  in-depth examination of issues (e.g., why
  individuals responded a certain way to the
  survey)
• Together
• They facilitate use by sponsors by providing
• increased insight into the relevant issues
• valuable recommendations

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Example Mentoring

• Background
• U.S. Army is reviewing issues relating to
  mentoring (e.g., definitions, policies, use in
  leader development)
• Currently, there is no shared understanding about
  the meaning of mentorship and how it should be
  implemented in the Army
• Definition of Mentoring
• In literature A mentoring relationship is a
  developmental relationship between senior and
  more junior individuals in organizations
  (McManus Russell, 1997, p.145)
• In the Army Confusion over differentiation
  between leadership and mentorship

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Mentoring Issues

• Who is seen as a mentor?
• What do mentors do (i.e., what behaviors do
  mentors do that results in their being perceived
  as mentors?)
• How can we increase the amount of mentoring that
  occurs in the Army?

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Who is Seen as a Mentor


Officers1 Enlisted Soldiers1 The percent
who say their mentor is/was Their
rater 35 23 Their senior rater 92 12 86 9
A person who is/was higher in rank than them,
but not their rater or their senior rater 45
54 A person who is/was at their same
rank 3 5 A person who is/was lower in rank
than them 3 lt1 A person who is not or was not
in the military at the time the mentoring was
provided 2 9 92 of officers
and 86 of enlisted Soldiers had
mentors who were superiors. 1Percentages are
for those who said they have/had a mentor.
Superiors
Peers
Subordinates
Not in Military
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What Do Those Who are Perceived as Mentors Do?
Percent of officers and enlisted Soldiers who
said the following behaviors exhibited by their
mentors were very/extremely helpfula Mentors
relative position to mentee Senior Higher rank,
not Rater rater rater/senior rater
Demonstrates trust 93 91 94 Gives feedback
on your job performance 90 90 88 Acts as a
role model 89 89 92 Helps develop your
skills/competencies for future assignments 88 90
88   Assigns challenging tasks 88 90 85 P
rovides support and encouragement 88 87 91 In
stills Army values 87 90 89 Provides career
guidance 86 89 89   Provides moral/ethical
guidance 86 88 88 Teaches job
skills 84 84 85 Protects you 82 85 81 In
vites you to observe activities at his/her
level 82 78 81   Teaches/advises on
organizational politics 81 87 84 Provides
personal and social guidance 77 83 85 Provide
s sponsorship/contacts to advance your
career 75 82 78 Assists in obtaining future
assignments 71 80 74 a Percentages are for
those who said they have/had a mentor.
 
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Conclusions from Surveys and Interviews

• The finding that surprisingly low numbers of
  senior raters were seen as mentors led to
  uncovering possible barriers to mentoring
• Superiors not in the rating chain are a good
  source of mentors because they are seen as less
  threatening
• Soldiers do learn from peers and subordinates,
  but do not typically think of them as mentors
• Many Army leaders are not fully aware of the
  broad range of behaviors it takes to be perceived
  as a mentor

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Recommendations to Increase Mentoring

• Encourage more senior raters to mentor
• teach them to exhibit a wider range of mentoring
  behaviors
• make them aware of some of the barriers to their
  being seen as mentors and ways to overcome them.
  Barriers include
• limited contact
• their role in providing the final performance
  appraisal rating
• Encourage more non-raters who are senior in rank
  to mentor
• develop a culture in which these individuals are
  expected to mentor
• teach the importance of exhibiting a wider range
  of mentoring behaviors
• Promoting the concept of having more peers and
  subordinates mentor is not likely to increase
  mentoring because
• few are currently seen as mentors
• they are less likely to exhibit the whole range
  of mentoring behaviors