A Mentoring is just another term for the buddy system. The Japanese for example has their own version of this: the context of senpai-kohai (junior-senior) relationship that ensures a friendly working relationship between an expert and a rookie.

Mentoring is an effective approach for helping new employees adjust to his corporate environment. This period of technical adjustment is the employees’ handicap since they’re pressed for a short period of time (usually three months) to contribute to the organizational objectives. Another purpose is for them to be objectively assessed within a six-month probationary period.

Mentoring has a lot of benefits: 1. it assigns a ‘host’ who can welcome the newbie, especially when the supervisor is to busy to spend time to entertain the employee 2. questions on the job will be answered by a friend.

Maximize this system by doing the following: 1. assign a mentor on the basis of similarity regional background, university orientation or gender 2. give an incentive to everyone who participates in the mentoring program 3. set up a periodic meeting with both the mentor and his or her charge to follow-up.

Remember, mentoring is only the ladder to gather fruit from the tree of knowledge and experience. It is not the fruit itself.