Coaching and mentoring schemes for researchers
What do we mean by coaching and mentoring – and what’s the difference?
What topics can coaching or mentoring address?
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled. Plutarch
Does your institution need a formal scheme?
Can you sustain a scheme?
What do we mean by coaching and mentoring – and what’s the difference?
The purpose of both coaching and mentoring is to help an individual to fulfil their potential through establishing a supportive and non-directive relationship. In both cases, conversations with the mentor or coach are used to help the individual to move forward in a particular area of life (such as professional development or career). The individual being coached or mentored is enabled to identify goals, actions or solutions and to make progress towards them. Relationships may be formal or informal, time-limited or open-ended.
There is considerable confusion and overlap in the way these two terms are used and in some cases one relationship might encompass both coaching and mentoring. The main concern of an individual seeking help is that it will enable them to achieve what they need. However, if you’re thinking of establishing a scheme and will need to define its aims and boundaries, it’s helpful to distinguish between the approaches:
- Mentoring typically enables an individual to follow in the path of a more experienced colleague. The mentor can pass on specific knowledge and wisdom in an area that the mentee wishes to develop, can help them to identify and take up opportunities and introduce them to existing networks
- Coaching can benefit an individual without the coach needing specialist knowledge in the field. The coach does not provide guidance, instruction, advice or solutions but regards their coachee as a creative and resourceful person and supports them to identify and embrace ways to move forward in a particular area of life.
N.B. The term ‘coaching’ may also be used to denote focused teaching or training (e.g. to pass an examination), but this is not the sense in which it’s used here.
Both coaching and mentoring are distinct from the listening therapies (counselling; psychotherapy) which may aim to resolve personal issues, unhelpful behavioural patterns or to enhance general or emotional wellbeing.
See also our page on principles for coaching and mentoring.
What topics can coaching or mentoring address?
In theory, coaching and mentoring can be applied to any aspect of life or can take a holistic approach. For example, a ‘life coach’ might help people to improve personal happiness, explore the self or the world or achieve a personal or professional ambition. A scheme for researchers may focus on areas with most relevance to them in this role, for example to offer support in career or professional development or for those working in a very different cultural setting for the first time.
Does your institution need a formal scheme?
It may be that researchers in your institution already enjoy the benefits of effective mentors or coaches in the absence of a formal scheme. Effective relationships of this type can be entirely informal or based on existing relationships such as line management or supervisory relationships or those required by degree regulations or research funding. While relationships established outside a scheme will continue to be important and effective for many researchers, there are potential advantages to establishing a scheme, for example:
- Raising the profile of mentoring or coaching, both with researchers and with senior staff in your institution
- Creating new opportunities
- Engaging individuals who would not otherwise have had the confidence to seek a mentor or coach
- Enabling you to target support to under-represented or other specific groups.
Can you sustain a scheme?
This is a question to ask yourself as soon as you start to consider a new scheme. Will you have the staff time, funds or senior support needed to achieve what you have in mind? Our pages on making it work and alternative approaches might be helpful.
