TEL 431: Learning in Workplaces

L4 Activity

Mentoring
Construct: Developmental Network
Name: Harrison Clark
Date: March 31, 2021
Your Assigned Facilitator: Davis

NOTE: Please bold all your responses so nothing is missed when your work is assessed.

Terminology
Orient yourself to the following concepts related to mentoring through a quick google search and
defining these terms in your own words: (2 pts)
● Mentor: an individual who is capable of passing knowledge of some sort to another
individual
● Mentee: an individual who is under the guidance and advisement of another individual
known as a mentor
● Protégé: an individual who is under the guidance and advisement of another individual
with whom they have a very defined relationship with
● Reciprocal mentoring: a situation in which two individuals both simultaneously take on
the role of mentor and mentee throughout the learning process
● Reverse mentoring: a situation in which an individual who assumably would take the
role of mentee actually takes the role of mentor in assisting another individual in the
learning process

Also, you will need to read the following article in preparation for the L4 activity:

Higgins, M. C., Kram, K. E. (2001). Reconceptualizing mentoring at work: A developmental

network perspective. Academy of Management Review 26(2), 264-288. Available at
http://www.jstor.org/stable/259122
Or through the ASU library:
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/docview/210951325/fulltextPDF/7873AD523A4
CCAPQ/12?accountid=4485

In the article, the authors seek to redefine mentoring by applying literature that views mentoring
as individuals receiving mentoring assistance from many people at any one point in time,
including senior colleagues, peers, family, and community members. Embracing this theory,
which incorporates social network research, may help you begin to establish a developmental
network that is conducive to the 21st century workplace, geared toward the goal of having strong
ties with diverse network groups. This type of developmental network is known as an
“entrepreneurial” typology.
MY MENTORS (5 pts)
Provide a list of 5 individuals who have served as mentors to you in the past year, for either
personal or professional reasons.
Mentor’s Name How do you Describe the circumstances Describe a specific
know this that lead to you having a conversation or
mentor? mentoring conversation situation where
with this person? you gained new
How long have information. What
you known new ways of
him/her? thinking emerged
for you? What new
behaviors did you
explore afterward?
Be specific.

#1 Cassandra My manager at This individual is Numerous

Starbucks who responsible for my instances have
I have known training as an assistant required this type
for five years. store manager. of discussion,
but the one that’s
stuck the most is
that I’d have to
remove myself
from social
circles at my job
while at the job-
aka I have no
more friends “at
work”, but rather
friends that now
work with me.

#2 Murrae One of my This individual’s mother I offered to help

closest friends passed a year ago, and her with her
who I’ve known so she had to walk me mother’s final
for 17 years. through all of the steps of goodbye and
organizing what to do things along that
after I offered her help line, and what I
with it. gained from it
was that the
most help I could
offer to someone
going through a
 process like this
was to just
remain on
constant standby
for when she
needed
emotional
support or small
jobs done.

#3 Gillian One of my This individual is older There was one

coworkers at than me (she’s sixty instance in which
Starbucks, who years old), yet we get she explained to
I have also along extremely well. me how her son
known for 5 She’s extremely down to is addicted to
years. Earth and an all-around pills, and that
loving person. We she often has to
frequently have drive him to the
conversations that are methadone clinic
fairly meaningful. before her shift
at work (at
7:30am), which
is 45 minutes
away from her
house. Ever
since then, I
have been
extremely more
sympathetic to
both drug addicts
as well as their
family, due to the
undiscussed
effort that has to
go in to ensuring
safety.

#4 Stacy She is my We were discussing my She was talking

mother, so I’ve plans for post-graduation to me about how
known her for from ASU this upcoming much teaching
22 years. July (thank Lord). has changed
from when she
started, and that
there’s multiple
 other ways to
work with kids
yet not have to
deal with some
of the ugly stuff
that comes with
teaching. Due to
this, I decided to
pursue a grad
degree in
speech-language
pathology rather
than education,
so I can still work
with children.

#5 Christine My My grandmother was a My grandmother

grandmother, nurse before retiring, and was involved in
who I have her best friend, Paula, is the conversation
known for 22 a retired SLP who that I’d had with
years as well. worked within medical my mother
settings for her entire discussed
career. above, and she
was the one that
suggested SLP
and was able to
give me specifics
about the career
as recalled from
her
conversations
with her friend
Paula.
TYPES OF MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS Based on the Higgins and Kram article, what are
the differences and similarities between a traditional mentoring relationship and a
developmental network? To depict your answer, complete the table below. Be comprehensive.
(6 pts)

Traditional Mentoring Similarities between Developmental Network

Relationship traditional mentoring and a
developmental network

“A senior person working in
the protégé’s organization
assists with the protégé’s
personal and professional
development” (Higgins, Kram,
2001).
Results in the progression of
the career of the individual
receiving development
through either networking or
mentoring.
“…does not restrict the
phenomenon to a single
relationship within the
protégé’s organization”
(Higgins, Kram, 2001).

“Mentor provides high Both forms of learning “have “… and individual’s

amounts of both career and the potential to explain developmental network is a
psychosocial assistance” individual behavior in and subset of his or her own
(Higgins, Kram, 2001). across organizations” social network” (Higgins,
(Higgins, Kram, 2001). Kram, 2001).

“…such a relationship is Studying both mentoring and “The developmental network

related to enhanced career
development, career
progress, higher rates of
promotion and total
compensation, career
satisfaction and clarity and
sense of competence
(Higgins, Kram, 2001).
developmental networks
“suggests that a
reconceptualization of
mentoring is needed”
(Higgins, Kram, 2001).
consists of those
relationships the protégé
names at a particular point in
the time as being important to
his or her career
development” (Higgins, Kram,
2001).

Based on the Higgins & Kram article, define the following terms, in your own concepts that
determine relationship strength (2 pts):
● emotional affect: the concept that within a developmental network, a stronger emotional
bond is suggested to be linked to better outcomes
● reciprocity: the concept that individuals within developmental networks both benefit in
some way, shape or form within the relationship
● frequency of communication: how often individuals linked via a developmental network
communicate
● relationship ties: the concept of relationships being linked via various means within a
developmental network.
ANALYSIS OF MY MENTORS
#1 Mentor’s Name (5 pts): Cassandra

Area of Support:
Does this person provide career, or psychosocial support? Explain.
This person provides mainly career support, as she is the sole individual responsible for training
me for the next position within my company. However, she and I have a close friendship, so she
also does provide psychosocial support.
Diversity:
To what social system does person belong (e.g., family, work, church, friends)? Explain.
This person belongs to the social system of work, as I know her through work, even if she and I
are friends.
How many of your mentors is this person connected with? Explain the relationships, if
applicable.
This person known mentor #2 and mentor #3 due to the fact that we all work together. Their
relationships are more work based, and mentor #2 and #3 do not share as close of a bond with
Cassandra as I do.
Relationship Strength:
Refer to the Higgins and Kram article for review of concepts related to relationship strength.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define emotional affect, describe the emotional affect between
you and this mentor.
The emotional affect between this individual and I is fairly strong, as both she and I have an
emotional bond and trust that exists outside of the work environment.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define reciprocity, explain the level of reciprocity between you
and this mentor.
As of right now, within our work relationship, it is one-sided as she is mainly responsible for the
development of career. However, outside of work, she and I are fairly good with reciprocating
friendship needs.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define frequency of communication, what is the frequency of
communication between you and this mentor?
There exists communication between this mentor and I daily.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define relationship ties, do you see your relationship with this
person as a strong tie or a weak tie relationship? Provide an example that would illustrate this.
This relationship is a strong tie, as we talk daily, both regarding work situations, as well as
personal lives. This morning, she was late to work for “a family emergency” as she explained to
all of my coworkers, but was texting me the entire time about how it was due to the fact that her
family and her were in a hotel last night so that her children could go swimming, but had to
evacuate due to a fire alarm going off at 4:30am.

#2 Mentor’s Name (5 pts):Murrae

Area of Support:
Does this person provide career, or psychosocial support? Explain.
This person provides psychosocial support. They are one of my closest friends.
Diversity:
To what social system does person belong (e.g., family, work, church, friends)? Explain.
This person belongs mainly to my friend social system, yet also works under me so she also
belongs to the work social circle.
How many of your mentors is this person connected with? Explain the relationships, if
applicable.
This individual is connected to mentor #1,#3 and #4. They know mentor #1 and #3 through
work, whereas they know #4 due to the fact that they are one of my closest friends and mentor
#4 is my mother.
Relationship Strength:
Refer to the Higgins and Kram article for review of concepts related to relationship strength.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define emotional affect, describe the emotional affect between
you and this mentor.
The emotional affect between this individual and I is extremely strong, as we are usually the first
people to discuss anything major within our lives to each other. We also hold each other to high
emotional trust and commitment.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define reciprocity, explain the level of reciprocity between you
and this mentor.
There is equal reciprocity between this individual and I as we can rely on each other regularly
for nearly anything that we can provide to one another.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define frequency of communication, what is the frequency of
communication between you and this mentor?
This mentor and I communicate to each other daily.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define relationship ties, do you see your relationship with this
person as a strong tie or a weak tie relationship? Provide an example that would illustrate this.
This is a strong tie between this person and I. When her mother died, I was the first person that
she told. She found out while she was at work, so despite the fact that I had already worked an
8 hour shift that day, I went back to work and offered for her to go home and situate what she
needed. While she was not close with her mother at all, and had very little contact with her her
entire life, it was still her mother and affected her.

#3 Mentor’s Name (5 pts): Gillian

Area of Support:
Does this person provide career or psychosocial support? Explain.
This person provides psychosocial support. She is a coworker who has turned into more of a
secondary mother figure in my life.
Diversity:
To what social system does person belong (e.g., family, work, church, friends)? Explain.
This person belongs to the social systems of work and friends due to the fact that I work with
her but have an extremely close relationship with her.
How many of your mentors is this person connected with? Explain the relationships, if
applicable.
This individual knows mentors #1, #2 and #4. The first two are due to the fact that she also
works with them, whereas she knows #4 due to the fact that they are also friends.
Relationship Strength:
Refer to the Higgins and Kram article for review of concepts related to relationship strength.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define emotional affect, describe the emotional affect between
you and this mentor.
The emotional affect between this individual and I is very strong, as there is a high level of trust
and support established between she and I.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define reciprocity, explain the level of reciprocity between you
and this mentor.
The reciprocity is also high, due to the fact that she and I can talk about difficult topics with each
other. We have often had heart to heart conversations with each other, supporting each other
through difficult situations as needed.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define frequency of communication, what is the frequency of
communication between you and this mentor?
This
This person and I communicate daily.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define relationship ties, do you see your relationship with this
person as a strong tie or a weak tie relationship? Provide an example that would illustrate this.
This is an extremely strong tie, as we have often said to each other that we are grateful for each
other’s friendships and that she sometimes sees me as a son and I sometimes see her as a
mother.

#4 Mentor’s Name (5 pts): Stacy

Area of Support:
Does this person provide career, or psychosocial support? Explain.
This person provides mainly psychosocial support as she is my mother, but also career support
as needed (when I need general career guidance).
Diversity:
To what social system does person belong (e.g., family, work, church, friends)? Explain.
This person belongs to the family social system.
How many of your mentors is this person connected with? Explain the relationships, if
applicable.
This mentor is connected to mentor #2, #3, and #5. She knows the first two due to the fact that I
am fairly close with them and she is my mother, whereas mentor #5 is her own mother (my
maternal grandmother).
Relationship Strength:
Refer to the Higgins and Kram article for review of concepts related to relationship strength.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define emotional affect, describe the emotional affect between
you and this mentor.
There is a strong emotional affect between the two of us, as she is legitimately my own
biological mother, and has been fully present in my life since I was born.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define reciprocity, explain the level of reciprocity between you
and this mentor.
There is a good amount of reciprocity between us, especially as I grew older, due to the fact that
I am a bit more aware of how relationship and the world works, so she has begun to rely on me
for emotional support at times, as well as any other general topics that I am knowledgeable on
that I can assist her understanding of.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define frequency of communication, what is the frequency of
communication between you and this mentor?
This person and I talk daily.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define relationship ties, do you see your relationship with this
person as a strong tie or a weak tie relationship? Provide an example that would illustrate this.
This is an extremely strong tie relationship, the example being that she has raised me from
birth.

#5 Mentor’s Name (5 pts): Christine

Area of Support:
Does this person provide career, or psychosocial support? Explain.
This person provides both career and psychosocial support. She is my grandmother but worked
in healthcare all her life, so she is somewhat knowledgeable about the career path I plan to be
on.
Diversity:
To what social system does person belong (e.g., family, work, church, friends)? Explain.
This person belongs to the family social system.
How many of your mentors is this person connected with? Explain the relationships, if
applicable.
This mentor only knows mentor #4 due to the fact that she is the mother of mentor #4.
Relationship Strength:
Refer to the Higgins and Kram article for review of concepts related to relationship strength.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define emotional affect, describe the emotional affect between
you and this mentor.
The emotional affect is somewhat strong between us, as she is my grandmother and we share a
sense of love between each other. However, we aren’t nearly as close as some family members
can be.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define reciprocity, explain the level of reciprocity between you
and this mentor.
There is ample amount of reciprocity. We help each other when we can. For instance, I helped
her move and get her house ready to sell a few years ago, and she has helped me financially
when I need it.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define frequency of communication, what is the frequency of
communication between you and this mentor?
I communicate with this individual every month or so, mainly due to the fact that she moved to
Pennsylvania in the last few months and I have been busy with work and school. Prior to that, I
would talk to her/see her at least once a week.
Based on how Higgins and Kram define relationship ties, do you see your relationship with this
person as a strong tie or a weak tie relationship? Provide an example that would illustrate this.
This is a strong tie relationship, as it is a fairly healthy family bond. She helped me buy my first
car, and I used to volunteer at the hospital she worked at to help her file paperwork and do other
miscellaneous tasks.

REFLECT
Reflect about the mentor who has had the most lasting impact on your development. What
factors from the Higgins and Kram article on developmental network do you think are the most
influential in supporting career change, personal learning, organizational commitment, and/or
work satisfaction? Include 3 in-text citations from the Higgins and Kram article and 1 (or more)
outside resource. Add these sources to the reference list below. (300-400 words) (7 pts):

I believe that the mentor who has been most influential in all of the categories listed above
would have to be mentor #4. That mentor happens to be my mother, unsurprisingly enough. The
reason that this is is most likely due to the fact that she has been the most present within the
entirety of my life, as well as the fact that I hold her opinion to extremely high regard. While this
has not been a situation in which I (as the protégé) did not seek her out, the implications of this
relationship still has some similarities to what is described by Higgins and Kram- “the protégé is
more apt to fully express himself or herself with others (Kahn, 1990) and to act in an
authentic (Baxter, 1982) and nondefensive manner (Gibb, 1961)” (Higgins Kram, 2001). I look
up to her in almost all aspects of the word, as she is successful, caring, determined, and is self-
aware enough to know when she has to search for support or change. Within a personal article
posted to medium.com by Tom Comerford, “A good mentor pushes us to be the best version of
ourselves possible. The mentor shows us the way by embodying the exact principles they wish
to instill in us. And most importantly, a good mentor is our biggest cheerleader, rooting for us
unconditionally” (Comerford, 2019). While this is a less calculated definition in comparison to
what can be gathered from within the Higgins and Kram article, it still stands nonetheless. As far
as the specifics of career change, personal learning, organizational commitment and work
satisfaction, those too all have been affected by her presence for the better. “Career assistance
… should increase the individual's information, resources, and access to a variety of
career possibilities” (Higgins, Kram, 2001). Furthermore, within the realm of personal learning,
she has been integral to my development, so it goes without saying that the concepts of self-
clarity and self-awareness have also been highly affected by her (Higgins, Kram, 2001). Finally,
organizational commitment and work satisfaction have increasingly been changing as a result of
her mentoring. I changed career paths completely, due to the fact that my mother has stated
that I should want to love what I do, signifying that I be committed to the organization I work for,
as well as being satisfied with whatever career I find myself in (Higgins, Kram, 2001).

Your word count: 400 (I didn’t even plan that!).

GOALS TO DEVELOP MY DEVELOPMENTAL NETWORK

From the Higgins and Kram reading, summarize why it is desirable to have an entrepreneurial
network, and explain how a developmental network might become an entrepreneurial network.
(100-150 words)
(4 pts):

A developmental network may become an entrepreneurial network if it encompasses multiple

different sub groups or subnetworks, all of which work together in a strong way that is beneficial
to the protégé within the scenario (Higgins, Kram, 2001). This is desirable for obvious reasons.
In order to best provide the best learning opportunities to strengthen a protégé’s desired career
change, personal learning standards, organizational commitment and work satisfaction, multiple
different individuals, ideally from all different subnetworks or groups can unknowingly (or
knowingly, if possible) come together. Furthermore, within the entrepreneurial network, the main
type of connections that exist are known as strong tie, which signify that the protégé in the
scenario has a strong connection to the other individuals.

Refer to the Higgins and Kram article. What activities might help you strengthen the diversity
within your network? (3 pts)
Things stemming from the article that I could do in a day: Start to look into different organization
I can work for/volunteer that would be related to my future career.
Things stemming from the article that I will do this month: Start to familiarize myself with the
professors within my graduate’s program who all work within different realms of SLP.
Things stemming from the article I will do within a year: Try to move up within my company to
meet new people and also put the type of mentorships I have to the test.

Refer to the Higgins and Kram article. What activities might help you strengthen the
relationships within your network? (3 pts)
Things I could do in a day: Text everyone who I can to just say hello.
Things I will do this month: Try to see everyone within my network at least once this month.
Things I will do within a year: Start to share the plans I have for my life for the next few years
with the people I selected to see what their feedback would be.

ESTABLISH VIRTUAL MENTORSHIP

NOTE: YOU HAVE TWO CHOICES FOR THIS PART OF THE ACTIVITY, BUILD A LINKEDIN
PROFILE, OR ASK YOUR MENTORS FOR FEEDBACK ON YOUR RESUME.

Choice 1: LinkedIn Profile

Background Information:
LinkedIn is a social networking tool that is more professional than other popular networks such
as Twitter or Facebook, which tend to be more social. LinkedIn is used by professionals to
connect with one another and to stay connected, as a tool when looking for jobs. It is a
searchable web site that is used by many professionals as an online resume, as it contains
education, job experiences, and other professional related events and activities.
An individual’s LinkedIn profile can connect to other professionals, giving users the ability to
organize, keep track of, and establish and grow their professional relationships.

Some features of LinkedIn allow users to establish their credibility as a professional by

exchanging information and ideas with colleagues and peers, For example, LinkedIn Groups,
LinkedIn Answers, and LinkedIn Today allow users to participate in trending conversations in
their field.

You should also know that hiring managers and recruiters, worldwide, use LinkedIn to find
potential candidates. They scan the system using key-words searches, so it is important to be
thorough and comprehensive when completing your profile.

Your LinkedIn profile.

Create a LinkedIn profile for yourself, or enhance and update your profile if you already have
one.

This article will provide you with insight: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2014/10/20/how-

to-create-the-ideal-linkedin-profile/

Your profile should have the following minimal components:

● Professional headshot (suggested but optional)
● A summary to include your ASU experience as well as a brief description of your future
target profession (2 pts)
● Other additional and pertinent information to make a complete and comprehensive
profile, including volunteer experience, internships, work experience, etc. (2 pts)
● Request to connect with at least 3 mentors on your list who have LinkedIn accounts. (2
pts)
○ List their names:
1. Cassandra
2. Stacy
3. Christine

● Request to connect with 10 classmates. (2 pts)

List the names of those you attempted to connect:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
 9.
10.

Retrieve your profile “public viewing” URL. (Be sure it is the correct URL by looking to see that it
has your name in it. Example: www.linkedin.com/in/teresafoulger/en
Here is a screencast that will teach you how to find the URL
http://screencast.com/t/JwohI3LI1zd).

Paste your “public viewing” profile here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrison-clark-

9aa25320b/

References (5 pts)
Note: no credit will be given unless your references are formatted per APA. See Owl at Purdue
as a guide.

Comerford, T. (2019, September 13). We All Need a Mentor Like Mom - Trust the Product.

Medium. https://medium.com/trust-the-product/we-all-need-a-mentor-like-mom-

37331073b580

Higgins, M., & Kram, K. (2001). Reconceptualizing Mentoring at Work: A Developmental

Network Perspective. The Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 264.

https://www.bu.edu/sph/files/2012/01/Higgins-Kram_Reconceptualizing-Mentoring-at-

Work-A-Developmental-Network-Perspective.pdf

Professional presentation (professional language, grammar, spelling, word count) (10

pts).
Please proofread your work to be sure it meets university level writing standards. Note that if
your written work does not meet this standard, you will be asked to revise and resubmit within 3
days, and these points will be lost. The Writing Center can provide support. See
https://tutoring.asu.edu/writing-centers for details.