The Motivation to Mentor among Managerial Employees: An Interactionist Approach

Abstract

The authors examined the influence of individual and situational characteristics on the motivation to mentor. Respondents were managerial employees (N = 167) in the maintenance career stage employed in public and private sectors in Singapore. The model accounted for 41% (R2) of the explained variance in the motivation to mentor with the additive or main effects contributing 37% (ΔR2) and the interaction terms contributing a modest 4% (ΔR2). The significant findings indicate that the motivation to mentor may be predicted by individual characteristics (altruism, positive affectivity), situational characteristics (employee development-linked reward system and opportunities for interaction on the job), and their interaction terms (opportunities for interaction on the job and altruism). Limitations of the study, implications of the findings, and directions for future research are discussed.