Evidence on the Use of Mentoring Programs and Practices to Support Workplace Learning: A Systematic Multiple‐Studies Review

The purpose of this systematic multiple-studies review was to synthesize the current trends in the research evidence of mentoring programs for workplace learning and to determine how to facilitate mentoring relationships in organizations to achieve individual performance gains and organizational-performance improvement. A systematic review of the literature on electronic databases was conducted to identify relevant information pertaining to mentoring and mentor programs. Findings were synthesized using a multiple-studies-review (MSR) approach; 26 studies were identified for inclusion. The most common current trends involve an increasing focus on mentors (i.e., role, qualifications, approach, and learning). We found 10 constructs related to examples of successful outcomes in workplace mentoring programs, which are represented in a new theoretical model. There is a growing body of research that link evidence of formal mentoring with individuals' workplace learning gains and performance improvement but very few studies that link mentoring programs with organizational-performance improvements.