Mentoring is a valuable resource that enhances outcomes like career success. Applying conservation of resources theory, we examine the interaction effects of workers’ management aspirations and lengthy career interruption(s) on the mentoring-career success relationship. Utilizing 259 older professional workers, we test these relationships with both cross-sectional and time-separated data. Although the pattern of results was similar when comparing the cross-sectional data to the time-separated data, we found that relationships were stronger within the cross-sectional data, resulting in the support of two additional hypotheses. With the time-separated data, we found evidence of a three-way interaction. Specifically, mentoring is more valuable for the perceived career success of workers with higher management aspirations who had not experienced a lengthy career interruption than it is for workers with higher management aspirations who had experienced a lengthy career interruption or for workers with lower management aspirations regardless of whether they had experienced a career interruption.
AikenL. S.WestS. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Sage.
2.
AllenT. D.EbyL. T.PoteetM. L.LentzE.LimaL. (2004). Career benefits associated with mentoring for proteges: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(1), 127–136. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.89.1.127
3.
BianX.WangJ. (2019). Women’s career interruptions: An integrative review. Journal of Training and Development, 43(9), 801–820. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-03-2019-0040
4.
BlokkerR.AkkermansJ.TimsM.JansenP.KhapovaS. (2019). Building a sustainable start: The role of career competencies, career success, and career shocks in young professionals’ employability. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 112, 172–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.02.013
5.
BozionelosN.BozionelosG.KostopoulosK.PolychroniouP. (2011). How providing mentoring relates to career success and organizational commitment: A study in the general managerial population, Career Development International, 16(5), 446–468. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620431111167760
6.
BozionelosN.KostopoulosK.Van der HeijdenB.RousseauD. M.BozionelosG.HoylandT.MiaoR.MarzecI.JędrzejowiczP.EpitropakiO.MikkelsenA.ScholariosD.Van der HeijdeC. (2016). Employability and job performance as links in the relationship between mentoring receipt and career success: A study in SMEs. Group & Organization Management, 41(2), 135–171. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601115617086
7.
BrightJ. E.PryorR. G.ChanE. W. M.RijantoJ. (2009). Chance events in career development: Influence control and multiplicity. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 75(1), 14–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2009.02.007
CazaB. B.MiltonL. P. (2012). Resilience at work: Building capacity in the face of adversity. In CameronK. S.SpreitzerG. M. (Eds.), Oxford handbook of positive organizational scholarship (pp. 895–908). Oxford University Press.
10.
ChandlerD. E.KramK. E.YipJ. (2011). An ecological systems perspective on mentoring at work: A review and future prospects. The Academy of Management Annals, 7(1), 519–570. https://doi.org/10.5465/19416520.2011.576087
11.
CorrellS. J., (2004). Constraints into preferences: Gender, status and emerging career aspirations. American Sociological Review, 69(1), 93–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240406900106
12.
DreherG. F.AshR. A. (1990). A comparative study of mentoring among men and women in managerial, professional, and technical positions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 75(5), 539–546. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.75.5.539
13.
EbyL. T.AllenT. D.EvansS. C.NgT.DuBoisD. L. (2008). Does mentoring matter? A multidisciplinary meta-analysis comparing mentored and non-mentored individuals. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 72(2), 254–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2007.04.005
14.
Gara Bach OuerdianE.MansourN. (2019). The relationship of social capital with objective career success: The case of Tunisian bankers. Journal of Management Development, 38(2), 74–86. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-09-2018-0257
15.
GreenhausJ. H.CallananG. A.GodshalkV. M. (2000). Career management. Dryden.
16.
HalbeslebenJ. R. B.NeveuJ.-P.Paustian-UnderdahlS. C.WestmanM. (2014). Getting to the “COR”: Understanding the role of resources in conservation of resources theory. Journal of Management, 40(5), 1334–1364. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314527130
HirschiA. (2012). The career resources model: An integrative framework for career counsellors. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 40(4), 369–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2012.700506
19.
HiteL. M.McDonaldK. S. (2003). Career aspirations of non-managerial women: Adjustment and adaptation. Journal of Career Development, 29(4), 221–235. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022932511826
20.
HobfollS. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524, https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.44.3.513
HobfollS. E.HalbeslebenJ.NeveuJ-P.WestmanM. (2018). Conservation of resources in the organizational context: The reality of resources and their consequences. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5(1), 103–128, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104640
23.
HooblerJ. M.LemmonG.WayneS. J. (2014). Women’s managerial aspirations: An organizational development perspective. Journal of Management, 40(3), 703–730. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206311426911
24.
HuntD. M.MichaelC. (1983). Mentorship: A career training and development tool. Academy of Management Review, 8(3), 475–485. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1983.4284603
25.
Hurley-HansonA. E.WallyS.PurkissS. L. S.SonnenfeldJ. A. (2005). The changing role of education on managerial career attainment. Personnel Review, 34(5), 517–533. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480510612495
26.
JanssenS.van VuurenM.de JongM. D. T. (2016). Informal mentoring at work: A review and suggestions for future research. International Journal of Management Reviews, 18(4), 498–517. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12069
27.
KwanH. K.YimF. H-K.ZhouX. (2015). Effects of mentoring on customer orientation: The moderating role of gender. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 53(1), 124–140. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12029
28.
LitzkyB.GreenhausJ. (2007). The relationship between gender and aspirations to senior management. Career Development International, 12(7), 637–659. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430710834404
29.
LitzkyB. E. (2002). Senior management aspirations of managers and professionals: A career decision-making perspective(Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Drexel University.
30.
LondonM. (1985). Developing managers: A guide to movating and preparing people for successful managerial careers. Jossey-Bass.
31.
MarkhamW. T.HarlanS. L.HackettE. J. (1987). Promotion opportunity in organizations: Causes and consequences. In Research in personnel and human resource management (Vol. 5, pp. 223–287): JAI Press Inc.
32.
NgT. W. H.EbyL. T.SorensenK. L.FeldmanD. C. (2005). Predictors of objective and subjective career success: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 58(2), 367–408. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.00515.x
33.
NgT. W. H.FeldmanD. C. (2014). A conservation of resources perspective on career hurdles and salary attainment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 85(1), 156–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2014.05.008
34.
NoeR. A.NoeA. W.BachhuberJ. A. (1990). An investigation of the correlates of career motivation. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 37(3), 340–356. https://doi.org/10.1016/0001-8791(90)90049-8
35.
PowellG. N.ButterfieldD. A. (1981). A note on sex-role identity effects on managerial aspirations. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 54(4), 299–301. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.1981.tb00070.x
36.
PowellG. N.ButterfieldD. A. (2003). Gender, gender identity, and aspirations to top management. Women in Management Review, 18(1/2), 88–96. https://doi.org/10.1108/09649420310462361
37.
PowellG. N.ButterfieldD. A. (2013). Sex, gender, and aspirations to top management: Who’s opting out? Who’s opting in?Journal of Vocational Behavior, 82(1), 30–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.11.003
38.
RaginsB. R.KramK. E. (2007). The roots and meaning of mentoring. In RaginsB. R.KramK. E. (Eds.), The handbook of mentoring at work: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 3–15). Sage.
39.
RamaswamiA.DreherG. F.BretzR.WiethoffC. (2010). Gender, mentoring and career success: The importance of organizational context. Personnel Psychology, 63(2), 385–405. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2010.01174.x
40.
ReitmanF. A.SchneerJ. A. (2005). The long-term negative impacts of managerial career interruptions: A longitudinal study of men and women MBAs. Group & Organization Management, 30(3), 243-262. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601104269110.
41.
RynesS. L.TolbertP. S.StrausserP. G. (1988). Aspirations to manage: A comparison of engineering students and working engineers. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 32(2), 239–253. https://doi.org/10.1016/0001-8791(88)90017-6
42.
ScanduraT. A.WilliamsE. A. (2001). An investigation of the moderating effects of gender on the relationships between mentorship initiation and protégé perceptions of mentoring functions. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 59(3), 342–363. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2001.1809
43.
SchneerJ. A.ReitmanF. (1997). The interrupted managerial career path: A longitudinal study of MBAs. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 51(3), 411–434. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1996.1552
44.
SharmaP.RaniA. (2018). Empirically investigating moderating role of longevity between mentoring and scholar-guide relationship quality. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Management, 7(2), 1–6.
45.
SpurkD.HirschiA.DiresN. (2019). Antecedents and outcomes of objective versus subjective career success: Competing perspectives and future directions. Journal of Management, 45(1), 35–69. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206318786563
46.
TharenouP. (2001). Going up? Do traits and informal social processes predict advancing in management?Academy of Management Journal, 44(5), 1005–1017. https://doi.org/10.5465/3069444
47.
TheunissenG.VerbruggenM.ForrierA.SelsL. (2011). Career sidestep, wage setback? The impact of different types of employment interruptions on wages. Gender, Work and Organization, 18, e110–e131. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2009.00471.x
48.
TurbanD. B.DoughertyT.W. (1994). Role of protégé personality in receipt of mentoring and career success. Academy of Management Journal, 37(3), 688–702. https://doi.org/10.5465/256706
49.
TurbanD. B.MoakeT. R.WuS. Y-H.CheungY. H. (2017). Linking extroversion and proactive personality to career success: The role of mentoring received and knowledge. Journal of Career Development, 44(1), 20–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845316633788
50.
WentlingR. M. (1996). A study of the career development and aspirations of women in middle management. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 7(3), 253–270. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.3920070306
51.
WuX.LyuY.KwanH. K.ZhaiH. (2019). The impact of mentoring quality on proteges’ organization-based self-esteem and proactive behavior: The moderating role of traditionality. Human Resource Management, 58(4), 417–430. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21968
