Track: Construction Management

Abstract

Introducing new employees into the organisation,  thereby establishing the organizational  culture and   values is  an often   under estimated tool for improving organisational effectiveness and efficiency, especially in a diverse work-force context such as South  Africa. The business world has long known and relied upon mentoring as a proven technique for developing in-house talent, mentoring is experiencing resurgence because business leaders not only recognise the benefits of transferring knowledge among employees.  The study describes better practices that organisations can use to address the threat of lost knowledge caused by changing workforce demographics. The study was mainly a literature review, qualitative with a special focus on the influences of mentoring on socialisation and retention of new employees within organisations. The data used in the report was mainly qualitative, based on the content analysis, and historical data. The findings reveal mentoring is an integral part of socialisation process and is crucial for socialising new employees into   the organisation. Mentoring is amongst others a training and development tool to assist individuals in the upward progression in companies. Mentoring is also a mechanism by which   employees are equipped to adapt to organisational change. The study indicated knowledge transfer assists employees in improving their skill sets which increase their marketability and the potential for them to pursue career opportunities elsewhere. Also, mentoring relationships can assist organisations in addressing this challenge. On average the individual who had been mentored reported high levels of knowledge transfer were more likely to report higher turnover intentions. The early success of the initiatives described provides useful lessons for the construction industry and executives who recognise that knowledge retention, socialisation and mentoring of new employees are critical for sustaining future organisational performance. In addition to this, mentoring relationships may assist organisations in simultaneously promoting effective knowledge transfer and commitment that assist in the retention of key knowledge workers. Future research in this area is recommended to understand better how mentoring relationships may benefit organisations.