Reverse mentoring puts junior employees in the driver’s seat, allowing them to take on the role of mentor for the benefit of more senior employees. From filling knowledge gaps to tackling taboos, it could be a win-win approach for the inclusive pharma company
Words by Cheyenne Eugene
If you think of mentoring, the image of a senior employee imparting wisdom to a junior member of staff will likely spring to mind.
Reverse mentoring (RM) flips this idea on its head and sees younger employees, or those with a different background or identity, share their experiences and perspectives with their more senior colleagues. The ultimate aim is to diversify company culture and add value to the business.
With this in mind, the benefits of an RM scheme are relatively obvious, but knowing how to design one and what to consider may not be. Here, GOLD asks experts to offer some advice on how to create a mutually beneficial initiative.
1. Have a purpose
An RM programme should have a clear purpose and be clearly aligned with an organisation’s strategy, employee priorities and the external environment.
Building on existing area of strategy – be it equality, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, digital transformation or something else – can help an organisation to set clear goals and achieve tangible results.
How to find a clear direction is explained by Geoff Smith, CEO, Grayce, a graduate talent development company. He recommends conducting a gap analysis “to identify where [the company] is now compared to where it wants to be in the short, medium and long term”, before adding that it’s important these activities are authentic and not “a tick-box exercise”.
2. Create a safe space
Destigmatising knowledge gaps and creating a safe space between mentor and mentee is essential from the outset.
“It’s really normal for everybody to be nervous at the start of one of these programmes,” says Rebecca Hunt, Vice President, Patient and Community Engagement, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, who has participated in such a scheme. “There could easily be sensible worries around showing yourself up for not knowing something.”
Younger mentors can be given the confidence to mentor an older colleague through training and support from an expert external organisation. And for mentees, providing reading material, videos and glossaries in advance means they can arrive with questions and reflections.
3. Establish a learning agreement
Confidentiality and trust are indispensable, and Smith urges companies to “create a learning agreement” for participants that ensures both parties are on the same page.
For example, Grayce’s ‘Walk a Mile’ RM initiative provided participants with a learning agreement template that each pair could tailor to suit them. This provided the tools and language to easily set and implement boundaries and trust from the outset.
4. Try virtual, then in-person
While face-to-face meetings can lead to a more personal bonding experience, they have the potential to heighten feelings of anxiety and risk inhibiting productive a conversation.
Meeting online can be a safer first step, allowing a wider range of people to participate. While the psychology of online meetings is still being explored, “video conferencing is very democratic”, Hunt points out.
5. Keep it consistent
Making time for the commitment may be a concern for busy professionals, but experts say consistency will lead to a greater return on that investment.
“Make the programme business as usual, rather than a one-off exercise, so that the benefits continue indefinitely,” advises Smith. In addition, Hunt says: “I had to make sure that this time was protected, so that I could not only invest in myself, but also be respectful of the people who were mentoring me.” In a survey, 94% of respondents felt that reverse mentoring had helped to break down barriers.
Conclusion
Reverse mentoring has huge potential. If it’s done right, it can turn traditional power structures on their head and challenge the status quo in a truly positive, productive way.
“As a leader, you have a responsibility to set the tone for your organisation,” concludes Hunt. A huge swathe of leaders in the pharmaceutical industry are Gen X or Boomers, meaning there may well be knowledge gaps at the top that could be filled by insights from younger employees. “It’s really easy not to know what your own blind spots are,” he adds.
Exploring previously taboo topics will undoubtedly benefit companies, their employees and the patients they serve. Stakeholders of all ages, ethnicities, abilities, locations and identities need to feel valued and understood by the industry, and reverse mentoring could be a way to ensure these goals are met and exceeded.
