Lipman's address will follow. So complex is the subject, in fact, that Zey has written several books on it including The Mentor Connection, Winning with People and Seizing the Future, his current volume. There even is a professional organization, the International Association of Mentoring, comprising both academicians and practitioners, which meets once a year to discuss developments in the field. At a School of Business FSIP Colloquium earlier this month, Zey presented an overview of his plan to conduct an evaluation of corporate mentor programs. With 17 years of experience as a consultant to businesses who wish to establish such programs, he seems uniquely qualified for what promises to be an enormous task.
Corporate programs are far from uniform.
Zey's study will first identify companies with programs in place and then develop a typology by looking at various factors, beginning with goals. There are firms, for example, who want to promote the personal and professional development of their employees. Others seek to provide orientation, help employees understand the corporate culture or learn specific job skills. Still others seek the advancement of women or minority employees or to develop those who have been identified as possessing great potential. Leadership development is yet another focus.