Functional Mentoring

In this chapter, we focus on functional mentoring, a form of dyadic mentoring in which a mentee partners with a mentor with specific expertise in order to address a particular mentoring need (Thorndyke et al., 2008). The focus of a functional mentoring relationship is often working on a project that may provide the opportunity for collaboration (Gusic, Milner, et al., 2010). While functional mentoring typically occurs between one mentor and one mentee, this dyadic team can exist within a constellation of an individual’s mentoring relationships (Aylor et al., 2016; Balmer et al., 2011; Christou et al., 2017; DeCastro et al., 2013). Functional mentoring is also a structure that aligns with the principles outlined by Kram and Higgins in their description of developmental networks in which personal and professional relationships evolve over time as the individual’s needs for support change (Higgins, 2001).