Managing One's Age in Age-Dissimilar Mentoring Relationships

The aging of the workforce creates opportunities for experienced employees to share expertise with newer employees, via mentoring relationships. Age-dissimilar interactions, however, like those between mentor and protege, can engender challenging interpersonal dynamics such as concern about how others view and respond to them. The current study examines the unique challenges and opportunities of age-dissimilar mentoring relationships, using a sample of doctor and lawyer proteges. Findings suggest that age dissimilarity does not play as large of a role in mentoring relationship outcomes as age-related behaviors. How one manages their age seems to be more important, such that managing one's age in a positive way by redefining age-related stereotypes rather than switching attention away from stereotypes is better for mentoring relationship outcomes no matter the age difference between mentor and protege. Implications, inferences, and limitations are discussed.