GROUP & ORGANIZATION MANAGEMENTodshalk, Sosik / MENTOR-PROTÉGÉ AGREEMENT Does Mentor-Protégé Agreement on Mentor Leadership Behavior Influence the Quality of a Mentoring Relationship?

This study examined whether mentor-protégé agreement regarding mentor transformational leadership behavior would influence the quality of mentoring relationships. Mentors in 199 mentor-protégé dyads were classified as overestimators, underestimators, or in agreement based on the difference between mentor’s self-rating and protégé’s rating of mentor’s transformational leadership behaviors. Results of multivariate analysis of variance indicated that underestimator dyads experience the highest quality of mentoring relationships in terms of psychosocial support received, career development, and perceived mentoring effectiveness. The practical implica-tions of these findings are discussed. Organizations are increasingly recognizing the benefits associated with mentoring relationships, in which individuals with advanced experience and knowledge provide support and facilitate the upward mobility of junior orga-nizational members (Allen, Russell, & Maetzke, 1997; Ragins & Scandura, 1997). These benefits include effective socialization of young employees (Schein, 1978), promotions and compensation (Dreher & Ash, 1990), career mobility and advancement (Scandura, 1992), career satisfaction (Fagenson, 1989), career commitment (Colarelli & Bishop, 1990), enhanced productiv