Mentoring and coaching leaders in the public sector

M.Comm.Due to skills shortages brought about by various factors, the study seeks to determine and quantify the perceived importance of mentoring and coaching leaders in the workplace. For the purpose of this study, leadership and management are viewed as not being mutually exclusive. Management’s perceptions and attitudes toward skills development are also examined and various mentoring and coaching models are discussed. The scope of the research is confined to the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED) and the research study is targeted at middle and senior management. The research study takes place during a period of organisational transformation within the GDED. This is a quantitative study and was undertaken by means of questionnaire design as a research instrument. Mentoring and coaching as a talent management mechanism as well as a strategy to retain skilled employees in an organisation is gaining momentum globally. As older and more experienced employees retire from the labour force, skills and knowledge transfer to younger employees becomes critical to ensure sustainability in organisations. Mentoring and coaching is thus an option to ensure that skills and knowledge are not lost due to an increasing number of workers retiring. Within the context of mentoring and coaching a number of factors are examined which could influence the mentoring and coaching experience. These factors include, but are not limited to issues around race, gender, ethnicity and cultural differences. Literature suggests that these are critical factors which influence the outcome of mentoring and coaching relationships. The perceptions around race, gender, ethnicity and cultural differences within the context of the mentoring and coaching experience are discussed and its significance is quantified in the research. The finding from the questionnaires are presented and discussed in the research study followed by recommendations and conclusions