Peer support may benefit greatly from mentoring in a number of ways. Peers who mentor one another impart information, wisdom, and insights to support one another’s development on both a personal and professional level.
The following are some ways that peer support might benefit from mentoring:
1. Empowerment and Motivation: Peer mentoring fosters a positive atmosphere that gives people a sense of empowerment and motivation. Peers can offer support and motivation to overcome barriers since they frequently understand one another’s struggles.
2. Shared Understanding: Compared to a supervisor, peers are more able to relate to one other’s experiences. Empathy is cultivated and more candid and open discussion regarding obstacles and disappointments is made possible by this shared understanding.
3. Trust and Confidentiality: Peers frequently have comparable duties and responsibilities, so when exchanging confidential information or talking about career goals, there’s a sense of trust and secrecy that may not exist in a supervisor-subordinate relationship.
4. Constructive Feedback: Peers can offer helpful criticism in a more casual setting since they are more likely to have experienced comparable circumstances themselves. This criticism is frequently more applicable and useful.
5. Skill Development: Peer mentoring facilitates the sharing of information and skills. Different talents that each person may bring to the table might result in a symbiotic learning partnership.
6. Reduced Hierarchy: Peer mentoring alleviates the hierarchical strain, making it easier for people to ask for help and advice.
Now, let’s discuss how mentoring is different from supervision:
1. Formality and Power Dynamic: A more formal and regulated interaction between a supervisor and a subordinate is usually included in supervision. More power and accountability over the work and performance of the subordinates rests with the supervisor. Peer mentorship, in contrast, is a more casual and equal partnership in which the duties of the two sides are identical.
2. Focus of Support: The main objectives of supervision are to oversee and guide a subordinate’s work to accomplish organisational objectives. The focus is on evaluating performance, establishing goals, and making sure activities are finished as needed. Peer mentorship, on the other hand, focuses on sharing experiences and expertise, encouraging each other’s progress, and fostering personal and professional development.
3. Hierarchy in Decision Making: Decisions made by the supervisor in a supervisory relationship are frequently expected to be followed by the subordinate. Peer mentoring involves cooperative decision-making wherein both mentors and mentorees contribute to the development of strategies or solutions.
4. Organizational Context: Since a supervisor has supervisory duties over a subordinate, supervision is usually associated with an organisational structure. Peer mentorship tends to happen more naturally based on shared interests and relationships, while it may be supported and fostered by organisations.
5. Evaluation and Accountability: In a relationship of supervision, the supervisor keeps the subordinate accountable and assesses their performance. Without a structured evaluation procedure, peer mentorship focuses on mutual learning and development.
In conclusion, peer mentoring is a casual, empowering, and encouraging connection in which peers impart information, expertise, and experiences to promote one another’s professional and personal growth. It is not the same as supervision, which is more formal, hierarchical, and concerned with controlling employee performance in an organisational setting. In a peer-to-peer assistance system, both strategies have their advantages and functions.
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