Authors
1
PhD student in Public Administration, Kish International Campus, University of Tehran, Kish, Iran
2
Associate Professor, Department of Leadership and Human Capital, Faculty of Public Administration and Organizational Sciences, Faculty of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Background & Purpose: The mentoring process in higher education plays an important role in the professional and personal development of students and faculty, but the termination or separation phase of this relationship is often less studied and can have significant impacts on the experience of mentors. This study aimed to investigate and explain the lived experiences of mentors in the mentoring termination phase in Tehran Medical Sciences Universities.
Methodology: This study was conducted with a qualitative approach based on Van Manen's interpretive phenomenology, and data were collected through 15 semi-structured interviews with mentors who had direct experience of the termination of the relationship and analyzed using MaxQDA software.
Findings: The analysis of the research data showed that the termination of the mentoring relationship is a multi-layered and meaningful phenomenon that is understood both as a transformational stage for rethinking and learning and as an opportunity for growth and redefining the professional and personal roles of mentors and mentees. This stage includes emotional, managerial, and organizational dimensions, and how it is managed by the mentor, planning, organizational support, and post-termination interactions play a key role. The present study showed that the termination of the mentoring relationship is not only the end of the relationship, but also an opportunity for personal transformation, role redefinition, and strengthening professional networks.
Conclusion: findings of this study indicate that termination phase of the mentoring relationship is an important opportunity for personal transformation and professional role redefinition for mentors and mentees. Therefore, by properly planning, providing organizational support, training mentors in emotional and professional management of this stage, and facilitating posttermination interactions, administrators of higher education centers can not only improve mentoring experience but also strengthen professional networks and human capacity development. These measures help increase mentors' job satisfaction, organizational productivity, and the sustainability of professional relationships.
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