Running a mentoring program is hard, time-consuming, prone to bias and often has mixed results. Mentoring software can certainly lighten the load, but it still requires a strong program manager to design the program, engage key stakeholders, design and execute a strong communications plan, leverage the software to ensure time is well spent, program sponsors are advocates and engaged and outcomes are achieved. Brancher has been receiving requests to create and lead expert mentoring program manager training. Whilst this might be something we’ll do in the future, for now, we’ll share our tips in this article for free.
Hiring an Organisational Psychologist to implement your mentoring program or train your program manager will help to maximise results. According to the Australian Psychological Society, Organisational Psychologists (or IO Psychologists) study human behaviours in the workplace. They assess the organisational dynamics, individually and as a group. Using that research, they identify solutions to problems aimed at improving the performance and wellbeing of the organisation and its workforce. Organisational Psychologists are trained on how to maximise connection, collaboration, mentoring and performance outcomes for organisations.
Holly Brailsford, the co-founder and CEO of Brancher, is an Organisational Psychologist who has put her expertise to good use. Before starting Brancher, she saw countless mentoring programs fail due to poor matching, training and program management. As a result, she partnered with Software Engineer, Jake Bayer, to create the future of mentoring, a mentoring platform for organisations called Brancher, which is grounded in organisational psychology and the latest research from the behavioural sciences.
While there are other mentoring platforms in existence, Brancher is the only one that takes personality and values into account when matching. The entire software solution has been designed around organisational psychology principles - everything from how people are recruited and engaged, how they are matched, the bite-sized training and learning resources, smart personalised nudges, goal setting and gamification. The most important thing about mentoring is the human connection and interaction - so everything in the software is designed to support that, not distract or take away from it. All Brancher customers have the support of Holly’s expertise in the field of Organisational Psychology as she continues to design customised and evidence-based mentoring programs for organisations.
In this article, let’s talk about Holly’s field in Organisational Psychology and why hiring one can help bring mentorship to new heights.
What is an Organisational Psychologist?
As mentioned above, Organisational Psychologists (or IO Psychologists) study human behaviours in the workplace. They work with business leaders to ensure maximum performance and wellbeing of their organisation.
Organisational Psychologists are data-driven and evidence-based. Using the data they’ve collected and the latest best practice frameworks, they come up with evidence- (or science-based) ways to improve the quality of life of the employees and improve workplace conditions that will help with the organisation’s efficiency and performance.
When first engaging with a new client who’s interested in exploring mentoring, here are some questions they might ask:
- Have you run a mentoring program previously? What has worked well/ not so well with that?
- What is the core problem you’re trying to solve by implementing mentoring?
- How necessary is it to solve that problem?
- What would a successful program look like? How would you know it was successful?
- What barriers might get in the way of implementing a mentoring program?
By having these answers, Organisational Psychologists help business leaders understand whether mentoring would add value to their organisation.
How Does Having an Organisational Psychologist Help Mentorship
IO Psychologists have received specialised training in the science of analysing human behaviour in the workplace. They are scientist-practitioners equipped with a deep knowledge of how issues can affect the success of a business. Through the data they have collected, they can help solve organisational problems in the workplace, which commonly include the following:
- The need for training and development
- Optimising wellbeing and minimising psychosocial hazards
- Coaching employees and organisation leaders
- Formulating mentoring programs and evaluating their effectiveness
Before launching a mentoring program, it’s important to spend time in the “discovery” and “design” phases. Brancher helps clients through these phases and will provide honest feedback on whether mentoring is a good fit based on the core business challenges and context.
We interviewed Holly Brailsford, Co-founder of Brancher and asked her why it makes sense to hire an Organisational Psychologist in mentoring. Here’s our interview:
Q: What is Brancher’s edge over other platforms that have no organisational psychologist?
Holly: “Brancher's entire software (mentee-mentor matching, training, user experience and program management model) has been designed by Organisational Psychologists (not just myself, but I’ve had a team of experts design different sections of the platform and org psych mentors provide feedback and quality assure all aspects). Organisational Psychologists are experts in understanding the science of people at work. They know the latest best practice methods and frameworks to develop cutting-edge mentoring programs that deliver real results”
Holly explains the key benefits of working with an Organisational Psychologist in mentoring are:
- Science-based - In Australia, they undertake 6+ years of University study with Masters Qualifications (plus another 2 years of supervised practice, totalling 8 years!) to understand the science of people at work, and continuously apply evidence-based practice to their work (staying up to date with the latest research and implementing this into practical programs)
- Strong ethics, morals and code of conduct - They are bound by their country's health regulation agency in regard to their Code of Conduct, ensuring that they have strict rules around confidentiality, boundaries, conflicts of interest, and ethical customer support.
- Strong training for mentors - They are experts in designing, implementing and evaluating learning and development programs. They know how to quickly up-skill mentors and ensure they know how to deal with difficult conversations, including mental or financial health challenges, and how to adapt their mentoring style depending on the situation and mentee. Brancher has key frameworks and principles to support both mentees and mentors when they need additional support.
- Exceptional customer support - Brancher recognises that technology or software is only one part of the solution, a good mentoring program needs strong change management, project management and communications. That is exactly what Org Psychs are trained in - they apply psychological theories to the workplace to generate behaviour change and implement successful mentoring programs.
- Strong evaluation - As seen by Brancher's ROI calculator and benefits page, they have a strong evaluation framework to demonstrate ROI back to clients, ensuring strong stakeholder support for future programs.”
After hearing Holly’s response, we then asked ChatGPT the key benefits of using an Organisational Psychologist and we agreed with the response:
- Specialised Expertise: Organisational psychologists have a deep understanding of human behaviour, motivation, and workplace dynamics.
- Scientific Approach: Utilisation of evidence-based methods and psychological theories to design effective mentoring programs.
- Holistic Assessments: Comprehensive evaluation of employees' skills, abilities, and perceptions, providing a more nuanced understanding.
- Behavioural Insights: Expertise in diagnosing and addressing underlying behavioural issues that standard consultants might overlook.
- Personalised Strategies: Development of tailored mentoring approaches based on psychological assessments and individual needs.
- Conflict Management: Advanced skills in mediating and resolving conflicts within the workplace.
- Long-Term Impact: Focus on sustainable development and long-term improvement in employee performance and satisfaction.
- Enhanced Well-being: Prioritisation of employee mental health and well-being within the mentoring process.
Q: How have you applied your knowledge in Brancher?
Holly: “The thing I love most about Brancher is supporting our customers. Helping them to design industry-leading mentoring programs, launch and sustain a successful program with mentoring relationships that have been described as life-changing, and measure success to ensure programs are continuously improved."
Q: How Do You See Brancher’s Growth in Five Years’ Time?
Holly: “Brancher's growth has doubled every year since we started our business. We have a strong vision to help people to realise their potential through the power of mentoring. In five years, we will be a leading international mentoring software providing working with customers all over the world to help them develop and retain their staff, through creating meaningful mentoring connections.
More research has recently been released, further proving that matching mentees and mentors on deep-level characteristics is still one of the most important factors for success, and yet, no other software provider in the world is considering this. Brancher's AI chemistry matching algorithm takes organisational psychology research and frameworks and makes it practical, creating meaningful mentee-mentor connections.”
To see Brancher in action, you can book a demo and get an overview of how our mentoring software works. Step into the future of mentoring software and career development just like our previous clients like the Ai Group, Super Retail Group, the Government of South Australia, and many more.
Resources:
- Australian Psychological Society. https://psychology.org.au/psychology/about-psychology/types-of-psychologists/organisational-psychology
- Deng, Connie, Gulseren, Duygu, Turner, Nick. (2022, February). How to match mentors and protégés for successful mentorship programs: A review of the evidence and recommendations for practitioners. Leadership & Organization Development Journal. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357974568_How_to_match_mentors_and_proteges_for_successful_mentorship_programs_A_review_of_the_evidence_and_recommendations_for_practitioners