Who wants to be a mentor? An examination of attitudinal, instrumental, and social motivational components

PurposeThis study investigates the influence of affective organizational commitment, career aspirations, and networking activities on propensity to mentor (serving as a mentor and desiring to become a mentor).Design/methodology/approachData from websurveys of 262 managerial employees of a Dutch bank are analyzed using logistic regression.FindingsResults indicate that affective organizational commitment is unrelated to propensity to mentor, whereas career aspirations are positively related, and networking activities are negatively related to serving as a mentor, but not desiring to be a mentor.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited by its reliance on self‐report data and the Dutch culture may have influenced the results of the study to an unknown degree.Practical implicationsResults of this study suggest that employees volunteering to be a mentor are clearly ambitious in terms of their own career, but are not necessarily highly committed to their organization nor do they perform exemplary behaviors in terms of extra role behavior or networking.Originality/valueIndividuals are more likely to engage in mentoring activities and to desire to become a mentor if they have high career aspirations. This relationship may be the result of an instrumental perspective on the part of the mentor, who sees developing a cadre of loyal and supportive organizational members as having a positive effect on his or her own career advancement.