Development of A Mentoring System for Producing Performance Output for Higher-Level Promotion of Operational Staff at Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand

Abstract

This research aimed to: 1) study the needs assessment for mentoring-based coaching, 2) develop a mentoring system, and 3) study the effectiveness of the mentoring system for promoting the academic and professional advancement work of operational staff at Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand. The sample group was selected through purposive sampling, divided into three groups: Group 1: two high-level executives involved in human resource policy-making and management; Group 2: five operational mentors experienced in coaching mentees and who had achieved promotion to higher positions; and Group 3: five operational mentees who had received coaching from mentors. The research instrument utilized was an in-depth interview. Satisfaction questionnaire, and an activity record form. The research results revealed the following: 1) The needs assessment revealed that administrators must prioritize, actively support, and genuinely create opportunities. Key aspects included upskilling existing competencies, organizing short-term training programs to inspire mentors, and establishing learning exchange networks within the same job family and across the organization.  In addition, relationship-building activities should be organized prior to the commencement of the mentoring process, an appropriate mentor-to-mentee ratio (1:3), and mentors and mentees should be paired based on similarities in job titles or work characteristics 2) the mentoring system developed by the researcher comprised four core components: Input, Process, Output, and Outcome. The efficiency evaluation of the proposed mentoring system by three experts yielded an Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) of 0.67. and 3) Regarding the effectiveness of the mentoring system in promoting the career advancement work of operational staff, the evaluation of mentees' satisfaction toward their mentors was overall at the highest level (= 5.00). Similarly, mentors' satisfaction toward their mentees was overall at the highest level (= 4.55). Furthermore, an analysis of the actual activity logs led to a recommendation for implementing an online tracking system. The findings of this study can be applied to develop a mentoring system that enables operational staff to achieve career growth and advancement, ultimately benefiting efficient organizational development.