Abstract

Drawing on mentoring theory and social network theory, this study investigates the effects of mentors` mentoring network characteristics on mentors` and proteges` Organization-based Self-esteem (OBSE). The purpose of this study is as follows: First, to examine the relationships between mentors` in-degree centrality and mentors` OBSE. Second, to examine the relationships between network means in-degree centrality of mentors and proteges` OBSE. We tested, in a sample of 167 managerial workers, hypotheses regarding the effects of mentors` network characteristics on OBSE. Complete network data was used in this study for the Social Network Analysis. Results supported our expectations concerning the positive relationships between mentors` mentoring network characteristics (in-degree centrality, network mean of in-degree centrality) and mentors` and proteges` OBSE. This study contributes not only to the mentoring literature, but to the literature on social networks by bringing mentors back in mentoring network studies.