A Study of Mentor-Protege Relationships in Large Public Accounting Firms

Based on open-ended interviews with mentors and proteges, several studies found that mentors provide 3 functions: 1. coaching, 2. social support, and 3. role modeling. In addition to questions regarding mentoring in general, a study was designed to determine which of these mentoring activities, if any, might be associated with employee intentions to stay with their public accounting firm. It was found that those employees who reported having a mentor had a higher frequency of intentions to stay with the firm than did those who reported no mentor. Employees who indicated that their mentor was a partner in the firm had a higher frequency of intentions to stay than did those who reported their mentor was a manager. Regarding mentorship activities, consistent rating differences were found between proteges who intend to stay and those who intend to leave. Public accounting mentors may best be able to integrate employees into the firm by providing the employee with special coaching.