ANALYSIS OF A SIMILARITY-BASED APPROACH TO POSITIVELY AFFECT MENTOR-MENTEE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG SERVICE MEMBERS
Authors
Reeder, Thomas P.
Subjects
sponsorship
mentorship
network science
optimization
personalization
mentorship
network science
optimization
personalization
Advisors
Gera, Ralucca
Date of Issue
2021-06
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
Mentorship encourages growth between a mentor and a mentee and, as a result, positively affects relationships within an organization. Effective mentorship can influence professional development that can positively impact the Undersea Warfare (USW) community through increased performance, knowledge sharing, positive work-life culture, and retention. Currently, the United States Navy institutes a Command Sponsorship and Indoctrination Program to assist incoming service members as they settle into a new command. We focus on the scope of this program and recognize that a sponsor serves in a mentorship role to the incoming service member.
The existing process outlines general selection criteria for sponsors (mentors) before they are assigned to incoming service members (mentees). In our study, we complement those criteria with a network science perspective that uses personal attributes to connect mentors and mentees with the goal of supporting a stronger connection between them. We accomplish this through a modified assignment process, referred to as the Similarity-Based Node Pairing (SBNP) Model, that prioritizes similarity of the service members based on select attributes among both mentors and mentees. As a proof of concept, we test this process through a simulated network of people with randomly assigned attributes and deliver mentor-mentee pairings.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Applied Mathematics (MA)
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.