ABSTRACT
A valid theory is a thing of beauty. Over the last 10 or 15 years, social scientists have articulated some interesting theories about developmental relationships in organizations. Following the initiative of Boston University Professor Kathy Kram, they have defined developmental relationships as those in which a senior person in an organization renders help to a more junior person, and they have proposed that developmental relationships can be beneficial to the junior person, the senior person, and the organization. Even while acknowledging the costs of developmental or mentoring relationships, theorists have sent a bold and clear message to industry: Mentoring relationships can benefit everyone in the organization.
