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What matters in the relationship between mentoring and job-related stress? The moderating effects of protégés’ traditionality and trust in mentor

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2014

Jing Qian ,
XiaoSong Lin ,
Zhuo R Han ,
Zhen X Chen  and
Jay M Hays
Jing Qian
Affiliation:
Business School, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
XiaoSong Lin*
Affiliation:
School of Management, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
Zhuo R Han
Affiliation:
Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
Zhen X Chen
Affiliation:
Research School of Management, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Jay M Hays
Affiliation:
Faculty of Business and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak, Malaysia
*
Corresponding author: [email protected]
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Abstract

Mentoring received by protégés has been shown to play an important role in relieving protégés’ job-related stress. However, literature on the relationship between mentoring and job-related stress has yielded mixed and inconclusive results. Our research seeks to reconcile the conflicting implications by examining protégés’ individual traditionality and trust in mentor as moderators on the relationship between mentoring and job-related stress. We tested the hypotheses with data from a sample of 210 protégés from a large company in China. Results of our two-way and three-way interaction effect tests revealed that: (1) traditionality moderated the negative relationship between mentoring and job-related stress in such a way that the relationship was stronger for protégés with higher rather than lower traditionality; (2) the influence that mentoring had on job-related stress was strongest for protégés with both high traditionality and a high level of trust in mentor.

Keywords

mentoringjob-related stresstraditionalitytrust in mentor
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 20 , Issue 5 , September 2014 , pp. 608 - 623
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2014 

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