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Mentoring Proposed Process and Key Concepts

  • 04/08/2010 9:44 AM
    Message # 322233
    Anonymous

    Dear MAGIP Board of Directors,

    The MAGIP Mentoring Subcommittee wishes your review and input regarding a proposed process for mentoring and some key concepts before we proceed to creating a prototype of the program this summer. I've emailed the one page proposal to each of you. The proposal references our planning document, which explains our activites and ideas. Both of these documents can be found linked from our Mentoring web page http://www.magip.org/Mentoring.

    Board discussion opens today, April 8, and closes on April 14 at which time voting will begin.

    Respectfully,

    Diane

  • 04/12/2010 1:01 PM
    Reply # 324015 on 322233
    Lee Macholz (Administrator)
    What do you envision when you talk about an 'administrator'?  Are you thinking of utilizing the MAGIP administrator (Janet's replacement) or a volunteer administrator or the Mentoring subcommittee's chair (or other committee member)?

    I think this is the only flag for me - everything else sounds good!
  • 04/12/2010 1:39 PM
    Reply # 324029 on 322233
    Diane Papineau

    It is really important that the Board talk about support for mentoring at this stage in planning. Thank you for asking about this, Lee. 

    The mentoring subcommittee does not know which person would do the tasks assigned to an administrator in our plan (but likely whomever replaces Janet would be ideal). It is possible that a member of the Professional Development Committee could take these on, but we thought that a paid person doing some of these items would ensure that they get done if the system depends upon them. We aim for as little support as possible to meet one of our goals--that of a self-sustaining/self-guiding mentoring program.

    The mentoring subcommittee can be very specific as the prototype and the marketing develop to identify what tasks need to happen and how much time (cost) it will take. We can have those details projected at the time the Board would later vote to adopt the program and publicize it (versus this vote, which just lets us proceed to create the prototype).

    If the program becomes successful, it would be easier to justify membership dollars supporting it. It has also occurred to us that if mentoring plays a strong role in supporting the mission of MLIAC (local government data develpment and sharing statewide), then perhaps MLIAC funds could be requested via granting to fund the administrator or the organization in supporting mentoring.

    Diane

  • 04/14/2010 10:02 AM
    Reply # 325300 on 322233
    Linda Vance

    1. The thing I would need to see in here before I support it is a plan to develop a "code of ethics" for mentors that explicitly lays out what can and can't be done in the mentoring relationship.  I do not mean to sound paranoid --although having practiced law for twenty years I always will be-- but I can envision a whole host of abuses that could occur, including but not limited to sexual harassment, misuse of confidential and personal information, etc, etc.  In that same vein, I would like to see the whole program reviewed by an attorney before it is launched to ensure that any actions of a mentor occurring outside MAGIP's control cannot be blamed on MAGIP.

    2. I also think that eligibility needs to be specified: is there a group of people who, while members, cannot avail themselves of the mentoring opportunity, or who can only have a special peer-level mentor (e.g. students)?

    3. I think there needs to be a mentoring contract written up that can be adapted for each relationship, setting out the scope and duration, so that it does not have to be open-ended.

    4. I would like to see an outreach component for tribal GIS staff

  • 04/14/2010 11:16 AM
    Reply # 325343 on 322233
    Anonymous

    Thanks Diane and all for coming up with the idea and basis for a mentoring program.  It's a very important peice that's been missing from our MAGIP community. 

    I echo Linda Vance's comments about a tribal component. 

    As part of the Phase II, I would like to see a "bullet list" of things that might be covered.  Not only might it help some mentors/mentees to have a few "potential starting points," but I think it would stimulate good thought and input from others outside the mentoring subcommittee.  At the top of my bullet list today would be "Framework Data Layers."

    It would be good to have an exit interview or something similar with mentees.  Were our efforts at outreach really effective?  Could we be doing something better?  Could we be doing something more?

    Thanks again for all of your hard work to come up with this much needed program -
    Kris

  • 04/14/2010 12:08 PM
    Reply # 325371 on 322233
    Diane Papineau

    Thank you for your thoughtful comments, Linda. As you consider my replies, please keep in mind that any vote called now would be to proceed with creating a program prototype, not a vote to release and implement a program. The program is not formed yet. Your comments help tremendously toward formation.

    1. Your suggestion of consulting an attorney may be wise if MAGIP wants to stand firmly behind such a mentoring program. Is MAGIP willing and able to fund analysis by an attorney? At what stage should the Mentoring plan be to permit a solid assessment by an attorney?  Should this consulting task be done before *this* vote on the general process and key concepts (pre-prototype)? A developed prototype program would still need another vote by the Board to approve the program and implement it. In my opinion, voting down a mentoring program later in the year for legal reasons (or any other reason) is an acceptable (perhaps disappointing) possible outcome, but in my opinion it does not diminish the worthiness of this organization exploring creating a mentoring program.

    2. I want to be sure I understand your comment: It sounds like you are concerned that a student or new practitioner with little GIS experience could seek a mentor who is highly skilled and cause an undue burden on that mentor. If this is what you mean, know that we are aware of this possibility and it is why the critical recognition that mentoring is not a replacement for adequate training is one of the key concepts presented to the Board in this discussion. Further thoughts:

    First: It has never come up that a MAGIP member could not avail themselves of mentoring through MAGIP. In fact, we'd propose the opposite. With the same breath, however, we will insist through a mentoring guide, training of mentors, and robust web pages that mentoring is not a replacement for adequate training. We see Mentors as just as likely to send a mentee back to a Help file, university coursework, self-paced/guided training, or to another GIS practitioner to get the assistance they need.

    Second, a mentor chooses to be in a mentor/mentee relationship. No one is brokering, no one is obligated. I see it a bit like my seeking a grad advisor. I had to ask to study with him and he could choose to refuse me as a student if my interests were not similar enough or if I he saw me as ill prepared or unmotivated. This guidance for mentors would be in the mentoring guide.

    Third, we see mentoring relationships in our GIS community as conceptually as being assembled along a ladder (and we are using that graphic in our advertising for the conference). The same person can be both a mentor and a mentee depending upon their needs and skills, mentoring down the ladder at times and being a mentee under folks a few rungs ahead. I.e.: Diane Papineau can mentor students, beginner, and intermediate practitioners, cartographers, geographic information designers while at the same time reaching out to you, Gerry, Duane, and others for the tasks I'm unfamiliar with. This approach distributes the workload of strengthening GIS practices and data in our state. Mentor/mentee pairings could be situational (task related) or long term or both.

    3. Use of a contract has come up in our discussions. We see its usefulness to define boundaries, expectations, duration, etc. However, two problems emerge: First, the mentor may not feel as free to leave the relationship if the mentee proves to be too ill prepared or unmotivated. Second, a contract then becomes workload for someone in MAGIP to manage, which goes against a very important program goal of creating a self-sustaining, low maintenance program. If the Board prefers a mentoring contract, the organization begins stepping into the middle of the mentoring relationship (perhaps placing more legal responsibility on MAGIP) and it would require staffing.

    4. Agreed.

    From my view, all of these ideas, requests, and concerns are valid and valuable and they can be addressed while creating the prototype. Perhaps they do not warrant stopping prototype development. An affirmative vote in the next couple of days permits this development. The only exception I can think of is consulting an attorney. Does the Board want an attorney's opinion before the subcommittee creates a prototype mentoring program (i.e. before this vote)?

    Respectfully,

    Diane

     

  • 04/14/2010 12:36 PM
    Reply # 325398 on 322233
    Diane Papineau

    Thank you Kris for your comments and thoughts. These discussions are really valuable.

    In the Background/Context section of our planning document we identify two "drivers" (the energy) behind a self-sustaining mentoring program. The first are the mentees. They have a need and they will be compelled to seek assistance. The second driver could be MAGIP "best practices" including an understanding of the role of Framework Data. So far, this second driver is a theoretically driver. It would require a person or persons to leverage a mentoring program to get best practices out beyond the GIS leadership in the state. I think the secondary driver in this program could be an enormous opportunity (READ: venue) for MAGIP, MLIAC, and the state GIO to reach practitioners and thereby strengthen spatial data and products in our state. This driver would remain a theoretical driver until the person or persons in a position to do the driving leverage the program for those reasons.

    From this comment, Kris, I see the suggestion that the mentoring guide, web pages, and mentor training be a practical vehicle by which GIS leadership in the state could recommend (require?) mentors to know best practices (!) and to teach/influence their mentees about them as well. How much this leadership can be self-guiding and how much "live" leadership is required to meet your request has yet to be determined, but the information can be in the materials produced for the program.

    We have mentee and mentor interviewing and reviewing steps in our proposed process (as well as conference calls among groups of mentors separate from the same for groups of mentees). As the prototype develops, the specific form those mentor or mentee interviews and commenting opportunities take will be available for review and comment by the Board and other key GIS practitioners whom we ask to be involved in program testing and review.

    Respectfully,

    Diane

  • 04/14/2010 5:02 PM
    Reply # 325569 on 322233
    Lee Macholz

    Just a couple of supporting comments:

    I think the 'exit interview' is an important process and I'm glad that it is being addressed.

    I think the idea of having an attourney analyze a proposed mentoring program is a good idea.  I think this would be most effective after the subcommittee is approved to create a prototype program (after this vote) but prior to implementing the prototype program.

    I think that the administrative issues are things we can deal with relatively easily, though I would encourage the idea of a committee member taking responsibility for some/all of the admin needs if possible.  One, the more we pay, the more responsible we are, and two, the more member/committee/personal involvement we can garner, the stronger our organization.  We need to instill a sense of ownership in our members/volunteers or we will end up resorting to paying for everything.

    Just my 2 cents!

  • 04/15/2010 9:17 AM
    Reply # 325892 on 322233
    Anonymous

    All good comments.  Mentoring can be a key piece of any education or learning process.  Often this is through internships or "working your way up" in a job setting.  I wish that the whole "apprentice" concept was more widely used in most fields.  But a mentoring program can be an important step, regardless.

    Legalities asside (though I think Linda is spot on), this brings up what is becoming my key thought with MAGIP and the great ideas it has for moving forward.  Specifically, who wil run these "programs"?  We are all volunteers who generally have a 2 year association with MAGIP leadership.  This leads to a great deal of discontinuity and makes it very hard for programs such as mentoring to grab hold. 

    I'm good with what has been brought forward as a base for moving ahead.  But we really need to work out the management/leadership elements of this or any program before we get too far down the line.

    -Tony

  • 04/15/2010 12:58 PM
    Reply # 326014 on 322233
    Diane Papineau

    Thanks Tony.....

    Your concern about who will run any of these programs is important to the mentoring program, but as you write it goes well beyond mentoring to the rest of MAGIP goals and activities. Perhaps a well crafted mentoring program may have an impact on how the Professional Development Committee is structured (co-chaired, mentoring split off, other?). Perhaps processing through a mentoring prototype can serve an ancillary purpose of revealing these issues more clearly and also help the organization plan for how it will replace its long time administrator.

    There are two risks identified in the Mentoring proposal plan that relate to your concern. One is we risk creating the program and it not being used (for whatever reason). The other is having a program that ultimately requires staff to maintain it. Your discussion point brings these distinct risks to the forefront for the Board to consider if the vote moves us  forward to creating a prototype.

    Respectfully,

    Diane

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