The Application of Fit Characteristics to Mentor-Protege Relationships

Abstract

To test the hypothesis that congruence of regulatory focus orientation would improve ratings of a mentor’s effectiveness by a protégé, 110 participants completed a two part study in which they interacted with a potential mentor and provided evaluations of that mentor’s effectiveness based on the initial interaction. The results of this study indicate that effectiveness ratings are not impacted by congruence of regulatory focus orientation, whether chronic or primed. Conscientiousness was not found to moderate this relationship.