”The Mentorship-program for women – co-operation in Jönköpings Län”, is a regional development project that was extended between 2003-08-19 and 2005-05-31. The main purpose of the program was to support and develop female leaders/coming leaders and also to develop knowledge and collaboration between leaders from different spheres of professional activities. 30 female adepts and 30 male/female mentors participated in the program. Two female entrepreneurs managed it and it was supported and financed through NUTEK, Alfastiftelsen, EFS-rådet i Jönköpings Län, Länsstyrelsen i Jönköpings Län and Landstinget i Jönköpings Län.
The program was organized in two parallel tracks: 1.The regular meetings between the adept and mentor and 2.The large-group meetings, where different themes and aspects of leadership were explored. The result from the evaluation shows that it was a successful concept.
The support the adepts achieved from the mentors increased their self-confidence and encouraged them to handle difficult situations in a more fruitful manner. The mentors, on the other hand, got a good training in “active listening” and coaching. The mentors also appreciated to “get to know” the younger female leaders doubts and thoughts. It gave them a deeper understanding concerning the conflicts and challenges she must handle in balancing work, career and family situation.
During the program progress, the large-group meetings became an arena for mutual exploration and knowledge development in the field of leadership. In small-group discussions, leader’s experiences and perspectives were touched, compared and examined. Organizational culture and management praxis was put in a new light. It widened horizons and gave new perspectives and angles of approach.
Voluntary participation and “act on your own responsibility” were two leading principals in the program. From the financiers and project-managers point of view, these two principals were the crucial factors for the decision in joining to the program.
However, during the program, it was more and more obvious that these principals turned out to be the major weaknesses in the program. The program’s concept and methods depended on the participants` engagement and active participation. Time is one crucial factor when you are dealing with leaders. When the number of participants in the large-group activities started to decline, in the autumn 2004, the program lost its spirit and became more and more undermined. The program could have been ended in spring 2004, with maintained quality and result.
Another weakness lies in the programs organizational structure. It was a regional project with focus on regional development and growth. Development projects are dependent on having a receiver that take care of the result and develops the outcome further. This program had no clear receiver or project owner. Of course, the regional governmental organizations had an “overall embracing regional responsibility”. But it is a big different between “overall embracing responsibility” and really manage and develop the result and lessons learned from the program. The financiers totally invested 1,5milj Swedish crowns in the program. Leaders and organizations put time and effort in it. One important issue to discuss, that should have taken place before the start of the program is – how to get return on investment, (monetary and human). Regional development and change takes time and demands a proactive and patient management.
Nätet Kvinnligt Resurscentrum, Jönköpings län , 2005. , p. 88