Navigating the Mentor-Mentee Relationship

Abstract

Mentor-mentee relationships evolve through predictable developmental stages, requiring ongoing navigation of expectations, communication patterns, and relational dynamics. This chapter applies Tuckman’s group development framework to dyadic e-mentoring, exploring how relationships move through forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning phases in digital contexts. Early stages demand explicit norm-setting around communication frequency, response times, and boundaries that might emerge organically in face-to-face settings. The storming phase, where tensions or misalignments surface, requires skillful repair and honest conversation about differing expectations. Successful navigation depends on mentors’ ability to balance structure with flexibility, recognizing when to lead and when to follow in response to mentees’ emerging needs. The chapter addresses common challenges, including mismatched expectations, communication breakdowns, power imbalances, and knowing when relationships have run their course. Through case examples and reflection questions, practitioners learn to support the healthy evolution of relationships while recognizing that productive endings are as important as strong beginnings.