Agile Mentorship: A Longitudinal Exploratory Analysis

Effective mentorship relationships increase mentee academic success and satisfaction. However, existing mentorship models are limited by miscommunication, undefined roles, and mismatched goals. The agile mentorship process aims to address these limitations by leveraging insights from agile science and the existing evidence on effective mentorship models to support effective mentoring relationships in healthcare environments. To illustrate the agile mentorship process and the growth of a mentored clinician-scientist (H.L., first author), we describe the model and share qualitative findings generated from the independent analysis of 18 months of mentee reflections. In two iterative cycles, reflections (n = 56) were analyzed using exploratory content and relational analysis. Coauthors C.S. and B.T. employed inductive and deductive coding approaches to explore the data using an ontological lens. We discuss and share quotes representing the identified four main themes. Identification of shortcomings, adaptive perspective, managing relationships, and personal growth. In addition, personal growth had three subthemes: Awareness, continual reflection, and toolkit development. In summary, the reflections of one mentee within the agile mentorship process illustrated the growth process which occurred within an effective mentorship relationship. The agile mentorship process is a scalable and sustainable framework that is adaptable to various career development processes. Further evaluation is needed to understand the longitudinal impact of the model on mentee performance and satisfaction.