Understanding and Reflecting Mentor’s role experience in Reverse Mentoring: A Study with a Phenomenological Approach

Reverse mentoring, as a recently formed concept, has emerged due to significant shifts in working generations and advancements in information technology. It challenges the traditional foundations of age and organizational hierarchies within the mentoring process. Despite its relevance, limited research exists in this field, primarily focusing on conceptualization and idea design. This research aims to deepen understanding of the mentor's role in reverse mentoring by employing a phenomenological approach, contributing to the existing body of knowledge. Thirteen individuals who formally participated in the reverse mentoring process within three financial information technology companies were selected for in-depth interviews. Data analysis utilized a descriptive phenomenological approach along with the eight-step Colaizzi method. Validation of findings was achieved by referencing the results with the participants. Analysis of interview data led to the identification of thirteen thematic clusters, organized into four themes. The results of this study demonstrate that mentors' experiences in the reverse mentoring process are shaped by two main themes: "role comprehensiveness and inclusiveness " and "experience of transitive emotions," ultimately leading to a "generative and boomerang effect of development." However, these experiences also have a dark side, characterized by the presence of "inhibiting ideas" at the individual, organizational, and cultural levels.