What are the essential components of a quality induction program?
Since induction programs can have a range of goals, the components needed to attain those different goals will vary considerably. However, for a program intent on BOTH helping new employees into the profession AND promoting improved performance, productivity and results, a TWO LEVEL SYSTEM of strategy is needed. Mentoring alone is NOT ENOUGH, an INDUCTION approach is also required. • Mentoring is the most critical central strategy, but it is only one induction strategy. • Mentoring is the individual follow up support system to ensure that the protégé’s learning from all the other PROGRAM-level professional growth activities is actually transferred to and successfully implemented in the protégé’s practice. It is the crucial “bridge” between theory and research and practice. Without this critical step (mentoring and coaching) the protégé’s performance will not be significantly improved, except by slowly gaining experience through trial and error. Even then, the level of performance will
