Learning and teaching. Teaching and learning. The mutual exchange of experiences and notions between different generations is an extremely interesting and important process of personal and professional growth.

Years ago this process was unique. A junior was trained in the field by a Senior, that is, a Mentor who gave him his know-how, his experience, the modus operandi.

Today the process is biunivocal, young people, digital natives, bring their experiences, motivations and can make a valuable contribution to Seniors, and they can do Mentor with their modus operandi and their way of interpreting the work-life balance relationship.

The specific name is Reverse Mentoring: the process by which young people, often with less experience, but with strong digital competence, help senior figures to familiarise themselves with technology or processes linked to the digital world. The aim is always to exchange, where the studies of the young and the experience of the senior meet and merge to increase in both the awareness of the world of work in a functional way.

The term mentoring comes from the figure of Mentore, friend of Ulysses and trainer of Telemaco at the time of his father's departure for Troy. In the 1990s, the word mentoring was combined with that of reverse, which means "inverse" and which, in fact, refers to what has been said so far.

Reverse Mentoring, thanks to a relationship of trust and collaboration, allows the Senior to return a series of useful knowledge in the field of digital sometimes omitted. On the other hand, more experienced people should usually be able to handle a problem more effectively thanks to skills and knowledge acquired during a long professional career: Today, seniors must agree to study and experiment with new digital tools, which are often essential for tackling the challenges organizations.

This process and its expansion, in actual fact, has occurred with the growing development of technology, especially since the early 1990s with the opening to World Wide Web, where a digital divide has emerged between junior and senior figures within companies, i.e. a gap of knowledge and behaviour in the use or understanding of new technologies.

A programme of Reverse Mentoring It can take place through formal meetings between junior and senior, with mutual commitment to form on different aspects of work. For example, seniors can transmit sound principles to achieve the results of a project such as formulation and definition of an effective goal. Within an organisation, this practice can become a useful tool for improving different processes such as:

• the management of talents in order to grow them and, at the same time, to learn from them what they have assimilated during the period of study or practice in other organisations;
• the employer branding linked mainly to Linkedin;
• promotion of diversity;
• overcoming the digital gap;
• the development of leadership;
• the promotion of the culture of Longlife Learning and for this see our latest article https://www.ambire.net/the-role-strategic-of-lifelong-learning/

The benefits of Reverse Mentoring may be surprising: Just think of the motivational impact on senior figures who have the double opportunity to enhance their experience and acquire new digital skills. Being at the forefront of transferring skills and notions to the new levers means getting back into the game, consolidating one's role and expertise and also achieving greater visibility.

Another aspect not to be underestimated is the greater loyalty of Millennials. Reverse mentoring programs provide Millennials with the transparency and recognition they are looking for from management. According to Gerry Tamburro, former CEO of BNY Mellon’s Pershing, this mode of Intergenerational exchange helped the Executive Board not only to be more transparent, but also to seek input from people within the whole organisation.

From the corporate point of view, this exchange allows greater integration and promotes the "liquid" diffusion of knowledge and experience, mitigating the sense of intergenerational competition.

The main reason why reverse mentoring programs fail is that managers do not give priority to the report; after a couple of sessions cancel the momentum decreases rapidly. It is the trainers of young people who should guide the programme by sharing best practices. Research shows that without training, only one third of the mentor-pupil relations are successful, as it increases to two thirds with training.

From a strategic perspective of LOnglife Learning, the methodology of Reverse Mentoring It will become increasingly central because it represents an effective internal instrument for the reskilling individual organisation.

For us to Ambire the concept and application of Reverse Mentoring is fundamental because it is a relationship of trust and proximity that effectively supports orientation and growth: our young talents contribute not only to value within the Organization with their ability to see things in an innovative way and without pre-established schemes and manage, where possible, to increase awareness of the digital world with the novelties of the moment, allowing Ambire society benefits to be always updated to remain competitive and smart.