Mentoring is a business and a professionl imperative, and, as such, it is an important aspect of talent development, helps to reduce attrition, improves performance and bridges expertise gaps. Thats what Sheila Forte-Trammel says. And she should know, she is co-author of the book «Intelligent Mentoring: How IBM creates value through people, knowledge, and relationships»
You can order her book on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Intelligent-Mentoring-Creates-Knowledge-Relationships/dp/0137130848
Human capital always looks for ways to close experience gaps, and metopes like formal training and classroom learning can help. But the real thing her should be active use of mentoring.
They say in the article that because of the experiential and practical nature of mentoring, employees who engage in this relationship are in a position to gain insights on new and different perspectives on ways to execute various tasks.
Read the whole article here: http://smsepub.com/publication/frame.php?i=126486&p=18&pn=&ver=flex
Remember to also read the «Make it Work» list on page 48.