Why mindset matters: growth mindset as a driver of mentoring engagement in retail organizations

Purpose This paper advances growth mindset as a key psychological mechanism shaping individuals’ willingness to engage in career mentoring relationships. Design/methodology/approach Using a conceptual approach, the current paper integrates research on workplace mentoring with implicit theories of intelligence to develop a theoretical model explaining how growth mindset influences individuals’ decisions to enter into mentoring relationships. Findings The current paper proposes that individuals who endorse a growth mindset are more likely to engage in mentoring as mentors or mentees and that this relationship is strengthened in learning-oriented organizational contexts. Originality This paper extends mentoring research by introducing a deep-rooted construct, mindsets, as a novel explanatory mechanism for employees’ willingness to participate in career mentoring. Research limitations/implications As a conceptual paper, empirical validation is necessary to further support the propositions. Future research should test these propositions using experimental and longitudinal designs to examine causal mechanisms and contextual influences. Practical implications The framework suggests that organizations can expand participation in mentoring by fostering growth-oriented cultures that emphasize learning, effort, and development rather than evaluation. Mindset-based interventions may represent a scalable approach to strengthening mentor and mentee engagement.