Adapting Reverse Mentoring Strategy to SMEs: A New Pilot Model Implemented in Brazil

Dafna Schwartz, Raphael Bar-El and David J. Bentolila
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Dafna Schwartz: Adelson School of Entrepreneurship, Reichman University, P.O. Box 167, Herzliya 46150, Israel
Raphael Bar-El: Public Policy & Administration Department, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel
David J. Bentolila: Logistics and Global Supply Chain Program, Ruppin Academic Center, Emek Hefer 4025000, Israel

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 15, 1-15

Abstract: In recent years, the Reverse Mentoring (RM) model has gained popularity in large companies. Although the prevailing RM model—junior employees mentoring senior employees—benefits both groups and promotes innovation, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) do not implement it due to lack of economies of scale, organizational capacities, and skilled junior employees. We devise a new RM model for SMEs that overcomes these disadvantages. First, the intervention of an intermediate, trusted professional entity initiates and supports the program for several companies; second, the mentors are not junior employees, but external graduate students with education in innovation. A pilot experiment was tested in the state of Ceara, Brazil. The preliminary findings support the new model’s feasibility and efficacy for SMEs. The intervention stimulated significant innovative ideas and resulted in out-of-the-box thinking, identification of potentials for innovation opportunities, and adaptation of an open innovation approach, which is important for SMEs with limited financial and non-financial resources. This study contributes to the literature on SMEs and RM by offering a new model that can overcome existing market failures experienced by SMEs. Empirical testing demonstrates its feasibility.

Keywords: SME; reverse mentoring; innovation; open innovation; knowledge management; technological change; Brazil (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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