Are self-leaders more willing to mentor others? A study among Indian and Spanish university teachers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the influence of self-leadership on the intention to mentor among university teachers considering the mediating role of self-efficacy and the moderating role of individualism-collectivism dimensions. Design/methodology/approach A standardized questionnaire was used to collect data from Indian (n=88) and Spanish (n=105) university teachers. The hypothesized relationships were analyzed using structural equation modeling and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Findings Self-leadership strategies influence the intention to mentor through university teachers’ self-efficacy. The positive relationship between self-efficacy and intention to mentor becomes stronger when the respondents are inclined toward vertical collectivistic or horizontal individualistic values. Research limitations/implications The study extends mentoring literature since it incorporates both individual and cultural variables, allowing observing their interplay and giving a holistic understanding of the issue. The main limitation of the study is its cross-sectional survey design, which is the use of data collected from a single-sitting, self-reporting measure. Different procedures were used to control method biases. Practical implications Intention to mentor can help university teachers (especially the younger staffs) and students to establish the process that can reinforce their commitment toward realistic goals. In the long term, entering into a mentoring relationship might boost self-efficacy and self-leadership qualities of the mentors themselves. Originality/value The comprehensiveness and relevance of the variables in the context chosen is the primary strength of this research. In the scenario of increasing professionalization and globalization, the cross-cultural nature of this study brings in a global perspective of the research problem.