JOURNAL OF VOCATIONAL BEHAVIOR 51, 15–28 (1997) ARTICLE NO. VB971591 Mentoring Phases and Outcomes Georgia T. Chao Department of Management, Michigan State University As a relationship, mentorship is theorized to evolve through several stages over time (Kram, 1985). Results from 178 prote ´ge ´s supported Kram’s sequence of four mentoring phases: Initiation, Cultivation, Separation, and Redefinition. In addition, prote ´ge ´s in the Initiation phase reported lower levels of mentoring functions than other prote ´ge ´s; however, no significant differences across these phases were found for a variety of job/career outcomes. Data from 82 current prote ´ge ´s and 69 former prote ´ge ´s were compared with those from 93 individuals who reported never having a mentor. The three groups were compared on career outcomes, job satisfaction, organizational socialization, and income measures across a 5-year period. Results showed consistent differences between mentored and nonmentored individuals.  1997 Academic Press Although the description of mentorships can be traced back to ancient Greek mythology, most of the empirical research on mentorships has been conducted within the past two decades. As is often the case when a research area is new, the research on mentorships is fragmented. The current literature has explored mentorships in several directions including the phases of mentor- ships (Kram, 1983), functions served by the mentor (Noe 1988a; Schockett & Haring-Hidore, 1985), and outcomes of the mentorship (Chao, Walz, & Gard- ner, 1992; Orpen, 1995; Scandura, 1992). Despite the increase in mentorship research, there is little empirical research linking mentorship phases, functions, and outcomes. The purpose of this article is to examine these linkages to determine if mentorship phases are associated with different mentorship functions and outcomes. Empirical sup- This research was supported by faculty research grants from Michigan State University. An earlier version of this research was presented at the National Academy of Management Meeting, Las Vegas, NV. I thank Steve W. J. Kozlowski and the reviewers for helpful comments and Ronald G. Greenwood for assistance with the data collection. Longitudinal data on organizational socialization scales and outcomes reported in this study are also a portion of the data reported in Chao, O’Leary-Kelly, Wolf, Klein, & Gardner (1994). Outcome data from the third year of data collection reported in this study are also a portion of the data reported in Chao, Walz, & Gardner (1992). Address correspondence and reprint requests to Georgia T. Chao, Department of Management, Michigan State University, N435 North Business Complex, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1122. Electronic mail may be sent to chaog@pilot.msu.edu. 15 0001-8791/97 $25.00 Copyright  1997 by Academic Press All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.