In May of 2023, Dr. K. Sivakumar (“Siva”), the Arthur Tauck Chair & Professor of Marketing at Lehigh University, was matched with Ayushi Sharma, Assistant Professor of Marketing at FORE School of Management in New Delhi, India, through the SERVSIG Mentorship Matching Program. That began a professional relationship that has benefited both.
Ayushi and Siva have regularly scheduled meetings that support Ayushi’s development as a service research scholar. They meet virtually about every month and half and have also met face-to-face at AMA Summer Academic Conference 2023 held at San Francisco and then again in Boston.
“My learnings in Prof. Siva’s meeting has actually made me reflect more on my research. He truly serves as a guiding figure in my life, always there to assist me whenever I encounter any difficulties. We have scheduled meetings so that I can discuss things with him where I am facing difficulties. I am working under his guidance on research, and I can see his tough questions have taken my learning a level up. I was in a dire need of a mentor as my resources were really limited. Really grateful for this program.”
Siva has also benefited from the program as a mentor, stating that “our profession will benefit from these interactions. Mentors also learn things about early career faculty issues and perspectives.”
The SERVSIG Mentoring Program matches early-career service research scholars from around the globe with mentors outside of their academic institution to provide guidance on issues that include research strategies, handling reviews, teaching quality, work-life balance, navigating promotion and tenure processes, and other relevant issues. Thus far, the program has matched over 35 mentees with mentors who arrange for how and how often they want to connect. The program’s guidelines include asking the mentee to prepare a set of questions in advance of meetings to ensure that everyone’s time is best utilized. The SERVSIG Mentoring Program has also hosted webinars on publishing strategies and obtained feedback from participants via a Zoom meeting. Future plans include a face-to-face meeting at the Winter AMA 2025 conference in Pheonix, Arizona.
A healthy mentoring relationship is based on trust, evident in the relationship between Siva and Ayushi. Additionally, a healthy mentoring relationship requires that mentors provide constructive feedback on topics that are critically important for early-career service scholars. Ayushi has shared that the SERVSIG Mentoring Program has had a significant impact on her career: “I can see a change in my approach, and this has come over a period of time. I am really grateful to this program and my mentor Prof. Siva.”
Ayushi sums up the value she has gained, and expects to gain in the future, from Siva’s gracious guidance and support: “I still have a lot to learn in this academic journey and I can surely bank upon the genuine help of Prof. Siva for constructive feedback.”
SERVSIG encourages any early-career service scholar from anywhere in the world to become part of the Mentoring Program. This program also needs additional mentors! To participate in the program, simply send an email to Andrew Gallan, SERVSIG Mentorship Officer. The aim of the program is to welcome service scholars and to foster a sense of belonging among its members. The SERVSIG Mentoring Program is one way that SERVSIG is working to create a healthy service research community! We would love for you to be a part of this program.
