A mentor is a close, trusted, and experienced counselor or guide who trains, disciplines, and assumes a great deal of responsibility in assisting the protege. Considerable debate exists in organizational research as to the value and benefit of mentors, and only recently have some businesses recognized mentors as important to the shaping of new corporate leaders. Usually the mentor is male and 15 to 20 years older than the protege, who is also usually male. Much recent literature considers the female protege, but in a negative light. Sponsors and mentors seem to be important to women in business, but much harder to come by, and most must turn to men for role models. The debates continue on whether women need mentors and whether role modeling is successful if the model is male. The most encouraging indication that women are finally being considered serious candidates for mentor/protegee relationships is the implementation of programs that formalize the approaches to mentoring in organizations with specific orientation for women. The benefits for the mentor, protegee, and organization far outweigh the risks involved in mixed gender mentor relationships. The development of mentor relationships also makes accessible many different communication channels within the organization, but no comprehensive study of mentor and protege interactions--which could lend insights into the uses and effects of informal communication channels within the organization--has yet been developed in the speech communication field. (HTH)