Developing a culture of life long learning with Inclusive Mentoring at AstraZeneca

At AstraZeneca, we aim to nurture and develop the talent within our workforce so that everyone can thrive and feel like they belong. Inclusive mentoring is one of the ways that we encourage employees to share their experience and learn from one another, so that we continue to strengthen our capabilities – both as individuals and as a business.
 

In today’s dynamic landscape, it’s imperative that we learn how to adapt. To do this, we need to evolve our skillset and our mindset, so that we can approach challenges with new perspectives and continue to innovate for patients. We encourage our people to push themselves beyond their comfort zone, challenge conventions and explore new possibilities. However, this is only possible if we provide them with the support, and the equitable environment, that allows for such learning opportunities. 

The term ‘mentoring’ has associations of an older, or more experienced, colleague advising or training a younger, less experienced one. At AstraZeneca, mentoring takes various non-traditional forms, as we believe that ‘learning to learn’ is a key skill for everyone – no matter your job role or career level.

Our reverse mentoring programme is an initiative pairing senior leaders with employees starting out in their career, to help bridge any skill gaps they may have. It matches people from different backgrounds, cultures and job levels, with the intention of bridging skills gaps and offering a different way of looking at things. Whether it’s social media or leadership skills, the programme provides a psychologically safe environment where our people feel encouraged to learn, share and build upon their capabilities, which ultimately furthers a sense of belonging. 

This open-minded and inclusive approach to mentoring provides both the mentor and mentee with the opportunity to support each other’s development, whilst breaking the barriers of hierarchy in the workplace. This culture of lifelong learning futureproofs our success as we believe there is always room to learn and develop, and there is always something that we can learn from each other.