Organic Mentorship to Promote Inclusive Cultures
Mentorship plays a pivotal role in shaping the career trajectories of Early Career Researchers (ECRs), yet traditional approaches often fail to account for systemic barriers, diverse caree
r pathways, and the need for an organic, evolving mentorship model. This workshop explores how adopting an organic approach and a mentoring mindset can create more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable research cultures.
Drawing from my PhD research on mentorship in leadership development, this session will examine how mentorship can be an organic process rather than a rigid, hierarchical structure. Findings suggest that successful mentorship is rooted in psychosocial support, career function guidance, and the power of organizational socialization, highlighting the importance of mentors who act as advocates rather than gatekeepers.
Dr. Manuela Picariello is an accomplished scholar whose research focuses on mentoring initiatives for women and global majorities, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability within both domestic and international organizations. Born in Avellino, Italy, she embarked on her academic journey with a bachelor’s degree in management engineering from the University of Napoli, Federico II, all while nurturing a promising basketball career in the Italian minor leagues.
Her doctoral studies in San Marino were complemented by a transformative visiting scholar experience at the University of Tennessee, where she discovered a deep fascination with American sport culture. Committed to an academic career, she relocated to Knoxville in 2014 to pursue a second Ph.D. in Sport Studies at the University of Tennessee. Upon earning her degree in 2017, she joined Texas Woman’s University as an assistant professor.
In October 2021, she furthered her international career by joining Bournemouth University Business School in the UK as a Lecturer. In 2023, she was promoted to Senior Lecturer and named co-leader of both the Sustainability Academic Action Group (SAAG) and the Sustainability Academic Network (SAN) at BUBS. Throughout her career, Dr. Manuela Picariello has consistently championed inclusion, gender equality, and the reduction of inequalities, values that she brings to her role as a mentor and academic leader.