Mentoring has long been recognized as an effective method for new faculty to learn the basic knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors for teaching and especially for learning about institution-specific norms.
(Ensher, Thomas and Murphy, 2001)

A mentoring network is based on the premise that no single individual possesses all of the experience and expertise that a new faculty member needs to plan and develop a successful career. New faculty at RIT are encouraged to also develop a constellation of “mentoring partners” who assist each other in nonhierarchical, collaborative partnerships - each contributing according to her/his own knowledge and experience. This mentoring model can be both broader and more flexible than the traditional model, able to provide "just in time" advice and guidance.
(Sorcinelli and Yun, 2007)