But this quickly becomes a case of optimizing for the wrong variable -- because it's already become, "How can you find a way for them to stay?" rather than, "How can you find a way for them to be successful?"
I also don't think that you hook up with mentors via teleconferencing. For whatever reason, face to face meetings matter a lot. You don't have dinner with someone via a teleconference. You don't tell stories over beer via a teleconference. There's a rigid formality -- "Why are we having this conversation?" I think mentorship rarely happens within those lines.
One of the comments above talks about the face-to-face networking opportunities. There's a reason he didn't say, "Why would I want that? I can call up people via Skype Video now..." ;-)
I also don't think that you hook up with mentors via teleconferencing. For whatever reason, face to face meetings matter a lot. You don't have dinner with someone via a teleconference. You don't tell stories over beer via a teleconference. There's a rigid formality --
Well, I don't know about mentoring per se, but if you have an "always on" connection in the workspace, then you leave the situation open for serendipity. What I'm envisioning is just a "serendipity conduit" or maybe "serendipity space." The workspace can become a play-space in the evening or on the weekend. I could even envision communal dinners.
I'm not thinking about people "calling up" other people. I'm thinking of communal spaces with "magic walls."
I also don't think that you hook up with mentors via teleconferencing. For whatever reason, face to face meetings matter a lot. You don't have dinner with someone via a teleconference. You don't tell stories over beer via a teleconference. There's a rigid formality -- "Why are we having this conversation?" I think mentorship rarely happens within those lines.
One of the comments above talks about the face-to-face networking opportunities. There's a reason he didn't say, "Why would I want that? I can call up people via Skype Video now..." ;-)