Bestowing roses, lingering fragrance: how mentor autonomy support influences the mentors’ thriving at work

Purpose The paper aims to explore the relationship between mentor autonomy support and the mentor’s thriving at work from the perspective of the mentor and to clarify the internal logical relationship between basic psychological needs satisfaction under the condition of mentorship. Design/methodology/approach The paper employed a three-wave, time-separated design to investigate a sample of 240 mentor-protégé pairs. The moderated mediation model was examined using latent structural equation model analysis. Findings We found that mentor autonomy support increases the mentor’s thriving at work through the mentor’s basic needs satisfaction. Additionally, the relationship between mentor autonomy support and the mentor’s basic needs satisfaction was moderated by protégé’s task performance. Practical implications Considering the facilitative role of mentor autonomy support in promoting mentors’ development and flourishing, organizations should adjust mentor selection and training strategies to enhance mentors’ understanding and ability to provide autonomy support. Originality/value The paper comprehensively depicted the impact mechanism model of how mentorship benefits mentors themselves from a motivational perspective. It addressed gaps in research on the effects of high-quality mentorship on mentors, further advancing the comprehensive development of mentorship theory.