Informal reverse mentoring as a lever for intergenerational transmission of knowledge and organisational learning: insights from a qualitative field study in Morocco

Abstract

In an era marked by accelerated digitalization and growing intergenerational diversity in the workplace, the transfer of knowledge is becoming both a strategic and cultural issue. This study focuses on the informal practice of reverse mentoring as a means of facilitating the circulation of knowledge between junior and senior employees. Based on a qualitative, inductive field study conducted in Morocco with professionals from various sectors, this research explores how informal, non-hierarchical, and reciprocal interactions promote learning, trust, and innovation within organizations. Using thematic analysis, the study highlights a number of mechanism through which juniors pass on practical, digital and relational knowledge to their older colleagues, often in spontaneous and unstructured way. These interactions, though rarely formalized, play a decisive role in updating skills, fostering intergenerational dialogue, and reshaping traditional power dynamics. The analysis also sheds light on the symbolic and emotional dimensions of this knowledge transfer, revealing a shift in the status of young employees, who are no longer seen merely as learners, but as legitimate contributors to organizational development. The originality of this work lies in its contextual and grounded approach to informal reverse mentoring, beyond programmatic model, by considering the Moroccan organizational culture and the latent tensions between generations. The results insights give new human resource management, particularly in environments where age, authority and expertise are traditionally linked. Finally, the article calls for a redefinition of informal learning spaces as fertile ground for organizational innovation and mutual recognition.

Classification JEL : M12

Paper type :  Empirical Research