The purpose of the present thesis is to create an understanding of entrepreneurship interpreted as communicative action. This is done through reflections on an interactive study that was planned and conducted together with members of a civic network-organization called Societal Change in Practice (SIP). According to Habermas, civic organizations are ideally characterized by a communicative rationality that enables them to organize informal public spheres; that is, arenas in social life where individuals can come together to discuss and act upon societal problems or opportunities that they have experienced in their private life-spheres. I have actively participated in three ventures with members from SIP. The first venture revolves around my own and members from SIP’s respective practices as education coordinators. Based on our common interest in education and learning in relation to entrepreneurship, we planned and conducted a series of joint activities that also involved our respective student groups. The activities are interpreted based on my own personal experiences as a researcher participating in a project that requires commitment and responsibility. The second venture involves the creation of a local community magazine that highlights examples of civic initiatives in two municipalities. The production of the magazine is interpreted as an example of how SIP creates public opinion in the local community. The third event relates to the organization of a conference on the subject of youth and digital media. The main message of the conference is interpreted in terms of a manifestation of what the public sphere can accomplish, or as a reaction in defense of a well-functioning public sphere in society. The methodological contribution of the thesis is its definition of three interactive research roles based on my own interaction as a researcher in different kinds of ventures. Based on a theatrical metaphor, I argue that the researcher can participate as one of the directors of a venture, as a member of the ensemble that performs a venture, or as a member of the audience that observes an event. The theoretical contribution of the study is that it shows how Habermas’ theory of communicative action can be modified and made useful as a theoretical frame of reference for studying entrepreneurship in civil society. Entrepreneurship is understood as a way to vitalize the informal public sphere, thereby influencing society as a whole and not just its economy.

Increased interaction between scientists and the social environment is considered to be one of the characteristics of modern science. This interaction can occur through collaboration between different sectors in society. In connection to this, the Triple Helix model claims that interaction between university, industry and public sectors, is key to modern innovation development. So far, cross-sector interaction between actors in environmental science has been scarcely studied in a scientific manner. Most studies carried out in the area have disregarded the actual practice of such collaborations and what happens in projects where these sectors interact. As this has become a common way to solve environmental problems, it is of considerable importance to gain more knowledge about this process. The objective of this research was to study and explain cross-sector collaboration. Using the interactive research method, characterised by joint learning and interaction with the participants, this was explored through two case studies. The method was well suited for studying ongoing interactions between the university, industry and public sectors. The first case was an international collaboration between representatives of the Triple Helix sectors. Here, olive-mill wastewater in Greece was the focus. The Triple Helix framework was used both on the intended analytical level and at a management level closer to the actor level of the participants. The second case was a three-year environmental research project in the Kalmar region where strong university-industry collaboration was carried out in order to find wastewater treatment solutions in the wood industry. This collaboration was extended to include more actors in the region during the process. The actual practice of these cases showed the importance of a dialogue between participants. Triple Helix can be used as an initial framework for such a dialogue through which the model is redefined by input from all sectors.

Innan studiens start gav vi, två lärarstudenter, två skolor möjligheten att deltaga i ett interaktivt förändringsarbete. Efter betänketid tackade skolorna nej till erbjudandet. Detta fick oss att fundera över hur skolor ser på utvecklingsarbete som involverar externa aktörer. Syftet med studien var att framhäva möjligheter och hinder inom skolutveckling som är i interaktion med utomstående aktörer, i form av bland annat lärarstudenter och forskare. Vidare syftade studien till att studera vilka faktorer som påverkar en skolas personals inställning. Dessutom ämnade arbetet skapa vidare förutsättningar för ett framåtsträvande samarbete mellan skolan och övriga tänkbara aktörer. Utifrån kvantitativa enkäter, som genomfördes på den valda gymnasieskolan, kunde vi fastställa den allmänna inställningen till interaktivt utvecklingsarbete med utomstående aktörer. Utifrån enkätresultatet utformades och genomfördes kvalitativa intervjuer. Dessa intervjuer syftade till att komplettera och fördjupa några anställdas tankar kring en integrerad skolutveckling. Det samlade resultatet påvisade en positiv inställning till ett interaktivt samarbete med utomstående aktörer, men att det saknas erfarenhet samt kunskap inom området. De fyra stycken kvalitativa intervjuerna visade även på att respondenterna själva besatt kreativa idéer som de inte ansågs uppmärksammades av skolan. Uppsatsen avslutas med konkreta förslag på hur den valda skolan kan analysera den egna verksamheten och på ett bra sätt kunna skapa ett positivt förhållningssätt till ett utvecklingsarbete i interaktion med andra. / In the process of starting this study, the authors gave two schools the opportunity to take part in an interactive development work. After some thought, the schools chose to turn down our offer, which led us to consider on how schools in general look at interactive development work that involves external actors. The purpose of this study was to highlight possibilities and obstacles within school development, which is in interaction with outside parties, including teacher students and other researchers. The aim was likewise to study which possible affects there might be that could influence the personnel inside a school. We also aimed to promote and further a positive attitude towards this kind of change. Trough quantitative questionnaires, which were implemented on a chosen comprehensive school, we were able to pinpoint the general attitude towards development work in interaction with an outside part. Trough the collected answers we chose to design and carry out interviews of more qualitative character. Our aim was to complement and enter more deeply into some of the employer's thoughts about school development. The collected result showed a positive attitude towards an interactive cooperation with an outside part, but it also showed a lack of experience and knowledge within the topic. Through these four interviews our attention was drawn to our participants' creative ideas that they wished to develop. They also expressed that their ideas didn't get enough support from the school management. The conclusion of this study ends with concrete suggestions on how the selected school can analyze the organization, as well as find easy applicable ways on how to create a more positive attitude towards school development, in interaction with outside participants.

<p>Innan studiens start gav vi, två lärarstudenter, två skolor möjligheten att deltaga i ett interaktivt förändringsarbete. Efter betänketid tackade skolorna nej till erbjudandet. Detta fick oss att fundera över hur skolor ser på utvecklingsarbete som involverar externa aktörer.</p><p>Syftet med studien var att framhäva möjligheter och hinder inom skolutveckling som är i interaktion med utomstående aktörer, i form av bland annat lärarstudenter och forskare. Vidare syftade studien till att studera vilka faktorer som påverkar en skolas personals inställning. Dessutom ämnade arbetet skapa vidare förutsättningar för ett framåtsträvande samarbete mellan skolan och övriga tänkbara aktörer.</p><p>Utifrån kvantitativa enkäter, som genomfördes på den valda gymnasieskolan, kunde vi fastställa den allmänna inställningen till interaktivt utvecklingsarbete med utomstående aktörer. Utifrån enkätresultatet utformades och genomfördes kvalitativa intervjuer. Dessa intervjuer syftade till att komplettera och fördjupa några anställdas tankar kring en integrerad skolutveckling. Det samlade resultatet påvisade en positiv inställning till ett interaktivt samarbete med utomstående aktörer, men att det saknas erfarenhet samt kunskap inom området. De fyra stycken kvalitativa intervjuerna visade även på att respondenterna själva besatt kreativa idéer som de inte ansågs uppmärksammades av skolan.</p><p>Uppsatsen avslutas med konkreta förslag på hur den valda skolan kan analysera den egna verksamheten och på ett bra sätt kunna skapa ett positivt förhållningssätt till ett utvecklingsarbete i interaktion med andra.</p> / <p>In the process of starting this study, the authors gave two schools the opportunity to take part in an interactive development work. After some thought, the schools chose to turn down our offer, which led us to consider on how schools in general look at interactive development work that involves external actors.</p><p>The purpose of this study was to highlight possibilities and obstacles within school development, which is in interaction with outside parties, including teacher students and other researchers. The aim was likewise to study which possible affects there might be that could influence the personnel inside a school. We also aimed to promote and further a positive attitude towards this kind of change.</p><p>Trough quantitative questionnaires, which were implemented on a chosen comprehensive school, we were able to pinpoint the general attitude towards development work in interaction with an outside part. Trough the collected answers we chose to design and carry out interviews of more qualitative character. Our aim was to complement and enter more deeply into some of the employer's thoughts about school development. The collected result showed a positive attitude towards an interactive cooperation with an outside part, but it also showed a lack of experience and knowledge within the topic. Through these four interviews our attention was drawn to our participants' creative ideas that they wished to develop. They also expressed that their ideas didn't get enough support from the school management.</p><p>The conclusion of this study ends with concrete suggestions on how the selected school can analyze the organization, as well as find easy applicable ways on how to create a more positive attitude towards school development, in interaction with outside participants.</p>

Can sustainability work in the real world? John Robinson is determined to prove it with his forcoming "greener than green" living laboratory.

This thesis shows that participation is an important and comprehensive concept for young people. The aim of the thesis is to explore young people’s perspectives on and experiences of participation in school. Young people are in this research project understood as competent participants and as valuable contributors in research. Young people (aged 13–19 years) are involved as both research partners and research respondents. The design is explorative and mixed methods are used. Study 1 describes an interactive research circle with young people as research partners. Participation and asymmetric responsibility are identified as integral to research with young people. Study 2 describes a youth survey about young people’s participation that was conducted by the research partners in the research circle. This study shows that young people’s opportunities and abilities to communicate are crucial to their participation.  Supportive relations are an important aspect and the young people describe that they want adults to support them in taking responsibility themselves. Study 3 is based on the results of the youth survey and describes a model of young people’s perspectives on participation. Viewed from young people’s perspectives, participation is shown to include social, educational and decision-making dimensions. Communication is identified as a central participatory dimension. This study describes how participation in school is created in both horizontal and vertical relations. Study 4 is about participation and exposure to bullying and threats in school and is informed by the results of the youth survey. This study shows how students with disabilities and especially students with multiple disabilities are in a vulnerable situation. They face greater risks of being excluded from participatory dimensions in school or of being more exposed to degrading treatment if they do participate. Girls with multiple disabilities seem to be in an extra vulnerable situation. Overall, this research project shows that young people’s perspectives are an important complement to adults’ perspectives on participation in school.

The aim of the thesis is to understand and explain how a group of women have ended up on the long-term sick-list and how a return to working life can be brought about. Support for their return is organized within the framework of a R&amp;D project within the EU-program EQUAL, where empowerment is one of the key principles. The research has been carried out using an interactive approach in close collaboration with the women in the project who have been signed-off long-term on medical grounds. Group discussions, questionnaires and individual interviews have provided the basis for collective analyses. This learning process, which is the central core in the interactive research, has, resulted in a deeper and more valid understanding of the reasons leading to ill-health and of the return to working life. The empirical part of the study and the analyses are divided into three parts. The first part I call the powerlessness process, namely tha which the women describe as a contributory factor to ill-health, caused by diminishing resources and increasing demands both in working life and in private life, and which eventually initiates a long-term signing-off on medical grounds. The second part is concerned with regaining and/or changing the resources that have been lost during the powerlessness process. The third part illustrates the return to working life, which is described in different steps. The thesis shows the worth of looking at the interplay between individual, organizational and community levels when trying to understand the reasons underlying ill-health and how changes at these different levels can affect the individual. The thesis shows also the importance of looking at ”life as a whole” and not just working life, where a return to work is concerned. In order to achieve a sustainable working life, attention must also be paid to gender structures and work-life balance. / Syftet med avhandlingen är att förstå och förklara hur en grupp kvinnors långtidssjukskrivning har uppstått och hur en återgång till arbetslivet kan gå till. Stödet för återgången organiseras inom ramen för ett utvecklingsprojekt i EU-programmet EQUAL, där empowerment är en av nyckelprinciperna. Forskningen har skett utifrån en interaktiv ansats i nära samverkan med de långtidssjukskrivna kvinnorna i projektet. Gruppsamtal, enkäter och enskilda intervjuer har legat till grund för den gemensamma analysen. Denna lärprocess, som är kärnan i den interaktiva forskningen, har bland annat resulterat i en fördjupad och mer valid kunskap om bland annat förklaringar till ohälsa och återgång till arbetslivet. Den empiriska delen av studien och analysen är indelad i tre delar. Den första delen kallar jag vanmaktsprocessen, det vill säga det som kvinnorna beskriver som bidragande orsaker till ohälsa orsakade av ökande krav och minskande resurser i både arbetsliv och privatliv och som till slut leder in i en sjukskrivning. Den andra delen handlar om att återskapa och/eller förändra de resurser som gått förlorade. Den tredje delen beskriver återgången till arbetslivet, vilken beskrivs i olika steg. Avhandlingen visar på värdet av att se samspelet mellan individ-, organisations- och samhällsnivån när det gäller förklaringar till ohälsa och hur förändringar på de olika nivåerna påverkar individen. Avhandlingen visar även på vikten att se till ”hela livet” inte bara arbetslivet, när det gäller en återgång till arbetslivet. För att uppnå ett hållbart arbetsliv bör hänsyn tas till ”hela livet”. Work-life balance begreppet – vilket innefattar arbete, familj och fritidsaspekterna – har visat sig vara ett fruktbart begrepp i analysen.

Den regionala utvecklingspolitikens karaktär har under de senaste decennierna skiftat dramatiskt. Utvecklingen har gått från centralstyrning till allt större regionalt självbestämmande. Från en inriktning på stödinsatser och regional utjämning till en starkare betoning av tillväxt i landets samtliga delar. Begreppet tillväxt har vunnit mark och man talar allt oftare om en regional tillväxtpolitik.  Samtidigt som man i stor utsträckning betonar den ekonomiska tillväxten finns också en ambition att bredda begreppet med en ekologisk och social dimension. Tilltron till att man genom statliga interventioner kan styra samhällsutvecklingen i Sverige har länge varit stark och stora resurser har avsatts för satsningar inte minst inom området för regionalpolitik. Själva logiken bakom interventionerna har dock sällan klarlagts.  I avhandlingen görs det utifrån en specifik regionalpolitisk insats, nämligen resurscentra för kvinnor. Det blir då tydligt hur regionalpolitiken, i form av policyn bakom interventionen, vilar på motsägelsefulla underliggande logiker vilka praktiken sedan i sin tur måste balansera. Något som i flera fall ger upphov till organisatoriska problem i verksamheten. Resurscentra för kvinnor utgör en regionalpolitisk satsning som funnits sedan mitten av 1990-talet och vars tillkomst och utformning delvis kan förstås mot bakgrund av den utveckling av regionalpolitiken som beskrivits ovan. Inrättandet skedde utifrån att man konstaterat att kvinnor varit missgynnade inom regionalpolitiken. Ett genusperspektiv där man i högre utsträckning tog hänsyn till kvinnors lokala och regionala villkor och förutsättningar efterfrågades därför. Som konsekvens av detta inrättades regionala resurscentra för kvinnor i samtliga län, många lokala resurscentra bildades också. Antalet har varierat över tid men det har i Sverige rört sig om ett hundratal regionala och lokala resurscentra. I avhandlingen står särskilt två län i fokus; Södermanland och Västmanland med två regionala och sjutton lokala resurscentra. Avhandlingen som bygger på en studie av resurscentraverksamheten i Södermanland och Västmanland 2004-2006 visar hur flera av de organisatoriska problem verksamheten i praktiken brottas med kan förstås i relation till en motsägelsefull regionalpolitik. Vid en närmare studie av policyn bakom resurscentra kan den förstås som vilandes på tre olika och delvis självmotsägande underliggande logiker. Logiker som verksamheten i praktiken måste hantera och som många gånger ger upphov till motstridiga krav. / The characteristics of regional development policy during the past decades have altered dramatically. The trend has changed from central control to an increasingly larger regional independence; from a focus on support and regional equalization to a stronger emphasis on growth in all parts of the country. The general emphasis has been on economic growth, but there is also an ambition to widen the concept with an ecological and social dimension. The credence of controlling the development of society by means of interventions by the state has for a long time been strong and great resources have been reserved for interventions, not least in the area of regional development. However, the logic behind these interventions has seldom been investigated. This is done in the thesis in which the logic behind the specific regional policy intervention Resource centers for women is derived. From this perspective it becomes apparent how the regional policy, in the shape of the policy behind the intervention, is based on contradicting logics which the resource centers have to balance. This proves to be an unfeasible balance act where the intrinsic inconsistencies cause organizational problems.   Resource centers for women is a regional policy intervention that has been present since the mid 1990s and its establishment and formation can be understood by the background described above. The reason for its founding was that observations had been made that women were disfavored in regional policy. As a result of this, a request was raised of a gender perspective, where women’s local and regional terms were given larger attention. This led to the establishment of Resource centers for women in all Swedish counties; many local resource centers were also founded. The actual number of centers in Sweden has varied over time but there have been around 100 regional and local resource centers. In the thesis, two regions have the center of attention; Södermanland and Västmanland with two regional and 17 local resource centers. The thesis, which is based on a case study of the Resource centers in Södermanland and Västmanland 2004-2006, shows how several of the organizational problems can be understood in relation to a contradicting regional policy. A policy based on three separate and partly contradicting logics that have to be handled in practice by the organization and often is the cause of contradicting requirements.

There is an ongoing debate both in the United States and Europe about the need to develop a broader view of scholarship and the different activities connected with it, including “service to the community”. In Sweden, service takes the form of practice-oriented engagement and collaboration with the surrounding community, as stipulated by Swedish law regulating universities’ activities. Collaboration is frequently perceived as a supplementary task, in addition to education and research, hence the name ‘the third task’. Many academics, university teachers and researchers, are today involved in different collaborative partnerships. This thesis focuses academics’ learning in two different contexts: collaboration with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and in a multidisciplinary research programme at the National Institute for Working Life in Sweden (NIWL). The results of the first investigation reveal that the academics learn different strategies to instigate, accomplish, deepen and further develop collaboration between universities and SMEs. The results also show also that academic professionals engaged in this type of activity need to handle the rigid structures of the academic organisation, which neither encourage nor reward these individuals’ efforts to collaborate. However, this study shows that although academics and practioners from SMEs come from different working cultures with their various traditions associated with language and interaction, a continuous exchange and dialogue creates trust and competence for all parties, as well as learning in the form of new knowledge that is useful for both the academia and SMEs. Collaboration across disciplines is rapidly becoming an integral feature of research, due to the desire to explore problems and questions that are not confined to a single discipline and the need to solve societal problems. The second empirical investigation focuses on the workplace learning of researchers in a multidisciplinary research (MDR) programme at the National Institute for Working Life in Sweden (NIWL), and their collaboration with practitioners. The results show that academics in this multidisciplinary context reach a deepened awareness of the perspectives of their own and others’ fields of research, as well as a heightened curiosity to learn more. The learning also involves gaining new insights about their own learning and how this takes place; its impact on their own professional development, and discovering, sometimes surprisingly, how their competence can be used in new areas of research. The interaction of knowledge and experience with researchers of different disciplines and practitioners creates a context that demands a different type of learning for the academics, compared to working in their own disciplines. Both investigations give an understanding of how academics experience their learning in collaboration with practitioners and researchers from different disciplines. It shows how the holistic integration of knowledge deriving from the academic functions of collaboration, teaching and research contributes to development within the academia and in working environments outside it. / Det finns en pågående debatt, både i USA och i Europa om behovet att utveckla en bredare syn på akademisk kompetens och de olika aktiviteterna som den innefattar, bland annat det som kallas “tjänster riktade mot samhället”. I Sverige tar dessa samhällsorienterade tjänster formen av praktik orienterad involvering och samarbete med det omgivande samhället, i enlighet med den lagstiftning som reglerar högskolans verksamhet. Samarbete uppfattas ofta som en uppgift som ligger utöver utbildning och forskning; den kallas därför också “den tredje uppgiften”. Många akademiker, universitetslärare och forskare, är idag engagerade i olika former av samverkan. Avhandlingen fokuserar akademikers lärande i två olika sammanhang: samverkan med små och medelstora företag (SMF), och samverkan inom ramen för ett flervetenskapligt forskningsprogram vid Arbetslivsinstitutet (ALI). Resultaten från den första undersökningen visar att akademikerna lär sig olika strategier för att initiera, genomföra, fördjupa och vidareutveckla samverkan mellan högskolan och SMF. Resultaten visar också att akademikerna som är verksamma inom detta område behöver hantera den akademiska organisationens rigida strukturer, som varken uppmuntrar eller belönar dessa individers ansträngningar att samverka. Akademiker och praktiker i SMF kommer från olika arbetskulturer, med olika traditioner förknippade med språk och interaktion. Undersökningen visar dock att kontinuiteten i utbytet och dialogen skapar ett förtroende och kompetensutveckling för alla involverade parter, samt ett lärande i form av ny kunskap som är användbar både för akademin och för SMF. Tvärvetenskapligt samarbete håller på att bli en grundläggande del av all forskning, beroende på önskan att utforska problem och frågeställningar som inte är begränsade till ett enstaka ämnesområde, och behovet att lösa de problem samhället ställs inför. Den andra empiriska undersökningen fokuserar forskares lärande på arbetsplatsen inom ett flervetenskapligt forskningsprogram vid (ALI), samt deras samarbete med praktiker. Resultaten visar att det som akademiker lär i detta flervetenskapliga sammanhang är en fördjupad medvetenhet om perspektiven i deras egen och andras forskningsfält, samt en förstärkt nyfikenhet att lära mer. Lärandet innebär även att komma till nya insikter om deras eget lärande, och hur detta äger rum; hur det påverkar deras egen professionella utveckling, och att upptäcka - ibland överraskande – hur deras kompetens kan användas i nya forskningsområden. Samspelet mellan kunskap och erfarenhet hos forskare med olika ämnesbakgrund och med praktiker skapar ett sammanhang som kräver en annan typ av lärande for akademikerna, jämfört med deras inomdisciplinära arbete. Resultaten från båda undersökningarna ger en förståelse av hur akademiker upplever sitt lärande i samarbete med praktiker och andra forskare från olika ämnen. Det visar hur den holistiska kunskapsintegrationen som härrör från de tre akademiska funktionerna samverkan, undervisning och forskning, samtidigt bidrar till utveckling i arbetsmiljöer både inom och utanför akademin. / Populärvetenskaplig beskrivning på svenska av artiklarna I-IV.

This thesis is an exploration of the construct of mentoring and its transformative power in the development of the self. The concept of Athenic mentoring is offered and framed, in Jungian (Jung 1958;1996;2002) terms as an archetypical encounter between two people that can facilitate a significant transformative shift (metanoia) in the development of the personal and professional self. These shifts are initially at the level of 'being' but influence the more visible dimensions of 'doing' and 'knowing'. 'Doing' and 'knowing' can be articulated in terms of practice knowledge and skills (Schön 1987a). 'Being' is framed in both Jungian (Jung 1958;1996;2002) and Rogerian (Rogers 1973;1996) terms as engagement of the authentic, grounded and integrated self, in ways that may be largely and initially unconscious, but that can be taken up in conscious awareness and are ultimately reflected in overt, observable behaviours. Cunningham's (1988) framework of holistic interactive research was chosen as a method that allowed the researcher to draw on, as well as to reflect upon, his own experience in order to generate data. Written narrative and oral story-telling (Reason & Hawkins 1988) have been fundamental to the creation and analysis of data. Indeed, the process of writing has been an important source of self-understanding, revelation and integration for the author. The power of archetypal story-telling - most obvious in the ancient stories of human challenge, development and triumph, such as that of Athena(Mentor), in the Greek tradition - is acknowledged and explored from this perspective. In this respect the researcher has followed Megginson's (2000) advice that research into mentoring deserves and demands 'vivid stories'. The research approach also reflects Strauss and Corbin's (1990) suggestion that by staying close to the data ('grounding' theory in the data) before a deep immersion in the literature, the researcher will be more open to the insights that the data might reveal. The starting point for the research was the researcher's observation that, in the context of being a 'hired mentor' in an organisational setting, 'turning points' occurred that could be characterised as significant, transformational shifts in the energy and perspective of the person being mentored. While these shifts were reflected in important changes in work, choices and outward behaviour and practice, it was not obvious when or how the shifts had occurred. The initial research questions were framed as: what does the mentor do that leads to this turning point? and, can this be identified so that mentors can improve their chance of achieving it in practice? Later, the research journey itself led to a broader and richer framing of the research questions as a deeper exploration of the level at which transformative development of the self plays out and the implications of that for mentoring itself. The initial research question eventually was reframed as: How does the mentor need to be? Major sources of data were stories of ten people who have been in mentoring relationships (either as mentor, mentee, or both). The researcher's own experience was also a significant source of the data. In its presentation, the thesis attempts to 'track' and make transparent the ways in which listening to and writing down the stories of others, the researcher's own stories, engaging with the literature and writing reflective notes iterated with the construction of this particular conceptualisation of mentoring in 'Athenic' terms. Both contemporary Western literature (the majority of it American) and translations of Homer's (1980; 1998) accounts of Athena as mentor were used initially to explore the nature of mentoring. Later, the Jungian (Jung 1958;1992;1996;2002) and post-Jungian (Hillman 1975;1996) literature on the notion of the archetypes; Buber's (1996) conception of relationship as 'I-Thou'; and Rogers' (1996) evocation of 'becoming a person' all helped to describe more richly the dynamics of Athenic mentoring - both in terms of the nature of transformative personal change and the dynamics of the relationship that facilitates it. A major outcome of this research is the differentiation of Athenic mentoring (which facilitates the transformation of a person's 'being') from mentoring that helps to develop what a person 'knows' or 'does'. This differentiation will hopefully contribute to our understanding of the mentoring process, but at the most pragmatic level, will make it easier to navigate the complex and poorly 'mapped' contemporary literature. It is concluded that Athenic mentoring might not be, fully or even partly, recognised until well after it occurs, and that because it involves the pyschodynamic and largely unconscious interplay of one person's dominant archetypes with those of another, it is not something that can be easily orchestrated or arranged. This challenges contemporary notions (Burke & McKeen 1989; Murray & Owen 1991; Cunningham 1993; Hay 1995) that mentoring can be packaged, 'commodified' and paid for in a similar way to coaching and counselling. As a stimulus for further work, it is suggested that the role of mentor can be understood as completing or starting aspects of the development of self that have not been initiated or concluded in the parenting relationship; and the possibility for being a mentor or a mentee continues throughout life, or for at least as long as there remains the possibility that a 'Dream' (Levinson, Darrow, Klein, Levinson & McKee 1978; Levinson & Levinson 1996) can be fulfilled.