Unlocking the Power of Networking. But Wait... It's not that Easy
I was the one who brushed off the idea of networking, but I have slowly sipped in the fun of it. As the numerical increases in my age, I've come to realize that maintaining relationships and having people understand you and stand by your side, even though you might come from a different background and thoughts, is a true gift.
As a researcher who has been in the science field for a long while, and having not grown up in a culture that encourages meeting new people, I'm only used to delving into data, creating (making up) a research story, publishing it on paper, and moving on to the next question. To be a successful researcher is about delivering science, getting things done, and making them work, is it not?
In my last edition of the newsletter, I pondered on the contributors to career development using conventional emphasis placed on mentor-mentee relationships. To that point, what else can we explore and enhance?
Since the beginning of 2023, I've had the opportunity to amplify the voice of networking and witness the possibilities of advancing gender equity alongside a colleague. In early December, I signed up to present a poster at the technology division level, to share the idea and the beauty of intentional networking.
Photo courtesy: Jun Hu
Roadblocks to the Effective Professional Networks
The whole idea of the intentional networking program is backed up by research. This study from 2019 centered around investigating why women have less success with networking, which is a critical effort to advance gender equality in the workplace because networking, when done effectively, enables access to career-building resources such as advice, technical knowledge, strategic insights, and emotional support. Previous studies pointed out five types of networking activities:
Maintaining external contacts
Socializing
Engaging in professional activities
Participating in community activities
Enhancing internal visibility
However, even when people recognize the value of networking, they often hesitate to actively participate, a reluctance that researchers attribute to conflicting feelings and negative attitudes rooted in morality concerns.
Viewing networking as a means of ‘using others to get ahead’ or of ‘befriending not for true friendship but for ulterior reasons’ may cause the behaviour to appear unfair or insincere (Kuwabara et al., 2018)
In terms of the different characteristics among gender networks, studies showed that women's networks are built around interpersonal relationships within specific circles. In contrast, men's connections often extend beyond immediate communities and may involve a broader array of professional or economic ties, potentially spanning diverse industries or regions.
Structural Exclusion. The outcomes? Women are often excluded from powerful networks and have limited levels of visibility, which becomes a major barrier to women's career advancement.
Personal Hesitation. In addition, women often worry about the morality of using social connections for personal benefits, making them perceive themselves as less valuable compared to others in their network. The habit of downplaying their professional worth messes up their sense of fairness, making networking less helpful for women at work and hindering their career progress.
Unpacking Causes in Ineffective Networking
The study interviewed 37 female leaders (14 executive boards, 14 top leadership positions, and 9 entrepreneurs whose backgrounds involved management). The challenges of building effective networks, the study concluded, are existing structural exclusion (homophily and work-family conflict) and personal hesitation (relational morality and gendered modesty).
Greguletz, E., Diehl, M.-R., & Kreutzer, K. (2019). Why women build less effective networks than men: The role of structural exclusion and personal hesitation. Human Relations, 72(7), 1234-1261.
Homophily, or the liking for similarity, is when people prefer to interact with others they see as similar to themselves. This is because it makes communication easier, ensures predictable behaviors, and encourages give-and-take interactions. One of the interviewees expressed feeling unwelcome and out of place in male-dominated power networks, leading her to see these networks as exclusive to males over time. The study also found that the "discrimination" involved often more subtle signs of exclusion rather than official channels.
"The huge disadvantage in the world where I am now is that I don’t fit in. It’s people who have been there for 25 years now ... it’s absolutely a closed boys’ club."
The interviews highlighted work-family conflict as a key theme as the networking events scheduled in the evening, weekends, or informal after-work gatherings clash with family and household responsibilities. Women with families face challenges in pursuing leadership careers due to the demanding nature of official working hours and the pressure to cultivate professional networks, making it increasingly difficult to balance leadership responsibilities with family commitments. One interview noted that women, especially those with children, are advised to communicate very clearly with their willingness to assume higher positions. Failure to convey this intention may lead others to assume that, due to their role as mothers, they are not interested in taking on additional responsibilities.
Morality, seen as personal reason for not engaging extensively in networking, takes many shapes, including (1) discomfort with formal networking events (due to the above-mentioned homophily feeling), (2) a motivation that prioritizes collaboration and authentic relationships rather than personal benefits, (3) a sense of obligation to support and connect with lower-level employees, and (4) the fear of not being able to reciprocate (linked to fulfilling both roles as employees and mothers at expected levels mentioned earlier).
"Perhaps this is a very “female” style, but I don’t want to have a network with people I don’t like"
One executive with two children expressed, "I need to bear a guilty conscience alongside my career." But this burden was not experienced similarly by her husband, who also pursued a prestigious career.
Gendered modesty is connected to a lack of self-confidence, which could come from "a stereotypical educational or cultural imprint that gives women the feeling of having less... value to add to networks." A lack of visibility and representation at important networking events such as conferences and panel discussions could lead to lower self-worth.
"Women tend to be overly self-critical and focus on what they cannot do." And therefore, women are advised to "walk around with their heads held high and to say “if you don’t want me or like me, I’ll go somewhere else."
Takeaways and Thoughts
Honestly, there are so many emotions. So many messages strike a chord with my heart.
The enduring structural barriers have undoubtedly left lasting impressions on how women are perceived in the workplace and, equally important, how women perceive themselves. While numerous initiatives and awareness campaigns target both these aspects, I am unsure if I will witness a complete flip of this narrative within my time in the workforce or my lifetime. Nonetheless, I remain faithful to contributing to this collective effort. I have faith that, for my young 5-year-old daughter, the future holds a brighter and clearer path in terms of social structures and her mindset.
In my training during my master's or doctoral research, networking was perceived as something nice to have. But researchers can, and should, go beyond merely delivering science dictated by their principal investigator. Participating in presenting at conferences and workshops, and serving as an organizing committee, is not just a nice to have but can be beneficial for researchers at every stage.
I'd admit that I didn't do it well, but I'm learning. The whole concept of networking gives me headaches and anxiety when thinking about the actual activities, and I feel uneasy even just standing in front of it. As one interviewee shared, "I was bad at networking to foster the next step in my career path." Maybe I've internalized the idea that women stress the importance of likeability in relationship-based networking. As the interviewee said, "I don’t want to have a network with people I don’t like," or perhaps, I don't want to have a network with people who don't like me.
I very much appreciate that the surveys in the study include a diverse and representative group of female professionals. Among the respondents, 29 out of 37 were married, 25 (out of 37) had at least one child (ranging from 0 to 6 children), and these women's ages ranged from 31 to 63 years, with an average of 46.5. This demographic variety paints a more practical and relatable picture of lifestyle considerations in this modern society.
The interviewees mentioned that training programs emphasizing self-image and self-presentation can help address the needs of female employees, including challenges related to power dynamics, managing resistance, positioning oneself, and self-marketing. Back to my participation in the networking program that my colleagues and I are growing, my biggest aspiration is to provide women a space to assert themselves, promote their capabilities, and explore and plan for their next big things.
To end, I include the advice from the interviewees to the next generation of female leaders from the study:
Be aware of your self-worth
Market yourself
Communicate your aspirations
Don't sell yourself short
Be visible
Don't be too modest!
Now, my invitation to all allies of women and men: Take a step into connections that may seem intimidating. Make connections for others - Your initial introduction can create a ripple effect of impact for you and others.