Networking your way through the organization

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to focus specifically on formal and informal networking and their relationship with career satisfaction. It was expected that men would engage more in networking and that men are able to use networking effectively than women, which will be shown in the achievement of greater career satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses were tested with hierarchical regression analyses, using a sample of 180 (69 percent) female and 80 (31 percent) male employees from a Dutch bank. Findings Results show that the female respondents engaged more in both formal and informal networking than male respondents. However, hierarchical regression analyses showed that the association between participating in network activities and career satisfaction is significantly stronger for men than for women. Research limitations/implications There is certainly a need for longitudinal data to resolve issues concerning differential dropout of women and the development of effective social networks. Practical implications The female employees profit less from networking in terms of career satisfaction. One possible solution may be to try to develop especially the networking competences of women. Originality/value Elaborating on the social network perspective this study of the participation in formal and informal networks examined gender differences in the association of networking with career satisfaction. Although the female employees in this study engage more in networking, they profit less from it in terms of career satisfaction.