Career Success Networks in China: Sex Differences in Network Composition and Social Exchange Practices

Abstract

Through structured interviews with 108 senior and middle managers in China, we compared the composition and social exchange practices of Chinese male and female managers' career success networks (CSNs). The results indicated that most of the CSN ties formed by both male and female managers are with men, especially power ties. Male and female managers differed in the extent to which they engaged in instrumental and expressive transactions with same- and opposite-sex CSN alters, reciprocated the help provided by CSN alters, and socialized outside of the workplace with opposite-sex alters. The implications of these results for career success in China are discussed. Copyright Springer Science + Business Media, Inc. 2005