Unraveling the mystery behind networking reluctance, we delve into the psychological and social factors that make some individuals more hesitant to forge professional connections. Discover the intriguing interplay of personality traits, past experiences, and societal norms that shape our networking behaviors.
A global survey of nearly 16,000 LinkedIn users revealed that while nearly 80 percent of professionals consider networking crucial to career success, almost 40 percent admit that they find it hard to do.
The key seems to be how people perceive their own success and professional value
- People with higher status do have larger social networks and tend to be more likely to do things to broaden those networks further
- These differences between low- and high-status individuals were largely driven by whether individuals viewed status to be an indicator of someone’s quality
Testing the Connections between Beliefs and Networking Actions
In an initial pilot study, the researchers drew on data from a 1985 survey by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago
- Higher income was associated with a larger social network
- To more fully understand how beliefs about status shape networking behavior, Cao and Smith conducted six additional studies, recruiting online participants for each from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform
- The first two studies, participants were presented with various hypothetical scenarios and asked how likely they were to engage in activities that would broaden their social network such as reaching out to a friend of a friend for help
The Perpetuation of Hierarchies
The paper’s findings have clear implications for anyone who finds networking deeply uncomfortable
- Think about the value you bring to this relationship
- If you know you have value to bring to the relationship, you will feel more comfortable doing this type of work
- Business leaders eager to push mentoring and networking should encourage employees to understand that “value” doesn’t have to be narrowly defined in terms of performance metrics
