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Inc.: A stack of studies shows networking often backfires for women unless they do it this one specific way

15 Apr 2024
Research shows women are judged harshly for strategic networking, but also offers a workaround for this annoying bias.

Originally found at Inc.

If you're a woman who has spent any time in the business world, you probably don't need research to tell you that women face a ton of double standards. But if you do, there is a stack of studies I can show you.

Research confirms women are judged differently from men when they make jokes, interrupt, offer feedback, solicit feedback, negotiate hard (or use charm in negotiations), get older, and even when they network.

...Your first reaction to those findings might be to shake your fist in rage. The second is likely to wonder what you're supposed to do instead. If reaching out to the people who can move your company or career forward is likely to get you labeled as pushy and scheming, how exactly are you supposed to move up in the world?

Certainly not by sitting around and being quietly excellent. Research is equally clear that that's generally a losing strategy.

Instead, you may want to try a technique recently endorsed by a trio of European business school professors. For their new study, published in the Academy of Management Journal, the team collected data on the professional networks and career advancement of the employees of 42 global pharmaceutical companies over the course of 25 years. 


Continue reading the original article at Inc..

Read the original research in Academy of Management Journal.

Read the Academy of Management Insights summary.

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