Social Capital and Networking Behavior-Week 1 -Assignment
Social Capital and the Impact of Networking Behavior
Dr. Monica Forret
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Careers Today
- Era of the “boundaryless career” as opposed to the “organizational career” conceived to unfold in a single employment setting (Arthur & Rousseau, 1996).
- Change in the psychological contract.
- Notion of employability becoming one’s career goal (Hall, 1996). Emphasizes performing self-assessments, upgrading one’s skills, and networking.
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Human Capital vs.
Social Capital
- Human Capital – The investments we make in ourselves:
Our education
Prior work experiences
Training
Knowledge, skills, and abilities
“What you know”
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Social Capital
- Social capital represents the resources available to an individual as a result of one’s personal network of contacts (Baker, 2000).
- Social capital provides ideas, information, resources, and opportunities.
- “Who you know”
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Social Capital is a Source of Competitive Advantage
- Social capital is difficult to duplicate.
- The quality of our relationships with others is a unique, valuable, nonreplicable asset.
- Social capital extends to whom our contacts know, and so on.
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What Does Your Network
Look Like?
- Size – a larger network helps.
- Structure – how “connected” are your contacts? Less redundancy provides more information.
- Composition – a diverse network (e.g., age, gender, occupation) extends one’s reach.
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Mary’s Network
Ballet
Sponsor
Mary
Church
Prof.
Org.
Friends/
Family
Softball
Team
Service
Club
Past
Clients
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Networking as a Method to
Improve Your Social Capital
- Networking can increase the size, power, and diversity of one’s contacts.
- Networking can increase the number of nonredundant contacts in one’s network.
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Networking
- Individuals’ attempts to develop and maintain relationships with others for the purpose of mutual benefit in their work or career (Forret & Dougherty, 2001).
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Different Views of Networking
- “I guess I wouldn’t feel so strongly about it if I weren’t so bad at it.”
- “Networking is very valuable to me – in my line of work, it is the way to be successful.”
- “Networking evokes positive and negative images for me. The more people I know, the easier to get things done. But it is a problem if you are on the outside of an important network.”
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Networking Comes Easier to
Some People
- Individuals who are:
Extraverts
High in self-esteem
From higher socioeconomic backgrounds
More accepting of workplace politics
- However, all of us can improve our networking skills.
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“Work” is Part of Networking
- Networking is an investment you make in yourself. It involves:
Time
Energy
Effort
Money
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Networking is about Giving
- “The goal of building networks is to contribute to others” (Baker, 2000, p. 70).
- Networking is based upon trust.
- Helping others increases the likelihood of you receiving help – it invokes the norm of reciprocity.
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Networking is Not:
- Selling
- Manipulating or deceiving people
- Violating the “Golden Rule”
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When Done Poorly, Networking May Be Perceived As:
- Slimy
- Cheating
- Unethical
- Highly political
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Benefits from Networking are Many
- Jobs
- Referrals
- Information & Ideas
- Social Support
- Job Satisfaction
- Career Sponsorship
- Income
- Promotions
- Career Satisfaction
- Affective Commitment
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Barriers to Networking
- Lack of time
- Fear of not being able to reciprocate
- Discomfort in meeting new people
- Fear of being seen as needy
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Asking for Help
- Becomes much easier after you’ve developed relationships with people.
- State your needs, and ask for suggestions or ideas.
- Do not be demanding.
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Career Goals Should Influence Networking Efforts
- What are your short and long term goals?
- Assess your current social capital. Who should be a member of your network?
- Align your networking efforts. Consider 3 key domains: organization, profession, and community
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How Intense and Focused are Your Networking Efforts?
- Networking in Your Organization
- Networking in Your Profession
- Networking in Your Community
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Which Groups to Join?
- Are you interested in the group’s mission?
- Are the members people you want to meet?
- Will it provide developmental assistance?
- Are the meeting times convenient?
- Are the dues affordable?
- Try it out first – Attend as a guest!
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Approaching New People
- Do your homework - get bios of individuals if possible. Look for commonalities.
- Initiate conversations. Pretend you are a host. Arrive early, meet organizers, offer help.
- Establish rapport by asking others about themselves.
- Call people by name throughout conversation.
- Ask open-ended questions and be a good listener.
- Send a nice follow-up note.
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Your Needs Change, and so Does Your Networking
- Sometimes you need to scale back your efforts in a particular area. Especially if:
You no longer find the activity rewarding
You’ve established a solid reputation
It is very time consuming and prevents you from developing new contacts
It no longer provides you with developmental opportunities
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Reevaluate Your Social Capital
- How has your network changed?
- Assess the quality of the relationships you’ve developed.
- Are you an active contributor to others?
- What other networking efforts could be implemented to enhance your social capital?
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Ineffective Networking Behaviors
- Joining groups, but not actively participating in them.
- Asking favors prematurely of people for whom you have no relationship.
- Not thanking individuals who have helped you.
- Failure to follow-up on promises made.
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Effective Networking Behaviors
- Listening to people and understanding their needs and feelings.
- Treating individuals, regardless of status, with respect and dignity.
- Following the ‘norm of reciprocity.’
- Recognizing individuals who have helped you.
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