wk 5 ogl photo voice

Ogl-568 Women’s Gender Studies-Module 5

Your FINAL PHOTO Selections!

I have attached what this week’s module about

In each module, you will have the opportunity to participate in an online discussion forum.

Discussion Purpose: The purpose of the discussion forum is to exchange ideas with class members to expand personal perspectives and make a meaningful application of the course content. Participating in class discussions is a vital part of learning. Participation in discussions represents a significant portion of graded work in this class.

Instructions

First, for your initial discussion board post, please choose one of the photographs you submitted in your Field Notes and Photography assignment and post it along with an explanation of how the image you took relates to the Module Topic.

Second, view the photographs posted by other students and respond to the images they have posted and the explanation of what the image means to them  AND TO YOU.   You should respond to at least TWO  images this week  (or more if you're feeling extra:). 

 

These questions are for THINKING- you do not need to include these in your post unless you want to:

Observation and Description

· What do you notice first in the photograph, and why do you think your attention is drawn there?

Context and Perspective

· Who might be the intended audience for this photograph, and how might their interpretation differ from yours?

Interpretation and Meaning

· What emotions or ideas does the photograph evoke in you? Do you think this aligns with the photographer's intended message?

· What story or message do you think the photograph is trying to convey? Are there any symbols or metaphors present that enhance its meaning?

Critical Reflection

· What questions does this photograph raise for you about its subject or context? 

· How does this imagery relate to the Module Topic?

After you have posted, try reading back to see what others have said. Do you notice any themes, patterns, or similarities?   Make note of these themes for your final paper this week.

https://www.ted.com/talks/worklife_with_adam_grant_networking_for_people_who_hate_networking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k115ePA_9SU&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fasu.instructure.com%2F&source_ve_path=OTY3MTQ

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2430174

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Field Notes and Critical Thinking

Module 3: Mentors, Advocates, and Advisors

Your name:

Field Notes and Critical Thinking

Field Notes

Field Note 1:

Date/Time: October 5, 2023; 3:00 PM

Location: University Women’s Leadership Panel

Observation: A session of female executives spoke about deconstructing gender bias in traditionally male industries. One of the speakers spoke about the influence of mentorship in her career advancement, where her male mentor was a vocal advocate for her throughout key promotion negotiations. She talked about how his sponsorship made her aware of organizational politics and positioned her front and center with top leaders.

Reflection: This account emphasizes the two-fold burden shouldered by women in the workplace: the access to mentorship to advance in their careers and the overall lack of access to older leaders belonging to the same gender identity. The panelist's experience reaffirms Casciaro et al.'s (2014) study that instrumental networking such as accessing mentors would result in feelings of moral discomfit because of perceived differentials in power. Despite such psychological barriers, mentorship is still needed for shattering structural barriers. This discussion also harmonized with Yang et al.'s (2019) research on how leadership achievement among women is strongly signaled by possessing an inner network of female contacts that provide emotional support as well as access to a diverse group of networks.

Field Note 2:

Date/Time: October 7, 2023; 10:30 AM

Location: Workplace Diversity Training Session

Observation: One facilitator invited an employee to establish "weak ties" with members of other departments to facilitate innovation and collaboration. What was surprising was that not many women stepped forward to establish these cross-functional relationships during the workshop's interactive sessions.

Reflection: Women's hesitation to engage in weak-tie networking may be due to gendered socialization that devalues self-promoting behavior. Granovetter's (1973) seminal work on the strength of weak ties demonstrates how such ties bridge structural holes in networks, providing access to new information and opportunities. However, as Cross (2008) explains in his research on high performers, an individual needs to work deliberately to make weak ties benefit them—a strategy that may be contrary to communal norms more generally linked to women.

Field Note 3:

Date/Time: October 9, 2023; 6:00 PM

Location: Professional Networking Event

Observation: A female participant lingered around her colleagues instead of approaching a high-level executive who could be a possible mentor. When asked about it later, she was afraid of "bothering" the executive and was not sure that she had anything of value to offer in return.

Reflection: This behavior is a manifestation of what Casciaro et al. (2014) refer to as "networking discomfort," where individuals avoid instrumental relationship-building in an attempt to sustain their moral self-concept. In women, this discomfort typically is amplified by fear of appearing aggressive or self-serving, a much-documented phenomenon in gender studies of workplace behavior. Cross (2008) would term this being caught in the "surface networker" trap, whereby individuals fail to create the high-quality, mutually rewarding relationships that are the hallmark of highly effective networks.

Photographs

Photograph 1:  A group of women collaborating at a roundtable discussion.

Explanation: This image captures the power of collective support in leader development. It is the antithesis of the individualistic and at times transactional nature of instrumental networking that dominates most workplaces.

Photograph 2:  A LinkedIn connection request screen on a smartphone.

Explanation: Social media tools like LinkedIn have transformed weak-tie networking by lowering the threshold for creating professional relationships.

Photograph 3: A woman hesitating near a senior executive at a networking event.

Explanation: This photo depicts the "networking discomfort" Casciaro et al. (2014) wrote about, where concern about appearing transactional or intrusive chokes off relationship-building. It highlights the gendered dilemma that women face in self-promoting in professional spheres.

Critical Thinking Prompts

Critical Thinking Prompt 1: Current Networks and Challenges

My working networks are currently comprised largely of "convenience networks," peers of comparable ranks and backgrounds that provide emotional support but limited career-enhancing ties. This homogeneity creates what Granovetter (1973) would identify as structural holes within my professional network. The greatest challenge lies in overcoming the psychological discomfort Casciaro et al. (2014) attribute to instrumental networking, particularly when making initial contact with high-ranking leaders.

To make up for this, I plan to attend a minimum of two interdisciplinary professional conferences per month to expand my weak ties and use LinkedIn sparingly to contact professionals outside of my immediate field, organizing overtures on the basis of shared interest rather than transactional value. I will create what Yang et al. (2019) call a "dual network" of maintaining strong ties among female colleagues while creating weak ties between organizational fields

Application Prompt 1: Self-Assessment

My reluctance to network instrumentally is rooted in what Casciaro et al. (2014) describe as fear of moral contamination, the concern that strategic relationship-building undermines authenticity. This is especially pronounced as a woman trying to avoid what Cross (2008) refers to as the "surface networker" trap, where shallow connections do not lead to substantive career advantage. In order to shift this mindset, I will adopt a "learning orientation" (Cross, 2008) by prioritizing mutual knowledge sharing in networking ties and establish specific objectives (e.g., two informational interviews/month) to make active networking a regular habit

Application Prompt 2: Key Discovery

Granovetter's (1973) "strength of weak ties" theory strongly connected to my life as a first-generation professional. My best career possibilities have been made possible by what Granovetter would call weak ties (previous professors, internship managers, and conference acquaintances) who opened doors for me to opportunities inaccessible to my family network. That is precisely similar to Granovetter's major thesis that weak ties fill in structural holes across homogeneous groups. Cross's (2008) application of this theory following his research on high performers added richness to the idea that it's not only having weak ties that matters, but positioning oneself as a bridge between clusters within a network.

Action Plan

Who: Senior diversity officer at my target company

What: 20-minute informational interview regarding their career trajectory and current work

Where: Virtual (Zoom)

When: By October 20, 2023

Plan:

1. Check out their LinkedIn profile and recent publications

2. Compose a personalized message with reference to common ground in mentoring programs

3. Craft questions that reflect knowledge of their work while leaving room for real dialogue

4. Write a thank-you note and offer to exchange relevant resources

Reflection Prompt: Networking and Leadership

Effective networking is the foundation of leadership, particularly for women who are encountering systemic barriers. Granovetter's (1973) weak ties provide access to diverse perspectives and possibilities, with Yang et al.'s (2019) research demonstrating women's leadership effectiveness as a blend of strong woman support networks and wide weak-tie networks. Gendered expectation muddies that formula, though. Women are victimized by what Cross (2008) calls the "biased learner" trap when networks become too homogeneous, and face exclusion for assertive networking behavior fostered in men but penalized in them.

References

Casciaro, T., Gino, F., & Kouchaki, M. (2014). The contaminating effects of building instrumental ties: How networking can make us feel dirty.  Administrative Science Quarterly,  59(4), 705-735. https://t-j.ru/media/how-networking-can-make-us-feel-dirty.ip9yswyzdffx..pdf

Cross, R., Thomas, R. J., & Light, D. A. (2008). How top talent uses networks and where rising stars get trapped.  Organizational dynamics,  37(2), 165-180. https://www.robcross.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Org-Dynamics-How-Top-Talent-Uses-Networks.pdf

Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The strength of weak ties.  American journal of sociology,  78(6), 1360-1380. https://landanyjobyouwant.com/sites/default/files/publications/the_strength_of_weak_ties_and_exch_w-gans.pdf

Yang, Y., Chawla, N. V., & Uzzi, B. (2019). A network’s gender composition and communication pattern predict women’s leadership success.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,  116(6), 2033-2038. https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.1721438116