An increasing number of platforms are enabling women to connect with one another by breaking the boundaries between the professional and personal
How women network and work—unlike men, their connections go beyond mere work and deals—as also one of the reasons why women need to network differently from men.
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“Having the right circle of women around you is honestly the biggest life upgrade,” announced a post on Instagram. Radhika Iyengar, India country director for Women in Tech, can vouch for the accuracy of that statement. Iyengar, 47, who lives in Hyderabad, had an important work event to attend. But she couldn’t leave her child alone. That’s when some members from Women in Tech, an organisation that champions diversity in STEM, offered to help so that she could make it to the event.
Sakshi Agarwal, 37, as a community manager at Slurrp Farm regularly used to meet “mom” groups across South India for networking purposes. It’s been several years since her job changed, but some of the mothers she connected with back then are still in touch. Currently, the head of brand and strategy at Ella Foods, Bengaluru-based Agarwal says she has become friends with some of the mothers she used to interact with and has also collaborated and worked with them on different projects, much after moving on from her role as community manager.
It’s instances like these, Iyengar feels, that highlight one of the key qualities of how women network and work—unlike men, their connections go beyond mere work and deals—as also one of the reasons why women need to network differently from men.
In the modern organisation, the equation is not as simple as “work hard and success will follow”. It also matters who notices you doing the hard work and who you have access to. This is where networking is vital. It is no secret that golf and weekday informal drinks among men are all about networking and not for the love of the game or an appreciation of the art of mixology. Men are direct, intentional and strategic in their networking. “Men are more adept at purposeful networking and seeking out formal and informal avenues to grow their professional connections. Women usually have great social skills but often hesitate when it comes to leveraging their social networks for strategic professional advantage,” says Richa Kale, 43, HR head at Egon Zehnder Information and Research Services Pvt Ltd.
A study titled ‘Reaching for the Stars: How Gender Influences the Formation of High-Status Collaboration Ties’ published in the Academy of Management Journal last October noted that across the working world, traditionally masculine behaviours are the yardstick for measuring potential and performance, which is a huge barrier for women. Highlighting another reason why women do not network like men, Kale, also a co-founder at Lead Like Her Tribe, a networking group for women HR leaders in the National Capital Region, says, “Women network differently because they have learned to navigate these challenges and need different strategies to achieve their professional goals through networking.”