Cast A Wider Net in Networking

Women are good at networking with other women. Perhaps it’s because they’re more comfortable. The problem is that women are limiting their professional growth opportunities because, as we all know, women do not comprise the majority of top-level executives. That’s not to say that women’s groups don’t have their place, but networking must necessarily extend beyond them.

Career Development International published a case study in 2011 that studied the impact of women’s networks on participants’ careers and the executives at the organization. They preface that report, stating that very little research has been done regarding the actual impact of women’s networks on organizations. However, it did cite previous research stating, “The success or failure of these efforts is dependent on how they are perceived by organizational members-both men and women.”