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We found that during re organizational
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restructury events for instance merger
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and acquisition men and women tend to
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react differently and we found that
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gender homophy is intensified.
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Men are making more friends new [music]
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friends with men. They they focus on
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network formation. They try to expand
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their networks by making more new
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connections [music] with with other men.
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And women tend to focus on their
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existing networks with other women. So
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their networks are more dense but
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stronger.
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>> Welcome to the Ripple Effect, the
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podcast that takes you on a journey
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through the minds of Wharton faculty.
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I'm your host Dan Looney and in each
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episode we'll be diving deep into the
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[music] inspiration behind the
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groundbreaking research that Wharton
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professors have conducted and exploring
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how their findings resonate with the
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world [music] today.
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The impact of one business combining
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with another can play a significant
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[music] role in how social networks in
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the workplace develop and at times
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[music] can potentially come apart.
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Research from our guest today and her
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colleagues look at that fact
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specifically. [music]
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Tienanyang is an assistant professor of
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management and of sociology here at the
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[music] Wharton School. Tian, great to
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talk to you again. How are you?
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>> Hi Dan. Great to see you here. very
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exciting talk about my work.
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>> Yes, absolutely. Uh I guess let's start
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with the concept of networks and what
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was it that drove you to want to look at
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how networks in the workplace get
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impacted especially when there's some
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sort of you know strong event like a
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merger or an acquisition that occurs.
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>> Yeah. You know the idea of networks how
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important it is like everyone can even
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feel that in their daily lives we all
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have all kinds of social relationships
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when people look for jobs they ask their
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friends their family members and in
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organizations these kind of networks are
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really important because networks
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actually serve as a conduit for
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information and resources and such
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networks are not only shaped by the
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formal structures. For example, the kind
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of jobs people have. Usually, if they
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are working in higher level, more
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powerful positions, they tend to be the
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center of larger networks. However,
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there are also like interpersonal
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relationships that shape these networks.
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So, it's a it's a very complex dynamic
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and different people tend to engage
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networks differently, which actually
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have consequences for a lot of important
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things. And so for this research
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specifically, you were looking in and
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around the medical community as to how
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some of these impacts occur.
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>> Yes. And you know, I kind of stumbled on
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the healthcare industry, but after I
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studied the industry, I realized
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networks are uh so important. For
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example, um people when people ask when
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people look for doctors and doctors
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sometimes need to refer refer them to
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other doctors. For instance, um
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generalist need to refer their doctor to
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specialist. And these kind of referral
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networks are not only shaped by
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insurance networks but also shaped by
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doctor's networks. And these networks
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are very important because they really
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affect how many patients doctors will
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have and also
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the kind of effective um effective care
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that will be delivered to patients. So
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they have consequences for both
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physicians and the patients.
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>> But you note that there is a difference
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between men's networks [clears throat]
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and women's networks especially when
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there is this kind of disruption.
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>> Yes. So the disruption you are referring
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to uh is uh merger and acquisition that
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we studied but I think there are other
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kinds of restructuring events in
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organization. So going back to the
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question about gender difference in
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networks and it's very interesting that
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when people think about gender and
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networks they they tend to think about
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network formation right for example you
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know some people have better networks
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larger expensive more useful networks
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because they're good at the networking
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meaning that they reach out to people
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more they build a larger networks
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they're good at making friends but
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network formation is only one kind of
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network dynamics. The other kind is
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network maintenance. So people do after
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they establish networks, make friends,
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build a new networks, they have to have
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ways to maintain networks. And if they
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are not good at maintaining networks,
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they may experience network decay, which
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is that networks will become weaker and
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eventually disappear. So when when
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people talk about gender differences in
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networks and also the gender gap in
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resources acquired from networks, they
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tend to attribute this to men's better
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ability to build a networks with other
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men. So it's gender homophy because
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men's networks tend to be uh larger,
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stronger and also because men tend to
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occupy higher positions in
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organizations, more powerful positions.
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So gender homophy allow men to build a
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better network. So that's the kind of
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combination of notion people have about
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gender homophy and social networks. So
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what we're saying is you know look at
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network for look at network maintenance
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like men and women may do differently
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too. So there we found something really
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interesting. We found that during re
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organizational restructury events for
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instance merger and acquisition men and
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women tend to react differently and we
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found that gender homophy is
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intensified.
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Men are making more friends new friends
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with men. They they focus on network
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formation. They try to expand their
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networks by making more new connections
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with with other men. And women tend to
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focus on their existing networks with
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other women. So their networks are more
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dense but stronger. And this has
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consequences for net resources they
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acquire from these networks during
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merger and acquisition because during
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these turbulent times each woman
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actually provided more resources
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referred more patients to each other. So
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women's networks actually provided a
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greater advantage to them during
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turbulent times. So that's the big
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finding we have from this research.
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>> Part of the story is obviously the
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importance of women's networks sticking
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together.
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>> Yes.
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>> Do do women's networks tend to be
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stronger than men's networks in general?
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>> So we don't find a general pattern that
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women tend to be better at maintaining
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networks. However, there are particular
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circumstances under which women are
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become better at maintaining networks.
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For instance, during COVID, there has
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research showing that women tend to
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maintain networks better without
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face-toface interaction. For some
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reason, men's network for them to
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maintain relationships, they have to do
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certain activities together. They have
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to see each other. So women are better
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at kind of recording information,
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maintaining networks without inperson uh
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face-to-face interaction. But what we
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found in this context, I think it's kind
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of also explained by the kind of social
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psychological mechanisms because women
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feel like they need to support each
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other during difficult times. That's why
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they are lean toward each other rather
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than looking for new connections. And so
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that brings up the component of trust
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when you're talking about when you're
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talking about continuing and
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strengthening these networks as well.
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Correct.
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>> Right.
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>> Yes. So there is some indogenity because
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when they if you think about existing
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networks and new networks, existing
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networks presumably are stronger, right?
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So these networks maybe during difficult
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times or turbulent times and there is a
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lot of uncertainty in who will be
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helping me. So people women tend to lean
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on the relationships they already had
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and there is also like a greater level
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of trust in those relationships and and
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if you think about people helping each
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other when there is reciprocity people
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support each other when it's mutual and
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it also reinforces the trust level of
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trust in the relationships. I found it
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interesting in in looking at the
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research that it seems like the belief
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is that women's networks tend to be more
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inward focused whereas men's networks
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tend to be more outward focused and in
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many cases the outward focus even goes
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beyond the walls of the company to other
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other networks and other firms as well.
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Correct.
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>> Yeah. So I think that that might be an
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outcome or general pattern people
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observe but I wouldn't attribute that
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like what social media and the
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conventional wisdom say to individual's
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personality. So it's not just because
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women are more introverted, men are more
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out extroverted. They are shaped by
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social structures and cultural norms,
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right? Like there are differential like
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gendered expectations for how men and
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women should uh should act in terms of
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building and for maintaining
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relationships. Think about that. Women
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are prescribed to be more communal. That
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means they need to take care of their
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friends, support each other. Whereas men
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are more agentic and more assertive. So
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they're going out to making new
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connections with other people. And there
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also impacts of structural the positions
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impact of their current jobs, right? If
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they're at a higher level positions,
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more powerful positions that will help
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them to make more new connections. So I
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think the general pattern you described
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is right but the kind of reasons the
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structural cultural reasons that shape
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those um patterns I think are beyond the
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individual personality. Let me finish up
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with kind of a two-parted question. A
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and first in doing this research, what
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do you think you have learned and maybe
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is going to be passed on to others about
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just the value of women's networks in
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the workplace and how they can have such
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a significant impact on the company that
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they're working for in general?
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Yeah, I I think that's a question that
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my co-author Marissa Kane from Warden
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and IFA who is um a postto at INSIA all
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of us have thought a lot about right we
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want to really think hard about the
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implication of our research for women
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men and women for individuals and for
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organizations so our research focus on
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the short-term changes following
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structure restructuring events so we
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don't know the long-term impact yet. I
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think when mer acquisition happen in
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organizations actually I think
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if you think of this beyond not not just
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hospital organizations in general so
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organizations want people to build a new
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connections right because then
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>> the the units the the different the
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existing organization new organizations
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can like can be integrated better. I
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think in that process what we observe is
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that because it creates some kind of
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uncertainty in relationships women are
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actually leaning back right so it's not
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necessarily helpful for the organization
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in long term however in short term like
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women are able to kind of sustain their
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relationships maintain the resources
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they acquired from networks so that
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would be one thing I would say it's a
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double-edged this word so it's not
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universally good Um the other thing is
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you know when when people think about
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gender differences in networks where
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impact of homophy tend to claim
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generally that networks are networks
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leading to disadvantages for women right
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so that's a general notion or convention
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of wisdom people have but I think I want
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people to think differently based on our
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research which is there are
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circumstances
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women can benefit from networks and even
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the networks they have with with other
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women. It's not like a women shouldn't
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be making friends with each other. They
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shouldn't like spend time maintaining
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building relationships. Actually, the
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networks can become an advantage for
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them during turbulent times. So the
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question is more about how do you build
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a more balanced relationship which can
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provide a lot of resources in stable
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environment and also the kind of network
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relationships that can like help you um
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weather through difficult or uncertain
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conditions. Well, and and I guess to a
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degree, part of that also is not only
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having that network expand and grow, and
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it might even be outside of the borders
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of the of the of the company that you
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work for
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>> to help that firm, but also to
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potentially help that person's longer
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term goals of where they want to take
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their career.
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>> Exactly. And here we have only looked at
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patients referral. So, it's a kind of
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career relevant outcome. But in real
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life there are so many other outcomes
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that can be shaped the networks like our
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well-being the activities we do in our
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private private life and our work
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outcomes the other like even more
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general career outcomes career mobility
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moving to other firms moving up in
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organizations. So I think there are um
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there are actions that individuals can
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take to that that to help themselves.
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Tanten, great to talk to you again.
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Great research. Thank you very much for
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sharing it.
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>> Yeah, [music] it's a pleasure to talk
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with you, Dad. Thank you so much.
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>> Thank you. All the best. Tanti Yang, who
00:14:24
is an assistant professor [music] of
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management and of sociology here at the
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Wharton School. Thank you for listening
00:14:31
[music] to the ripple effect. We hope
00:14:32
you found this episode informative and
00:14:34
engaging. Don't forget to subscribe and
00:14:36
leave us a review so that we can
00:14:38
continue to bring you [music] the best
00:14:40
insight from the Wharton School.
