Do women and men in top managerial positions differ in their network behavior when looking for innovation-relevant knowledge? This question has been addressed in a study by Sonja Sperber (WU Wien) and her co-author Christian Linder (SKEMA Business School), and has recently been published in Creativity and Innovation Management with the title “Top Managerial Network Relations for Knowledge Transfer: Exploring Gender Differences”.

In the ongoing debate surrounding the gender gap in top managerial positions, various possible causes have been explored, with different networking patterns being one of them. However, we still lack detailed insights on how knowledge transfer via networks varies based on gender. Identifying and understanding these gender-based inequalities in information access is essential for the organization and the individual top executive (e.g., regarding impact on career advancement) likewise. Drawing upon network theories, this study investigates the direct network ties for innovation-relevant knowledge among top managers in the United Kingdom and identifies significant gender disparities, as for instance differences in network sizes between female and male top managers.

Please find the article here (published Open Access):

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/caim.70030