When Networking Feels Like Objectifying Others
You have probably heard thousands of times that you should “network”… Yet you always feel a bit weird about it. Have you ever wondered why?
library(tidyverse)
library(effsize)
library(ggplot2)
library(Rmisc)In one of my research projects, I wanted to understand why, in spite of being aware of the benefits of networking, people tend to be reluctant to network. My prediction was that people dislike networking because they perceive it as a form of objectification of others: An action through which they use others as “means” to satisfy personal “ends”.
To test this idea, I set up a simple experiment: I asked participants to read a little story describing a social event, and asked them to put themselves in the shoes of the main character who was either networking (treatment) or not (control).
I then asked participants how they would feel behaving as the character does. More precisely, I measured three things:
The extent to which they would perceive they objectify others, with items such as: “I am treating this person as a mean to an end”, “I think of this person in terms of how he can be useful to me”, “If this person cannot give me what I want, I will probably not invest in this relationship”.
The extent to which they would feel negative emotions, with items such as: “I would regret what I have done in this situation”, “I would have felt better if I hadn’t done what I did in this situation”, “Coming out of this situation, I would feel worried”.
The extent to which they would be willing to network.
Here is what I found:
Networking is seen as a form of objectification of others
data <- read.csv("dataObj.csv")
data$Approach <- as.factor(data$Approach)
summarystats <- summarySE(data, measurevar="objectification", groupvars="Approach")
ggplot(data = data, aes(x = Approach, y = objectification)) +
geom_violin(color = "gold") +
geom_pointrange(data = summarystats, aes(x = Approach, y = objectification, ymin = objectification - ci, ymax = objectification + ci), width = 0.5, color = "blue") +
ggtitle("Means and 95 % CI per condition") +
ylab("Perception of objectifying others") +
xlab("Conditions") +
scale_x_discrete(labels = c("No networking", "Networking")) +
scale_y_continuous(breaks = seq(0, 7, 1), minor_breaks = NULL) +
theme_classic()
Effect size:
data$Approach <- as.factor(data$Approach)
data$Approach <- relevel(data$Approach, ref = "Strategic")
cohen.d(objectification ~ Approach, data = data)##
## Cohen's d
##
## d estimate: 1.143016 (large)
## 95 percent confidence interval:
## lower upper
## 0.9303266 1.3557045People who imagined themselves networking were much more likely to perceive that they objectified others. In fact, the effect is large: When people imagine a regular interaction, they report a moderate level of objectification (4.03 on a 7-point scale). Those who picture themselves networking, on the other hand, report a much higher level of objectification (5.11).
Objectifying others is associated with negative emotions and reduced willingness to network
What’s wrong exactly with objectifying others? Well, the results suggest that it makes people feel negative emotions such as guilt, which reduces their willingness to network…
summarystats <- summarySE(data, measurevar="guilt", groupvars="Approach")
ggplot(data = data, aes(x = Approach, y = guilt)) +
geom_violin(color = "gold") +
geom_pointrange(data = summarystats, aes(x = Approach, y = guilt, ymin = guilt - ci, ymax = guilt + ci), width = 0.5, color = "blue") +
ggtitle("Means and 95 % CI per condition") +
ylab("Feeling of guilt") +
xlab("Conditions") +
scale_x_discrete(limits = c("Spontaneous", "Strategic"), labels = c("No networking", "Networking")) +
scale_y_continuous(breaks = seq(0, 7, 1), minor_breaks = NULL) +
theme_classic()
Effect size:
cohen.d(guilt ~ Approach, data = data)##
## Cohen's d
##
## d estimate: 0.647394 (medium)
## 95 percent confidence interval:
## lower upper
## 0.4450875 0.8497004People who pictured themselves networking were more likely to feel guilt: They reported higher level of guilt (3.52 on a 7-point scale), compared to those who did not (2.78).
Association between Objectification, Guilt, and Willingness to Network
ggplot(data, aes(objectification, guilt)) +
geom_point(colour = "gold") +
geom_smooth(method = "lm", colour = "blue") +
ggtitle("Association between Objectification and Guilt") +
ylab("Guilt") +
xlab("Objectification") +
scale_x_continuous(breaks = seq(0, 7, 1), minor_breaks = NULL) +
scale_y_continuous(breaks = seq(0, 7, 1), minor_breaks = NULL) +
theme_classic()
ggplot(data, aes(guilt, Contact)) +
geom_point(colour = "gold") +
geom_smooth(method = "lm", colour = "blue") +
ggtitle("Association between Guilt and Willingness to Network") +
ylab("Willingness to Network") +
xlab("Guilt") +
scale_x_continuous(breaks = seq(0, 7, 1), minor_breaks = NULL) +
scale_y_continuous(breaks = seq(0, 7, 1), minor_breaks = NULL) +
theme_classic()
Why do we care?
The one-size-fits-all advice of “you should network for your professional development” is useless if most people feel uncomfortable when networking, and are therefore reluctant to do so. To help them overcome their discomfort, it is important to understand why exactly people feel uncomfortable.
My research suggests that part of this discomfort is explained by the perception of networking as a self-interested activity in which we use others for our personal benefit. A solution might therefore be to positively reframe our perception of networking.
Reframe your networking atcivity
Here’s an attempt: Networking does not have to be instrumental, selfish and therefore kind of immoral. Networking may be a way to learn, to give, to make friends, but also a way to be part of a community in which you’ll receive today to be able to give back tomorrow.
Many other factors can explain difficulty to network
Other factors may play a role in the discomfort people associate with networking.
For example, more junior people may often feel that they don’t have much to bring to the table. But it’s false: Their enthusiasm, energy, flexibility, and their eagerness to contribute and succeed are assets. Their lack of experience also give more senior people around them the opportunity to mentor, support, sponsor, and help… which is something that people often feel good about!
Research also suggests that people from minority groups might perceive their network as not that useful, or might fear rejection. As a consequence, they may avoid networking.
Finally, women may face unique challenges when networking. Because of the traditional gender stereotypes painting women as communal (i.e., concerned about others, unselfish, …), they may face backlash if they are perceived to be instrumental, and might therefore avoid networking altogether for fear of this disapproval.
Zoé Ziani
PhD in Organizational Behavior