Gendered Benefits of Networks On Commitment : The Construal Perspective On Brokerage and Centrality

While previous research has established informational, performance, and reputational benefits of social network position (e.g., brokerage, centrality), the mechanisms by which networks increase employee commitment remain elusive. We seek better process understanding by exploring relational antecedents to employee commitment, including how and why the positive network effects on commitment may differ by gender. In seeking to understand how and why men and women might develop differing levels of commitment depending on social network position, we draw on the construal approach of social networks and the literature on gender stereotypes. Using data from 589 individuals across 67 teams in a US federal agency, we found that the indirect effects of expressive (friendship) network brokerage on team commitment (mediated by trust) were weaker for women compared to men. Similarly, results showed that the indirect effects of instrumental (information/resource) network centrality on team commitment (mediated by influence) were also weaker for women compared to men.