EP 115 - Sven Horak, Professor at St. John’s University – Rethink Your Networking: The Power of Being an Outsider

Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.com

 Are you frustrated that can’t break into key groups at work, or unsure how outsiders can access critical “insider” networks to advance your career? Maybe you should stop following the prevailing networking strategies – and start “leveraging your outsider status” instead. In this episode of 97% Effective, host Michael Wenderoth talks to Professor Sven Horak about his research into “informal networks,” an emerging field that looks at how culture and informal institutions impact how we network and build important relationships. We dig into his research in Asia, why Western networking approaches often fail -- and discuss practical strategies that ANY “outsider” should consider if they want to be break through and ascend. Professor Horak’s thought provoking insights will upend the notion that trying to integrate is your best approach – and likely accelerate your path, and power, at work.

SHOW NOTES:

• Sven’s path from German auto-industry expat in East Asia – to academic in the US
• Given his research, what Professor Sven would have advised young Sven to have done differently in Korea
• Practical tip: Your entering a new country or cultural environment, what should you do to best prepare?
• Networking, social skills and cross-cultural connection
• The definition of Informal Networking, and the importance of “effective ties”
• How networking differs between cultures
• Unpacking Sven’s bold statement: “Forget trying to develop your network – and instead build on your outsider status”
• Mini-case study: Can an foreign expat build Yongo ties in Korea?
• The biggest risk of “Reactive” networking strategies
• “Proactive” networking strategies build on your outsider status
• Michael zooms out: Can we apply Sven’s findings on what works for “cross cultural” outsiders to ANY outsider that is trying to break in? (Like: women, minorities, Gen Z breaking into older, white male-dominated corporate environments?)
• The pie chart to understand networks
• Types of questions to ask to better understand the informal network
• How seeing through the “network lense” advances our cross-cultural understanding, and will make leaders more effective
• Sven’s reminder to be careful of generalizing: everything is situational and very context dependent
• His latest research related to “murmuration”

 

BIO AND LINKS:

Sven Horak is the Zizza Tobin Professor of Management at The Peter J. Tobin College of Business at St. John's University in New York. He works in the area of Global Management, International HRM and Leadership. His research enhances the theoretical and practical understanding on how informality and informal networking influences the practice of Global Management across its various domains. In his work, he explores informal networking practices, helping global managers build and strengthen their diverse connections while enhancing their networking capabilities to become more resourceful in challenging situations.

• On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/svenhorak/
• Faculty Page: https://facpub.stjohns.edu/horaks
• His Book: Informal Networks in International Business, https://a.co/d/4QeHK9D
• Article (Open Access): Informal Networks, Informal Institutions and Social Exclusion in the Workplace, Journal of Business Ethics, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-022-05244-5
• Article: Explaining the Persistence of Informal Institutions: The Role of Informal Networks, Academy of Management Review, http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/amr.2020.0224
• Fukuyama’s work on Trust and Social Capital: https://www.jstor.org/stable/43199387
• Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofstede%27s_cultural_dimensions_theory
• Michael’s Award-Winning book, Get Promoted: What Your Really Missing at Work That’s Holding You Back https://tinyurl.com/453txk74

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