Leadership in Action: Informal Networking and the African American Manager

A Question of Support

Much of the support that INs provide African American managers comes from other African Americans. This is because these managers face distinct challenges that white managers don't, challenges that often go unnoticed or are discounted by whites.

For instance, there is the stress of working in a culture that is different in many ways from their own. And perhaps even more significant is the stress of being viewed as a representative of one's race. African Americans are highly visible in organizations, and they often feel that their mistakes are not seen as theirs alone but are generalized to other African Americans. Thus, they feel that their performance may affect how other African Americans are judged. This greatly increases ...