Leadership in Action: Informal Networking and the African American Manager

The Value of Diversity

We are not saying that managers do not benefit from multirace contacts, but our research shows that for African American managers the additional dimension of networking with same-race individuals contributes to improved effectiveness ratings. (Interestingly, for white leaders the findings were reversed. Those white managers who had proportionately higher different-race contacts were seen as being more effective leaders than those who networked primarily with other whites.)

We want to emphasize that both African American and white managers who were seen as being effective had a significant number of multirace contacts. Not only did these individuals get the supportive and instrumental benefits that INs afford but they provided ...