Leadership in Action: Informal Networking and the African American Manager

Conclusion

In closing we would like to point out that our research argues for a pluralistic approach to networking. This brings to the networker a wider range of contacts, more exposure, and better opportunities to exchange information at the organizational level. We would also argue that this study makes clear that developing all managers in the same way may be inappropriate. Specifically, the underlying and often unconscious assumption that all employees should be managed by the same techniques used to manage white males is put into question. This cookie-cutter approach to leadership development needs to be replaced by a more sophisticated technique of allowing direct reports to follow different paths to the common goal of increased leadership ...