Reference no: EM133292647

Case Study:

Networking is what Facebook is all about right? Not so according to Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook. Sheryl Sandberg may be known to many as the "female" face at Facebook yet her path to becoming chief operating officer (COO) did not include any online social network; from her perspective it involved hard work and a track record of success. Going to Harvard for both her undergraduate and graduate career provided Sheryl not only with the quality education she desired but also with the connections to help her best put that education to good use.

Sandberg's career began at Harvard where she cofounded the support organization "Women in Economics and Government," which put her in the path of Dr. Larry Summers. Summers recognized Sheryl's talents and recruited her as a graduate assistant to work on projects for the World Bank. Graduating with the highest honors from Harvard in her MBA class, Sandberg was hired as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company. When her former mentor was named as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under President Bill Clinton, Dr. Summers immediately "rehired" her.

When the administration changed hands, Sheryl was hired by Google where she grew the sales team from 4 to 4,000 employees. Her real break came in late 2007 when she met Mark Zuckerberg, cofounder and chief executive of Facebook, at a Christmas party. Zuckerberg was not actively searching for a COO, but thought of Sheryl as "a perfect fit" for the position. In March 2008, Facebook announced the hiring of Sandberg for the role of COO and her departure from Google.118

Sheryl is well aware that her meeting with Zuckerberg was a fortuitous one-a meeting that would not have taken place if she did not leverage her contacts and networks. She further believes that women for the most part are excluded from "the men's hut," that is, they are not involved in the business after-hour social activities in which their male counterparts are so active. This exclusion, she believes, reduces their chances to progress not only in the ranks of their own firms but to take advantage of better opportunities when they arise.

Why does Sandberg think this is the case? "Men sometimes feel uncomfortable spending time one-on-one with women they work with and avoid dinners, golf outings and other outside-of-work events with them as a result. This eliminates crucial networking opportunities for women at work. . . . A huge percentage of men are literally afraid to be seen one-on-one alone with a woman." Some might argue that men's fear of being alone with a female colleague outside of the workplace is driven by the increasing number of charges of sexual harassment. Sixty percent of male managers say they're scared of being alone with women at work. A survey conducted by LeanIn found that men in high-ranking positions were 12 times more likely to be hesitant to meet with a woman than a man; nine times more likely to not want to travel on a business trip with a female colleague; and six times more likely to avoid work dinners with a woman. The results are that women receive fewer mentorship opportunities and have fewer doors opened to them. When asked "Where do you think the mentoring happens?" Sheryl responded that "we know the results of when it doesn't happen: a lack of equal pay and absence of corporate female leadership."121 Sandberg recommends that men adopt a consistent policy of socializing with all employees-all or nothing-as long as everyone is treated the same.

So what does any employee, especially a female, need to do to find a mentor? Sheryl actually takes a surprisingly hard-nosed approach to mentorship in her book Lean In. "The strongest relationships spring out of a real and often earned connection felt by both sides ... we need to tell them, 'Excel and you will get a mentor.

Questions:

Sandberg is a strong proponent of networking for getting a better job or position. What other reasons are there for creating a strong network?

Sandberg did not work her way up the ranks of Facebook but was hired from outside the firm - how does her "hiring" support the power of primary and secondary network connections?

What is the networking process and would Sandberg agree that this is the right process to follow?

Sandberg may not have used online networking to obtain her position at Facebook yet Facebook and LinkedIn are considered the two most appropriate venues for personal and professional networking. What are the advantages and disadvantages to social networking?

According to the case, finding and obtaining mentors seems to the one of the goals of developing and maintaining a strong network. Explain why.

Building a network of strong contacts would seem to require negotiating skills. Explain why.

Cumulative Questions

What bases of power are associated with networking? Explain your answer. The bases of power include coercive power, connection power, reward power, legitimate power, referent power, information power and expert power.

What are the underlying ethical issues surrounding women's networking and mentorship? Ethics refers to the moral standard of right and wrong behavior.