Networking and Promotability across Management Levels: A Case from Thailand
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study addresses gaps in the literature on networking and managerial careers by examining the differential effects of networking across managerial levels in Thailand, an emerging market with distinct cultural characteristics. A questionnaire survey was conducted with Thai managers, yielding 324 usable responses for analysis (165 first-line managers and 159 middle managers). The results support a moderated mediation model in which networking partially mediates the relationship between extraversion and promotability, with the strength of this mediation varying across managerial levels. Specifically, the career benefits of networking diminish as managers advance in their careers, with stronger effects observed among first-line managers. These findings are interpreted through Role Theory, together with Thailand’s high-context, collectivist, and high power-distance cultural environment, which shapes the effectiveness of networking in managerial careers. Overall, the study extends the networking and managerial career literature by showing that the career value of networking is contingent on both role-based behavioral expectations and culturally embedded cues that influence trait expression. The findings further suggest that organizations should support networking as a strategic career development tool while addressing the distinct needs of managers at different career stages.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Opinions and discussions in papers published by the Creative Business and Sustainability Journal (CBSJ) are deemed as personal opinions and the responsibility of the writers. They are not the opinions or responsibility of the Chulalongkorn Business School of Chulalongkorn University.
Papers, content, information etc. appearing in the Journal are deemed to be the copyright property of the Chulalongkorn Business School of Chulalongkorn University. Anybody or any organization that wishes to publish any part of them or use them in any way must obtain written permission from the Chulalongkorn Business School, Chulalongkorn University.
References
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Anzengruber, J., Goetz, M. A., Nold, H., & Woelfle, M. (2017). Effectiveness of managerial capabilities at different hierarchical levels. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 32(2), 134–148. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmp-12-2015-0451
Barnett, B., & Bradley, L. (2007). The impact of organizational support for career development on career satisfaction. Career Development International, 12(7), 617-636.
Barrick, M., & Mount, M. (1991). The big five personality dimensions and job performance: A meta‐analysis. Personnel Psychology, 44(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1991.tb00688.x
Bendella, H., & Wolff, H. G. (2020). Who networks?–A meta-analysis of networking and personality. Career Development International, 25(5), 461-479.
Biddle, B. J. (1986). Recent developments in role theory. Annual Review of Sociology, 12, 67–92. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.so.12.080186.000435
Brislin, R. W. (1990). Applied cross-cultural psychology (Vol. 14). Sage Publications.
Chong, E. (2013). Managerial competencies and career advancement: A comparative study of managers in two countries. Journal of Business Research, 66(3), 345–353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.08.015
De Pater, I. E., Van Vianen, A. E. M., Bechtoldt, M. N., & Klehe, U. C. (2009). Employees’ challenging job experiences and supervisors’ evaluations of promotability. Personnel Psychology, 62(2), 297–325. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2009.01139.x
Donnellan, M. B., Oswald, F. L., Baird, B. M., & Lucas, R. E. (2006). The mini-IPIP scales: Tiny-yet-effective measures of the Big Five factors of personality. Psychological Assessment, 18(2), 192-203. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.18.2.192
Eisinga, R., Grotenhuis, M. T., & Pelzer, B. (2013). The reliability of a two-item scale: Pearson, Cronbach, or Spearman-Brown?. International Journal of Public Health, 58(4), 637-642. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-012-0416-3
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
Forret, M. L., & Dougherty, T. W. (2001). Correlates of networking behavior for managerial and professional employees. Group & Organization Management, 26(3), 283–311. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601101263004
Forret, M. L., & Dougherty, T. W. (2004). Networking behaviors and career outcomes: Differences for men and women?. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(3), 419–437. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.253
Furnham, A., & Crump, J. (2015). Personality and management level: Traits that differentiate leadership levels. Psychology, 6(5), 549-559.
Gibson, C., Hardy, J. H., III, & Buckley, M. R. (2014). Understanding the role of networking in organizations. Career Development International, 19(2), 146–161. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-09-2013-0111
Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond culture. Anchor.
Hayes, A. F. (2015). An index and test of linear moderated mediation. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 50(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/00273171.2014.962683
Hayes, A. F. (2018). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Hirschi, A., Nagy, N., Baumeler, F., Johnston, C. S., & Spurk, D. (2018). Assessing key predictors of career success: Development and validation of the career resources questionnaire. Journal of Career Assessment, 26(2), 338-358. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072717695584
Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture's consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations. Sage Publications.
Horak, S., Afiouni, F., Bian, Y., Ledeneva, A., Muratbekova-Touron, M., & Fey, C. F. (2020). Informal networks: Dark sides, bright sides, and unexplored dimensions. Management and Organization Review, 16(3), 511–542. https://doi.org/10.1017/mor.2020.28
Horak, S., & Paik, Y. (2023). Informal network context: Deepening the knowledge and extending the boundaries of social network research in international human resource management. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 34(12), 2367–2403. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2022.2090268
Horak, S., Taube, M., Yang, I., & Restel, K. (2019). Two not of a kind: Social network theory and informal social networks in East Asia. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 36(2), 349-372. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-018-9602-z
IMD. (2024). World competitiveness ranking. https://www.imd.org/centers/wcc/world-competitiveness-center/rankings/world-competitiveness-ranking/rankings/wcr-rankings/#_tab_List
Judge, T. A., Bono, J. E., Ilies, R., & Gerhardt, M. W. (2002). Personality and leadership: A qualitative and quantitative review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(4), 765–780.
Judge, T. A., Cable, D. M., Boudreau, J. W., & Bretz, R. D., Jr. (1995). An empirical investigation of the predictors of executive career success. Personnel Psychology, 48(3), 485–519. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.4.765
Katz, D., & Kahn, R. L. (1978). The social psychology of organizations (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Wiley.
Kordsmeyer, T. L., Speer, A. B., Wilms, R., & Kurz, R. (2024). Longitudinal effects of employees’ Big Five personality traits on internal promotions differentiated by job level in a multinational company. Journal of Business and Psychology, 39(5), 1049-1065. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-023-09930-7
Li, J. J. (2005). The formation of managerial networks of foreign firms in China: The effects of strategic orientations. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 22(4), 423–443 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-005-4118-8
Luo, Y. (2003). Industrial dynamics and managerial networking in an emerging market: The case of China. Strategic Management Journal, 24(13), 1315-1327. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.363
Majumdar, S., & Chandra, A. (2025). Behavioral traits of fund managers: A systematic literature review. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 17(1), 136–164. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-10-2022-0454
McCallum, S., Forret, M., & Wolff, H. G. (2014). Internal and external networking behavior: An investigation of relationships with affective, continuance, and normative commitment. Career Development International, 19(5), 595-614. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-08-2013-0101
Michael, J., & Yukl, G. (1993). Managerial level and subunit function as determinants of networking behavior in organizations. Group & Organization Management, 18(3), 328–351. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601193183005
Mintzberg, H. (1973). The nature of managerial work. Harper & Row.
Ng, T. W., Eby, L. T., Sorensen, K. L., & Feldman, D. C. (2005). Predictors of objective and subjective career success: A meta‐analysis. Personnel Psychology, 58(2), 367–408. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.00515.x
Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory. McGraw-Hill.
Pearson, C. A., & Chatterjee, S. R. (2003). Managerial work roles in Asia: An empirical study of Mintzberg's role formulation in four Asian countries. Journal of Management Development, 22(8), 694–707. https://doi.org/10.1108/02621710310487864
Pfeffer, J., & Salancik, G. R. (1978). The external control of organizations: A resource dependence perspective. New York, NY: Harper & Row.
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Jeong-Yeon, L., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
Porter, C. M., & Woo, S. E. (2015). Untangling the networking phenomenon: A dynamic psychological perspective on how and why people network. Journal of Management, 41(5), 1477-1500.
Porter, C. M., Woo, S. E., Alonso, N., & Snyder, G. (2023). Why do people network? Professional networking motives and their implications for networking behaviors and career success. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 142, 103856. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2023.103856
Rasdi, M. R., Garavan, T. N., & Ismail, M. (2012). Networking and managers' career success in the Malaysian public sector: The moderating effect of managerial level. European Journal of Training and Development, 36(2/3), 195–212. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090591211204715
Schönherr, L., & Thaler, J. S. (2022). Individual outcomes of managerial networking: A job demands-resources perspective. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 2022, No. 1, p. 16585). Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management.
Selvarajah, C., Meyer, D., & Donovan, J. (2013). Cultural context and its influence on managerial leadership in Thailand. Asia Pacific Business Review, 19(3), 356–380. https://doi.org/10.1080/13602381.2012.714630
Singh, S., & Basri, S. (2024). The personality-driven startup: How Big Five traits influence networking behavior and business success. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1), 2415530. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2415530
Spurk, D., Hirschi, A., & Dries, N. (2019). Antecedents and outcomes of objective versus subjective career success: Competing perspectives and future directions. Journal of Management, 45(1), 35–69. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206318786563
Tett, R. P., Toich, M. J., & Ozkum, S. B. (2021). Trait activation theory: A review of the literature and applications to five lines of personality dynamics research. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 8(1), 199-233. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-012420-062228
Thacker, R. A., & Wayne, S. J. (1995). An examination of the relationship between upward influence tactics and assessments of promotability. Journal of Management, 21(4), 739-756. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639502100408
Udomkit, N., & Schreier, C. (2017). Tie the ties: The significance of the binding networks in SMEs’ internationalization process. Journal of Asia-Pacific Business, 18(1), 4–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10599231.2017.1272992
Wang, L., & Hasan, N. (2024). Exploring organizational career growth: A systematic literature review and future research directions. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1), 2398728. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2398728
Wolff, H. G., & Kim, S. (2012). The relationship between networking behaviors and the Big Five personality dimensions. Career Development International, 17(1), 43–66. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620431211201328
