Social Capital, Homophily Ties and Networking Modes: A Gendered Approach to Ceos Evaluations of Organizational Performance

In this study we examine the effect of gender variations in social capital and networking modes on performance evaluations. We drawupon social capital theory and the contrast between a “gendered” vs. a “performative” modeling of women’s work behavior to examine the effect of gender differences in (a) use of homophily -ascribed / achieved-ties and (b) networking -consulting / sharing- modes on performance evaluations. The results from a sample of 135 men and women CEOs indicate that the sharing networking mode has positive effects on performance evaluations for both men and women CEOs, but women, report a negative effect of homophily ties. The results support the assumptions developed in the “performative” hypothesis suggesting that gender is not a “feature” of women CEOs’ behavior in the workplace