Joining disconnected others reduces social identity threat in women brokers

Abstract

This article examines gender differences in social network brokerage. We theorize that whether women brokers experience social identity threat with downstream consequences for their creative performance depends on whether they use a separation (intermediating between network members) or a joining (bringing disconnected network members together) approach. Using a survey (Study 1), a pilot field study and an experiment (Study 2), and another experiment (Study 3), we demonstrate the following, respectively: (1) there are stereotypes favoring men in separation brokerage and stereotypes favoring women in joining brokerage; (2) women (vs. men) who take a separation approach to brokerage experience reduced creative self-efficacy, whereas no gender difference emerges among individuals who undertake a joining approach; and (3) women (vs. men) experience greater social identity threat when undertaking separation brokerage, with fear of backlash mediating the link between gender, creative self-efficacy and creative performance, whereas no gender difference emerges among individuals who undertake a joining approach to brokerage.