The interaction between gender and informal social networks: An East Asian perspective: Gender diversity management in East Asia

Abstract

Despite the increasing attention to gender diversity management in recent decades, there is a dearth of studies that provide an East Asian perspective on this topic. We argue that informal social networks have a crucial role in macrosocial and organisational approaches to diversity, such as social attitudes and laws, which in turn may affect organisational routines and practices of diversity management. In this article, we develop a research framework that connects gender diversity approach across macrosocial and organisational levels of analysis. Responding to the call for contextual research, our focus in this article is on how gender diversity management in East Asia is affected by informal social networks at the macrosocial level, namely guanxi in China, yongo in South Korea, and jinmyaku in Japan. Our review posits informal social networks as salient in mediating the shape and effect of institutional mechanisms at the macrosocial level on diversity practices at the organisational level.