Do Networking and Diversity Elements Impact the Development of Innovation Leaders? A Climate Analysis in the Pharmaceutical Industry

There is compelling evidence that professional networks play a key role in career advancement through provision of mentoring experiences and the additive impact of domain-based expertise. It is also postulated that women and men often form different types of networks as defined by their structure (number of nodes, inner circles), how they function (cooperative, hierarchical) and are utilized (counselling, sociopolitical). In this climate analysis we investigated network dynamics of a representative cross section of women in various career stages across innovation, scientific, and engineering roles in a global pharmaceutical company (WISE). Through a combination of quantitative (anonymous survey) and qualitative (interview based) measures we highlight differences in approach which were largely driven by career aspirations among respondents. Among individuals reporting rapid career advancement through verticals, rather than identifying mentoring interactions they highlighted diversity of experiences as a major factor. These include cross domain and cross-cultural experiences, job rotations, and experience in multi-disciplinary projects. Comparable findings were observed in surveys of male colleagues in similar roles in the organization. The findings may have value in coaching and mentoring programs and in new employee onboarding programs.