When networking pays unequally: proactive personality, gender and career satisfaction in Vietnam and the United States

Abstract

Purpose This study investigates how proactive personality shapes employees’ career networking and career satisfaction across two national contexts and whether the career returns to networking differ by gender. Drawing on the social role theory, we argue that proactive employees are more likely to engage in career networking, but that the payoff of networking for career satisfaction depends on gendered expectations and cultural context. Design/methodology/approach We conducted two multi-wave survey studies. Study 1 used a two-wave design with 252 employees in Vietnam. Study 2 used a three-wave design with 261 employees in the United States. The designs enabled tests of the proposed mediation and cross-context gender differences while reducing common-method concerns. Findings Across both studies, proactive personality was positively associated with career networking, and career networking, in turn, mediated the relationship between proactive personality and career satisfaction. Contextual differences emerged in the networking–career satisfaction link. In Vietnam, networking was positively related to career satisfaction for men but not for women. In the U.S., the indirect effect of proactive personality on career satisfaction via networking was comparable for men and women. Originality/value This study advances cross-national career research by showing that proactive dispositions reliably translate into networking across contexts, whereas the career satisfaction benefits of networking are contingent on gendered cultural expectations. The findings underscore the need for research to consider not only whether proactive career behaviors occur, but also when and for whom those behaviors are returned.