Bat Batjargal, a Harvard researcher who has written extensively on the social networks of entrepreneurs in different cultures, has some interesting preliminary findings about the role of gender in shaping the structure of entrepreneurs’ social networks. The study concludes:

Men who are entrepreneurs have a lot in common with their female counterparts: They are young, energetic, and focused to the point of being obnoxious, said Batjargal. But they have very different social networks, and use them in different ways. Women have larger social networks for advice and resources. But men, surprisingly, have larger “emotional” networks - the complex of associations that provide warmth, praise, and encouragement. And men apparently profit more from these emotional attachments than women do.

“This is probably the most surprising, counterintuitive finding of this research,” said Batjargal. “Men can be very emotional, and they use these emotional ties better than women do.”

Most interesting here is the concept of different types of social networks and ties; one may have a strong tie with someone on a business level, able to communicate regularly about business problems or plans, but a weak or even nonexistent tie with the same person on an emotional level. A node may serve as a valuable connector in the ‘emotional network,’ holding gatherings and bringing people together to “share the warmth,” but may not play the same role in the ‘resources network’–these gatherings may have little to do with the typical connections associated with business networking. Accordingly, one must consider ties not only by their strength, but also by their type in examining the structure of a network.

On a personal level, the notion of multiple types of networks seems to ring true. Here at Cornell, I have a number of friends that I rely on for emotional associations–going to meals with, joking around, venting frustrations–, but I have an entirely different group of people, other students, faculty, and staff, who I would turn to for advice or for a pointer to a good resource to help me accomplish a task. For the most part, these two groups do not overlap–the upperclassmen I have discussed the Computer Science major with do not know or interact with the friends I eat dinner with–but both groups form an important part of my social network.

Perhaps ever-so-important weak ties can form out of such associations, with one person connecting together previously separated people from an ‘emotional network’ and a ‘resources network.’ For instance, suppose one of my friends from my ‘emotional network’ is complaining to me at dinner that she is frustrated with her course of study and wants to try video game design. I could connect her with a professor running such a program that I know from my ‘resources network.’ The effect is, in the ideal case, a newly formed weak tie between my friend from one network and the professor from another, a tie that may lead to new opportunities for my friend.

(via Ben Casnocha)