Women’s career advancement: mentoring and networking in Saudi Arabia and the UK

Abstract

This study focused on women managers’ perceptions of mentoring and networking with respect to their career development in Saudi Arabia (SA) and the UK. This qualitative study used interviews to generate data, and we interviewed 44 women working as managers in public sector organizations in SA and the UK. The findings revealed that women in SA and the UK have different concepts of both mentoring and networking, and this relates to the cultures in the two countries. Women in SA associated mentoring and networking with their family members rather than their professional networks. In contrast, the women in the UK conceptualized mentoring and networking as something that took place, either formally or informally, in the workplace or through their wider professional networks. Both groups of women experienced challenges in their careers and received different forms of support from their professional groups and family members. Our comparative study provides a novel insight into women’s experiences from two very different perspectives and cultures; this will contribute to research and practice in this area. In particular, the findings illustrate the importance for human resource practitioners and talent managers of understanding the cultural context of their management and leadership development interventions. The paper concludes with an agenda for further research and also identifies the implications for human resource development practitioners which include adapting their strategies and practices to enable organizations to gain full value from their talent pool and realize women’s potential to hold top positions.