Tie creation and agency throughout the career cycle: A process model of social capital development in a magic circle law firm

Looking at the evolution of networking behaviours throughout the career life cycle in a professional service firm (LegalCo) we find distinctive networking foci and activities that come with the tasks and roles of different career stages. Taking a closer look at networking
behaviours within each career stage we identify and describe how the networking of high agency (HA) vs. low agency (LA) service professionals differs. We track the differentiation between HA and LA across the career life cycle from junior associate to partner and identify
the mechanisms of networking agency – seeking out (specific organisational groups), creating imprinting ties and playing on similarities – that account for distinctively different networking paths throughout the career life cycle. We discuss the career implications and the role of homophily as an underlying groundwork that acts as an enabler or a hurdle to the activation of these identified mechanisms of agency.

, 2013