Research: Being Well Connected Isn’t Always Good for Your Career

by Sunny Lee, Lei Liu, Colin M. Fisher and Martin Kilduff

July 4, 2025

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Summary.

Conventional wisdom says that when it comes to career opportunities, it’s not about what you know, but who you know. And research has found, in fact, that prestigious connections do open doors and make people seem more capable than their peers—as if proximity to greatness implies a degree of similar excellence.

Sunny Lee is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at UCL School of Management and the author of Your Next Move: The Five Rules to Negotiate Your Life on Your Terms (Quarto Group, forthcoming). She has a PhD from London Business School, and her research examines the roles of biases and stereotypes in career outcomes and employee experience.

Lei Liu is an Assistant Professor in Management at Exeter Business School, and the author of A Connected World: Social Networks and Organizations (Cambridge University Press). She has a PhD from UCL School of Management, and her esearch explores how social connections and collaborations influence innovative problem-solving, psychological processes, and career outcomes.

Colin M. Fisher is an Associate Professor of Organizations and Innovation at UCL School of Management and the author of The Collective Edge: Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups (Avery). He has a PhD from Harvard Business School, and his research focuses on creativity and team dynamics.

Martin Kilduff is Professor and Director of Research at UCL School of Management and the author of A Connected World: Social Networks and Organizations (Cambridge University Press). He has a PhD from Cornell University. His research focuses on interpersonal social networks in organizations.

Read more on Cognitive bias or related topics Leadership and managing people, Management skills, Managing employees, Employee performance management, Underperforming employees and Professional networks

Research: Being Well Connected Isn’t Always Good for Your Career

Summary.

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