Empowering or burdening? The short-term benefits and costs of upward networking at work

Research on social networking primarily focuses on the long-term benefits of upward networking on career success. However, how it influences employees in the short term is largely overlooked. Integrating conservation of resources theory and self-control strength model, we developed a moderated dual-pathway model that simultaneously examines the immediate benefit and cost of upward networking and investigates how trait self-control moderates the dual-pathway mechanism. Based on two experiments and a time-lagged experience sampling study, we examined the moderated effects of trait self-control, as well as the conditionally indirect relationship between upward networking and work engagement through the resource gain of perceived impact at work and the resource loss of ego depletion. We found that, on the one hand, for employees high in trait self-control, engaging in upward networking is likely to be related to perceived impact at work and indirectly affects work engagement. On the other hand, for employees with low trait self-control, engaging in upward networking is likely to increase ego depletion and indirectly affects work engagement. Overall, our findings contribute to theories of social networking and self-control and specifically highlight the complexity of upward networking, which both empowers and burdens employees in terms of immediate work outcomes.