The impact of networking characteristics on perceived individual performance: evidence from Seoul metropolitan government in Korea

The current study investigates networking’s impact on individual performance with special attention paid to the frequency and necessity dimensions of networking. Motivated by the importance-performance analysis methodology, this study conducts a frequency-necessity analysis to investigate networking characteristics, which leads to four networking types. Data collected from metropolitan government officials in Seoul Metropolitan Government, Korea reveal that necessary but infrequent networking, as well as unnecessary but frequent networking, negatively influences individual performance, compared to networking with necessary and frequent networking partners. The study concludes with a call for strategic networking.