It is not what you know but who you know: Exploring fundamental principles for mapping professional networks—a card game activity

Developing social capital within a professional community is becoming increasingly significant for career management. Increasingly portable careers and the emergence of online professional networking platforms necessitate developing student understanding and capabilities for developing professional networks. However, while a growing number of students acknowledge the value of social media and networking platforms for developing professional connections, research shows that many others do not. The presented analogue playing card exercise provides an interactive heuristic approach to explore fundamental principles for mapping professional networks in a classroom environment. It introduces students to possible opportunities and drawbacks of using digital networking platforms. In addition, it encourages participants to recognise the importance of assessing network connections and different types of networking. The exercise was developed for international postgraduate business and management students in a face-to-face classroom setting.