Men are good at analytics, women are good at social skills, or so runs popular belief. However, in the workplace it is men that hold the advantage when it comes to using social networks, it seems.

Raina Brands, assistant professor of organisational behaviour at London Business School, and a psychologist by training, is a specialist in the study of informal interaction in the workplace.

While business schools have built their reputations on teaching formal skills – writing a business plan, understanding a balance sheet or devising a corporate strategy – Prof Brands believes informal interactions, such as friendship networks, have a powerful role to play in any organisation. And it is men that gain the upper hand in using these networks for career advantage, she says.