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Normalizing Sponsorship: The Unspoken Pathways to Advancement in High-Tech

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  • Pinto, Zeala

    (Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration)

Abstract

Sponsorship already operates through reference calls, meetups, calibration sessions, stretch assignments, demo slots and quiet introductions. Because it is informal and opaque, access skews toward the well-connected. This study draws on qualitative interviews with leaders and senior professionals in Israeli high-tech and uses item-level survey data (N = 219) as a supporting complement. The findings map the everyday places where sponsorship lives and show how it can be normalized through light-touch routines that are fair, auditable and hybrid-work friendly. The paper offers a practical taxonomy (access, risk-shielding, credit and visibility, brokerage, capital allocation) and converts each into concrete practices: sponsor-of-record rotations, sponsor minutes in calibration, referral-equity scripts, meetup-sourcing logs, authorship and credit checklists, and demo rotations. Treating sponsorship as organizational infrastructure reduces leakage, improves perceived fairness and makes advancement less dependent on proximity to power.

Suggested Citation

  • Pinto, Zeala, 2026. "Normalizing Sponsorship: The Unspoken Pathways to Advancement in High-Tech," CrossCultural Management Journal, Fundația Română pentru Inteligența Afacerii, Editorial Department, vol. 28(1), pages 49-61, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:cmj:journl:y:2026:i:1:p:49-61
    DOI: 10.70147/c284961
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