When starting a new job it is only natural to bond with people who share a similar background with you. But don't get too comfortable: sticking with your own kind can be a hindrance later in one's career, a new study suggests. In the workplace, networks that result from homophily are initially helpful to get ahead, according to the study published by graduate business school, INSEAD. SMU Assistant Professor of Strategic Management Gokhan Ertug, who is one of the report's lead researchers, said that when an employee first enters a career or organisation, "they have little legitimacy, they have little formal power over anyone else. If these people talk to people who are like them, at least they will get some information." However, the report shows that once an employee has moved up in the organisation or demonstrated good work, staying with that first group of colleagues can hold them back. "If you still insist on people who are like you, just contacting them, then in a way you're wasting the power, the legitimacy, the credibility you have," he said.