If you're an American selling to a Japanese firm, expect to require an insider to make introductions. In some American firms, it's women who are considered outsiders. The same is true for young men just entering Burt's senior management population. Entry-rank men, like women, are more successful in the firm when they are attached to a strategic partner. In other words, the legitimacy difference is less about gender as it is about insiders versus outsiders.
Insiders succeed when they build an entrepreneurial network.
Outsiders succeed when they build a strong relationship with an established manager who has an entrepreneurial network. The practical implication for managers is to be aware of the distinction between insiders and outsiders. Don't build a network patterned after the networks of successful people. Build it for the kind of social capital benefit that you personally require. But that is the kiss of death for certain managers.