Task 3b - Theories relating to networking



Task 3b – Theories relating to networking

Reader 3 has given me an understanding of different key concepts of networking and helped me think about how I apply them within my practice or how I can try and incorporate the concepts to my professional networks.

Co-operation

Cooperation (the will and way to win) is closely associated with game theory, which is a set of ideas developed principally by mathematicians to tackle problems in a range of areas. Game theory focuses on the results of cooperation and the decisions to cooperate, or not which provides for us a ‘strategy’ or a ‘clear understanding of the benefits, drawbacks and processes’ inherent in cooperation across a professional network.

Axelrod talks about ‘tit-for-tat’ method and how it provides the basis for cooperation in complex social interactions among humans. (Axelrod, The evolution of cooperation. Pg 8). Axelrod identified the importance of the notion of cooperation, and in particular, the benefits of cooperating fully with others, until you reach a point of maximum benefit, and then to ‘defect’ (Axelrod, Reader 3 page 5). If you was aiming to come out on top then I believe this strategy would allow you to do so but I believe there is a lot to consider when deciding the right pursuit of cooperation and the strategy of cooperating until the last minute can somehow break relationships in the workplace. Axelrod asks the question: ‘When should a person cooperate, and when should a person be selfish, in an ongoing interaction with another person? Should a friend keep providing favours to another friend who never reciprocates?’ In answer to this question I believe it would depend solely on the situation, although I agree that cooperating with people in your network is essential to gain personal benefit, I don’t however agree that using a tit-for-tat approach to networking would prove successful for me. I believe the ‘game theory’ fails to take many factors into consideration- one being the hierarchy within a network. In a basic game situation or competition, this is logical and effective strategy however in different professional industry’s, I feel this is not a logical approach to take for example if working for a well known choreographer, director or producer and they didn’t cooperate well with me, I would not reciprocate this in a tit-for-tat approach. I would have to continue to work hard, cooperate and communicate on a professional level, even if it was not reciprocated allowing me to keep my affiliation with them in tact.

Working in a school I cooperate with the students and teachers daily, instructional activities are aimed at accomplishing goals and are conducted under a goal structure, each goal structure has its place and we encourage all students to work cooperatively with others whilst also encouraging them to compete at a certain level and work autonomously on their own. The students are in the process of working on their group choreographies which is proving that they are working together to accomplish shared goals whilst seeking outcomes that are beneficial to themselves and beneficial to all of the group members allowing the students to work together to maximize their own and each others learning. However this can be contrasted with competitive learning (students working against each other either at an audition for the show or to achieve an academic goal such as an A* in their GCSE) and individualistic learning (students working by themselves to accomplish learning goals beneficial to them however unrelated to those of the other students). Working alongside other teachers there isn’t a choice to cooperate or not as it is necessary in the environment of my professional practice to make pre-instructional decisions for example we have to work together to:

·         Formulate skill objectives

·         Decide on the size off the groups

·         Choose a method for assigning students to groups

·         Decide which roles to assign group members to

·         Organise and arrange the room along with arranging props or materials students need in order to complete their assignment.

By doing these tasks we are cooperating to achieve results that are necessary to allow students to achieve results. An element of cooperation is positive interdependence. We must give a clear, structured group goal to the students allowing the students to perceive the idea of being linked with each other in a way that one cannot succeed unless everyone succeeds, if one fails, all fails enabling students to realise that each person’s efforts benefit not only him- or herself, but all other group members as well. (This is only in a situation given if the students are working together on a group activity or group dance where each others efforts are everyone’s efforts)

Affiliation

(Crisp + Turner 2007) talked about affiliation being a concept in the field of social psychology that seeks to explain how humans enjoy and benefit from affiliations with others and reasons why humans ‘form close relationships’ as a social process that provides us ‘with a network of support that will help us when we are in need’.  I believe I have a strong level of social interaction although it can be developed to form a stronger professional network for myself. Communicating with those around me and those whom I cross paths with opens up my network helping me learn but also helping me build a community around me in my professional life. Affiliations provide a sense of security and a wall of support and it is something I rely on strongly. Everybody has different levels of social stimulation; ‘introvert and extrovert’ (Reader 3, Pg 6) which concludes that people who are introvert are more inclined to stay clear of much social interactions whilst extroverts are inclined to socialise more to keep their each desired level of social stimulation. I have always been extrovert and open to communication which I feel has a positive impact on my professional networking but over the years I have learnt that the different levels of social stimulation people have are quite extreme in some situations and I was made aware of this when I was training at dance college as a teacher told me that sometimes being too extrovert doesn’t allow the more introvert students to open up in certain situations. The idea that the level of social interaction one might have need or require being determined by multiple factors:

·         Personality type – introvert/extrovert

·         Physiological determinants

·         Implications of development of professional networks

·         Cultural differences

·         Individual differences

·         Individual collectivism

·         Social/Psychological/Emotional

 Working in a school I have to be aware of these factors within students. If a student is not responding, fully engaging or interacting well in a situation then it is up to me to be aware and determine which factor it could be (Even though I believe these aren’t the only factors to consider) to allow myself to work with the students and break down the barriers in order to fully engage them.