The exploration of the below established ideas and concepts regarding professional networking may add value to my understanding, not of ‘how’ to network, but rather how my networking could be developed in the future.
Cooperation
Game Theory is a set of ideas developed initially by
Mathematicians to tackle problems in a range of areas. Its background
originates from games where one player is successful at another's expense, ‘when
should someone be selfish and when should they co-operate in an ongoing
interaction with another?’ (Axelrod 1984) Therefore this theory can be used as
a way of predicting how people would respond to a specific event. Robert
Axelrod identified the importance in the theory of cooperation and the benefits
of cooperating fully with others until a maximum point of benefit is reached.
In ‘Prisoner’s Dilemma,’ the two players in the game can
only choose between two moves, ‘cooperate’ or ‘compete.’ If both players choose
to cooperate, they will both gain, but if only one of them cooperates, the one
who competes with gain more. If both compete, both lose but not as much as the
co-operator whose cooperation is not returned. The problem with this is that
each player has a choice two options, but is unable to make a good decision beneficial
to them without knowing what the other one will do. A real life example that I
have come up with to which Game Theory can be applied to is as follows. Two
shoppers reach the checkout at a supermarket to find all stations busy aside
from one. If both decide to co-operate, then they will each choose to join one
of the loner queues as they do not wish to seem pushy. If one individual
decides to compete, then they will not have to wait as long to pay for their
trolley and the co-operator must join the longer queue line. If both decide to
compete however, the Prisoners Dilemma model states that neither will gain as
much as both cooperating, but not lose as much as the individual who tries to
co-operate with the competitor. A possible outcome here would be that both
individuals are directed to a slightly shorter queue line and must wait,
although not for as long.
Ultimately then, Game Theory looks at peoples decisions to
cooperate, or not. This means that in order for cooperation across a network,
each individual must have a clear understanding of the benefits and drawbacks
decided either by an authority e.g. an employer or in my case, my choices in
deciding what is good/bad for me personally. Axelrod argues that the ‘tit for
tat’ method sees more effective results whereby players stared with
co-operation and then copied the other player’s choice from there on out. When
I applied this strategy on the online version of the game, I found that both
myself and the other player saw the benefits of co-operation and we ended the
game on the same number of gold coins. The seemingly harsh notion of ‘co-operate
until you have reached maximum benefit and then leave’ is suggestive of regular
patterns of human behaviour. But can this be seen in professional networking?
My initial impression of this concept was that it seemed a
very base and corrupt view of human behaviour; that we are willing to
co-operate until we have seen the benefits but no further. How could this
theory, developed by a mathematician and based on prisoner’s compliance, be in
any way related not only to my use of professional networks but also a range of
problems in different areas? It seemed too simple an idea to be used to explain
complex human behaviour. However with time and more understanding, I have seen
how it can in fact directly relate to me. There are many theories that seem
simple enough that I have accepted in the past without question, e.g. Darwin so
why did I have so much trouble accepting this one? I think it may be due in
part to my unwillingness to accept that I have applied this strategy, probably
on regular occasion in the past. It makes perfect sense now, that an individual
would be no longer willing to co-operate once they have realised there is no
more to gain, especially within a group of people they are not closely tied to.
An individual not returning to a revision session once their grades have
improved enough etc, we see it everywhere. This concept is useful to me now
that I understand it and can apply it to examples I see in society as it will
help me to get more value out of my professional networking by co-operating
with a given group of people to help me further and better my career. When and
if the time comes whereby I am no longer benefitting from a network, this can
continue to help other members once I have left. It certainly makes me think
differently about myself and other people’s reasons for co-operating but also
makes me think differently about the networks I am a part of and the balance of
co-operation versus competition amongst a group of like-minded individuals.
This concept has made me more aware of my involvement in certain networks and
in how in the future I need to perhaps contribute more to them instead merely
taking the knowledge and not giving back. For example if I provide an
individual in a network with details of an upcoming audition, co-operating,
this theory states I am far more likely to receive co-operation from them,
perhaps audition information I was not aware of. Being aware of this concept, I
believe, will allow me to get more out of my networking in the future.
Affiliation
Social psychologists have looked at how humans have benefitted from affiliations or connections with other people, why they might enjoy it as much as they do and the reasons why we form relationships. As social beings, much of our time is spent in the company of other people; Larson, Csikszentmihalyi & Graef (1982) found that as much as 75% of a teenagers time is spent interacting with others. They were happier and more excitable than when left alone, comparable with children raised in an orphanage and limited social interaction (Gunnar 2000.)
Altman (1975) described his theory of ‘privacy regulation’
whereby the desired levels of privacy can change in a matter of hours. ‘Optimization
principle’ is where we try to match our desired level of interaction with what
we are actually experiencing. Too little interaction and we may feel isolated,
too much and a person can feel crowded. Homeostasis (O’Connor & Rosenblood,
1996) is a term I was familiar with from studying Science at school, whereby
variables of the body are regulated so that conditions inside remain stable. So
in relation to the field of social psychology; we have the ability to control
our level of contact to keep it stable as close as possible to level we
actually want it. Both ‘privacy regulation’ and ‘optimization principle’ both
assume that there is no difference in people in their need for
affiliation/social interaction. However, different types of people have
different needs. An introvert has a higher arousal levels than an extrovert so
thy may avoid social situations to avoid high arousal levels in their nervous
systems. Extroverts on the other hand will deliberately look for interaction in
order to get their desired arousal levels.
Social interaction could be determined not only by our own preferred
levels of involvement, but also cultural differences (Hofstede 1980). He found
that in cultures that are very ‘individualistic’ seeing independence as more important than
with a group mentality. Their relationships are many and varied but tend to be shallower,
viewing personal goals above that of the group. The UK is seen as a
highly individualistic country. Cultures that have more of a ‘collectivist’
outlook tend to have fewer but deeper and more meaningful relationships that
are longer lasting e.g. tribal cultures.
The perspective of affiliation has been described as an evolutionary
concept and inherited trait that helps us to survive and reproduce. On a social
level the benefits can be seen in the enjoyment we receive from spending time
with others but from a psychological point of view, how we internally manage
this involvement. Prior to starting this task, I would have said that
professional networking and the ability to do so effectively is conducive to having
a successful career, but after task 3b and my further reading, it appears that
this concept of ‘Affiliation’ is implying that all of us possess an instinctive
need
to network, not only in our working lives but also in our personal ones and
that my taking part and engaging in professional networking takes place due to
a psychological need inside of me to do so. The variation in individual
personalities and cultures sees no difference in our need to associate with
others according to this theory. Reader 3 suggests that a well-established
practitioner and an individual new to the field will have the same need to
affiliate and after my reading on the subject, I have to agree. The individual
trying to establish and begin a career will have to and want to work hard in
their networking to see benefit, but the professional will do well to remember
the importance of affiliation and the connection between maintaining certain
close affiliations and success.
Hey Pip,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your reflections about cooperation and affiliation. I agree that professional networking is not a natural and instinctive process. I also think that our professional networks might change very frequently depending in our professional position and current area of interest....and is actually our job to keep it well for the benefit of our career. So it cant be really described just through theories. Reader 3 however, brought tools to better understand about relationships and situations that might happen into our professional life. It made me realize about cooperations , affiliations and even competitive attitudes that I have been through without even realizing it. For you maybe this feeling was even more as you are part of both , dancing and teaching work environment...or is not really different ?
This year I began to work professionally in a company for the first time , so my professional network changed a lot and I want to aim further for the benefit of my career. I can kind of say that dance world during school time is very different from the dance world in professional life. Reading your posts are being really helpful as you have a very mature and professional look into it. Thanks for that !