Theories relating to networking

Task 3b Theories relating to networking.

The course reader for this section was a lot to take in, so I decided to handle it in sections.
After grasping the concept of what a professional network really is, the definition,’ a work related community held together by either close working affiliation or more distant but common work interests or needs’ seemed to explain it perfectly.

Having common interests with my friends, close working relationships and affiliations with my fellow cast members, distant relationships with former employers and teaches and creating a formal identity amongst my fellow BAPP students, I feel the spectrum of professional networks available to me are vast.  

I do agree with the argument that, ‘my professional network is a highly important part of my current and future professional life’ , I understand that effective engagement could greatly help the development of my career.

Course reader the networked professional. Page 1

Cooperation.

After reading through the cooperation segment I decided to  begin this section of task 3b by firstly addressing the questions extracted from Axelrod,R. (1984 ppxi-xiv)  and applying them to my own networking experiences.

1 When should a person cooperate, and when should a person be selfish, in an ongoing interaction with another person?
I would not consider myself a selfish person, personally or professionally. I pride myself on always making a conscious effort to cooperate with those around me. Like most people though I have a limit. If the interaction leaves me nervous or wondering if  I am not only cooperating but compromising myself I know it has arrived at the point when I have to be selfish. The problem with this situation is being aware enough to know I maybe compromising myself, it is imperative to maintain a clear head, and a professional head, to not let others actions damage my, especially my professional, reputation and self respect.

Although it is important for me to maintain a professional relationship with workmates, at the same time working with the same cast for two years it is inevitably impossible for me to  not to form strong friendships with everyone.
If a problem arises at work and the solution does not effect me I will always cooperate, but if the solution will in fact have a negative impact on my job I have to be selfish and not be as cooperative as I normally would be.  This could pose a problem for networking as, personally, I never want to create friction within the group or give others reasons to talk badly of me, thus having a potentially negative impact on the development of my career.


2 Should a friend keep providing favours to another friend who never reciprocates?
I am sure I am not the first person to have found myself in a situation similar to this, and I would bet a hefty wager I will not be the last.
A s a general rule for life relationships, personally and professionally, it is all about give and take. But as a very giving person I find it very hard to concentrate on what I am not gaining from the relationship as I enjoy making others happy.
Again I feel it is a question on knowing when to pull away from a situation that leaves u thinking ‘What am I gaining from this friendship and what is missing’?  
I think my self respect would be the driving force behind pulling away from a relationships like this, especially if the friend was actually taking advantage.

This question was simple to compare to a networking experience I have had.
It is not uncommon for dancers to share contact information, especially amongst friends. Work is not always easy to come by, especially if you are unable to attend auditions, so emailing companies is a fundamental part of professional networking.
Once I gave a friend the email addresses of all of my contacts, with the promise of her returning the favour, but disappointingly I never received hers.
I feel that this was one of those incidents that pushed me to pull away from the friendship, and teaching me the lesson that, especially professionally, only I can help myself get to where I want to be. I would rather be offered a contract off of my own efforts to search the internet for information than off the back of someone else’s hard work.

3 Should a business provide a prompt service to another business that is about to be bankrupt?
I feel there are ways to handle this situation without damaging the providers reputation and without compromising the relationship between the companies.
It is understandable for the provider to be anxious to provide a service, but the providing company could always ask for payment before delivery for example.
If the provider refused to provide a service to the receiver, although it may work out better in this circumstance,  it could damage, not only the relation ship between those two companies, but others upon hearing this story.
The provider could also question the receivers morals and work ethic, should a business heading for bankruptcy still be requesting services from other companies?

This scenario, for me, represents that moment when an acquaintance ask you to email a former company to ‘put a good word in for them’.
If I felt comfortable to do so I would not hesitate, but if, for example, I did not appreciate the work ethics of this person I would feel very uncomfortable to speak on their behalf.
I understand at the end of the day it is up to a company who they decide to hire, but I always put a lot of effort into building a professional relationship with each of my bosses. I would be very disappointed if they took my word as truthful and then the acquaintance let me down, therefore damaging my name within the company. That being said there have been numerous occasions that I have recommended friends to companies who have been offered contracts, and have gone onto also build good professional relationships of their own.
This scenario has pushed me to obtain work by my own credits, pushing me to delve deeper into networking via Web 2.0.

If one is not always willing to cooperate in a situation they are often referred to as ‘acting selfishly’, but responding to the questions based on topics that are not Dance related I have grasped a wider idea of how cooperation can both aid and hurt professional networking. In some cases where I may have avoided a confrontation by cooperating, I realise now that acting that way my not necessarily help growth of my professional network.

Affiliation.

‘Affiliation is a concept in the field of sociology that seeks to explain why humans ‘form close relationships’’ ( Crisp & Turner, 2007 pp226)

Crisp and Turner’s theories argue how affiliation can be explained as , ‘ a social process that satisfies psychological need by providing us ‘with a network of support that will help us when we are in need’. ( Crisp & Turner, 2007 pp226)

When I came across this section of the reader this sentence felt like a slightly ‘over the top’ way to describe friendship. Affiliation, within professional networking,  at first, appeared  to me to mean the ‘friends’ you turn to whilst needing help, whether it be a contact, a place to stay after an audition or professional advice. I was very much focusing on the , ‘will help US when WE are in need’, the theory seemed a little self - indulgent.

When I looked at friendships I have that may fall into the affiliation category I immediately understood Hofstede’s suggestion that, ‘individuals seek to maintain privacy at preferred levels’. ( Hofstede 1980) .
I would consider myself, for the most part, a very open book, an extrovert. I don’t necessarily require a great deal of privacy, when I feel the need to remain alone I give myself that time. Being open I allow my affiliations to deepen, over time, into long-lasting friendships, where we help each other when either of us needs help. I would class this kind of relationship as a close working relationship, looking back at the cooperation portion my close workmates would fall under cooperation section, question 1, networking example.
Affiliations that I have formed over the years would be more likely to fall into the cooperation section, question 3 networking example.

I believe it is important to separate close work mates from affiliations, having the tools to be able to do so could greatly impact the success of  my networking practises.