Task 3b Theories relating to networking

Task 3b

Theories relating to networking 

In previous blog posts I have spoken about my current networks within the industry and how I associate with them not only to help me improve my professional practice but also for further work. Throughout this task I will be analysing ideas and critically challenging numerous theories as to how they can assist in expanding my network base.

The concepts listed are cooperation, affiliation, and theory of connectivity which is a set of related explanations which are social constructionism, connectivism and communities of practice.These concepts all help with the understanding of professional networks, which in theory is a group of individuals who share a common interest. For example, a group of people who attend the same dance school and take classes in the same dance style. Some individuals then go on to be a lot closer, such as affiliations, for example, they are in the same dance class, and others may have slightly more distanced relationships such as a dance teacher and the students. 

Cooperation 

Robert Axelrod is one of the most influential researchers involved with the theory of Cooperation. Through his idea of the Prisoners Dilemma he highlights the importance of cooperation with others as without it you don’t get anywhere. 

Prisoners Dilemma is based on decision analysis, the prisoners usually decide to protect themselves at the expense of the other participant. This does not have a positive outcome as both players find themselves worse off as they would have been if they both cooperated with each other in the decision making process. 

Cooperation is a theory that sets out principles which can in turn be a method of tackling issues and problems in relation to society and relationships. This theory is also associated with Game Theory, which is a study of ‘conflict and cooperation’, it helps to understand strategies of components such as individuals, groups etc. who are interdependent (T L, Turocy, 2001). Robert Axelrod noticed the importance of cooperation between agents, and also noticed more greatly the benefits of cooperation itself. This is best explained in ‘Prisoners Dilemma’.

Affiliation 

Commonly associated with psychology, affiliation relates to how individuals seek enjoyment from affiliations with others and how we as humans form close relationships beginning in the brain. Everyone's level of interaction between each other  can be different some people maybe more private and some people might be more open with certain subjects. This relates to my networking in professional practice as I have to create interaction with children, colleagues and clients that I work with on a day to day basis.

It in turn is a social psychological matter which acts as a support system dependent on other individuals who are too seeking support in a related field. The concept is explained by Crisp & Turner, 2007, as a ‘social process that provides us with a network of support that will help us when we are in need. 

Theory of connectivity 

Social constructionism explains how meanings and definitions are made about the world and life as we live it. This is done in three ways, with the first one being social interaction. We interact with one another and share our experiences creating definition and imagery for another person. We engage in a particular network, and we contribute to people who share the same outlook as us.

The second way is connectivism, which emphasises on learning and how we receive ideas. More commonly, the use of Web 2.0, through social networks. This concept also has a link to ethical principles, for example what not to share, and what comments are seen as appropriate. Wegner identified three main points in relation to communities of practice which are what it is about, the functions, and its capability (Wegner, 1998).  

Thirdly, A community of practice is a group of people who share a craft and/or a profession. Originally developed by Lave and Wenger in 1991. 

The Domain: A community of practice is not merely a club of friends or a network of connections between people. It has an identity defined by a shared domain of interest. Membership therefore implies a commitment to the domain, and therefore a shared competence that distinguishes members from other people. (You could belong to the same network as someone and never know it.) The domain is not necessarily something recognised as “expertise” outside the community. A youth gang may have developed all sorts of ways of dealing with their domain: surviving on the street and maintaining some kind of identity they can live with. They value their collective competence and learn from each other, even though few people outside the group may value or even recognise their expertise.

The community: In pursuing their interest in their domain, members engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, and share information. They build relationships that enable them to learn from each other; they care about their standing with each other. A website in itself is not a community of practice. Having the same job or the same title does not make for a community of practice unless members interact and learn together. The claims processors in a large insurance company or students in American high schools may have much in common, yet unless they interact and learn together, they do not form a community of practice. But members of a community of practice do not necessarily work together on a daily basis. The Impressionists, for instance, used to meet in cafes and studios to discuss the style of painting they were inventing together. These interactions were essential to making them a community of practice even though they often painted alone.

The practice: A community of practice is not merely a community of interest–people who like certain kinds of movies, for instance. Members of a community of practice are practitioners. They develop a shared repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems—in short a shared practice. This takes time and sustained interaction. A good conversation with a stranger on an aeroplane may give you all sorts of interesting insights, but it does not in itself make for a community of practice. The development of a shared practice may be more or less self-conscious. The “windshield wipers” engineers at an auto manufacturer make a concerted effort to collect and document the tricks and lessons they have learned into a knowledge base. By contrast, nurses who meet regularly for lunch in a hospital cafeteria may not realise that their lunch discussions are one of their main sources of knowledge about how to care for patients. Still, in the course of all these conversations, they have developed a set of stories and cases that have become a shared repertoire for their practice.

References 

cdam.lse.ac.uk [online]. Available from: http://www.cdam.lse.ac.uk/Reports/Files/cdam-2001-09.pdf [Accessed 03.04.18]

infed.com [Online]. Available from: http://infed.org/mobi/jean-lave-etienne-wenger-and-communities-of-practice/ [Accessed 03.04.18]

Nationalaffairs.com. [Online]. Available from: http://www.nationalaffairs.com/imgLib/20121219_HubbardKane_Table1LARGE.jpg [Accessed 03.04.18]

personal.umich.edu [online]. Available from: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~axe/research/Axelrod%20and%20Hamilton%20EC%201981.pdf [Accessed 03.04.18] 

policonomics.com [online]. Available from: http://policonomics.com/lp-game-theory2-prisoners-dilemma/ [Accessed 03.04.18]

Turocy T, L. (2001). Game Theory. Texas A&M University. London School of Economics. CDAM Research Report. [Online]. Available from: http://www.cdam.lse.ac.uk/Reports/Files/cdam-2001-09.pdf [Accessed 03.04.18]

wenger-trayner.com [Online]. Available from: http://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/ [Accessed 03.04.18] 

wikipedia.com. [online]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_of_practice [Accessed 03.04.18]

Books 

Essential Social Psychology By Richard J Crisp, Rhiannon N Turner 2007 

Wegner, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press.