A Professional Network - ' a work related community held together by either close working affiliation or more distant but common work interests or needs' (BAPP Reader 3)
When I started this task it seemed extremely daunting to me. Networking is not something I consciously do very well. In Robert Axelrod's (1984) theory of cooperation, he talks about the importance of cooperation until you reach maximum benefit and then defecting. I see this happen a lot within our industry and unfortunately it's something that just doesn't sit well with me. Competitiveness isn't in my nature, which makes this career extremely difficult for me, hence why I want to find a new one! I understand the theory in certain situations such as the example given; how long do you continue doing something for someone without getting anything in return? I don't know that anyone can keep on giving without getting anything back, it's soul destroying. Maybe I feel I can't give anything to anyone so why should I ask for favours from them? I've been lucky enough to work with some great choreographers and directors throughout my career and yet when I'm looking for work I just don't have the confidence to ask them for information or favours. Even in recent days I have been told by friends in the business that I need to be more selfish and think about number one, as I'm currently working too much because I don't like to say no to anyone and let them down. However this is having a negative effective on my health and so I know that something has to change. Reading these theories has shown me that most other people are putting themselves first (and so they should) so, so should I!
Crisp and Turner (2007) suggested the theory that affiliation 'provides us with a network of support that will help us when we are in need'. Although in every day life I am an extroverted person who is often confident in talking to almost anyone about almost anything, for some reason the same can't be said when it comes to this career. I have an extremely close network of friends from home who I've had since I was 5 years old that support me through thick and thin, and I have some very close friends from college, who are incredibly important in supporting me through career related issues as well as everything else. I've made many friends during my career also, however because I feel that most in this business are out to only think about, and better, themselves and their career, I play my cards closer to my chest. I don't know why I feel like this. O'Connor and Rosenblood's (1996) theory of homeostasis supports these feelings, stating that individuals 'seek to maintain privacy at preferred levels'. And it is further supported by Altman's (1975) Privacy Regulation Theory. He suggests that our ideal level of privacy fluctuates over time. I think I am less trusting when meeting people in this career which will have a negative effect on my professional networking and therefore my professional future success.
Social constructionism is the theory that 'through social interaction, humans construct meanings of the world and their experiences of it'. The concept discusses how your views of the world are constructed through social attitudes and objects only have the potential of having meaning, constructed my human beings'. I don't know what experience I've had to make me less trust worthy within this career. Perhaps I've mentally blocked it out, however I honestly don't know what it is that's left me feeling this way. Maybe it was nothing that happened to me directly, but something I have viewed in others? Crotty (2005) believes that constructionism 'is the view that all knowledge and therefore all meaningful reality as such, is contingent upon human practices, being constructed in and out of interaction between human beings and their world, and developed and transmitted within an essentially social context'. Perhaps I will need to critically reflect to find the answers to my questions.
The amount of knowledge in the world has doubled in the past 10 years and is doubling every 18 months according to the American Society of Training and Documentation. Connectivity shows how networks provide the means for individuals to both connect and learn in this ever changing world. It questions the idea that there is only one way of teaching; between teacher and pupil. Instead, as Siemens (2004) suggests, 'learning now occurs in a variety of ways - through communities of practise, personal networks and through completion of work related tasks'. Feeling like a new graduate again already, I am often told that employers think that life experience on a CV is more important than formal education. I hope that is true and will work in my favour being a 'mature student'. Hopefully networking and connectivity will help me find my way to the right career.
I have found this task quite hard to get to grips with. I can see the benefits in networking, especially having now read up on these theories. I find learning is always easier in groups or communities of practice, however on reflection I think I only find it easier in a group or community that I know, trust and feel safe with.
I agree the theories do take a bit - not sure the social constructivism section communicates why you mean - I think the ideas being socially constructed means that there are some givens in our lives that society has actually 'built' like gender and race e.g. http://anthropology.net/2008/10/01/race-as-a-social-construct/- so we talk about race in society - but that idea was one that was 'invented' over time - good stab and trying to operate these ideas - like this and the last blog looking at you own current networks - we used to do diagrams of the networks - yours looks like one that could be further explored.
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