Cooperation

At first glance I thought the idea of cooperation was a simple one. You assist someone for mutual benefit, or ‘TIT FOR TAT’ as Robert Axelrod defines it (Axelrod, 1984). You do something with the understanding (or at least the hope) that you will get something back. It may not be the same thing you have given but it will be of equal benefit for you. This is something I know I do and I mentioned a specific example in my blog on Current Networks where I did some recording for an MD friend in the hope that later I would receive a favour back.

The more I think about this idea the more it makes perfect sense in a business environment. It is a bartering of information the same as you would barter goods. You need it to progress but you also need to make sure you are getting a ‘fair price’ so that others don’t advance too far ahead of you.

I like Ross’ assertion that people sometimes withhold valuable information, for example an audition, because they don’t want you as direct competition. This has been my experience too. I suppose there are two ways of dealing with this. The first would be to make sure your networks consisted of people in the same field as you but not in direct competition with you so that the problem would never arise. I don’t think this option is particularly realistic though and I think would a lot of the time lead to you missing information that is specifically related to your ‘type’ of performer. I think the second, and more professionally astute way to deal with someone withholding a piece of information you want is to work out what they want and do a trade. The main problem I find with this is it all seems very calculated. As I have mentioned before a lot of my professional network I also consider friends so I am not sure ‘TIT FOR TAT’ is always how I operate.

Joanna talks in her blog about ‘Altruism’, which I think is a very important concept. Sometimes I cooperate with someone for no personal gain. For no other reason that because I can and it will help them.

I began to consider what determines when I cooperate for mutual benefit and when I am altruistic. I suppose what it eventually comes down to is how well I know or like the person. There are some people within my network who I would do things for if I thought I might get something back. I think these people would usually be less well known to me. Perhaps, directors or choreographers, or people I would consider acquaintances. I suppose cooperating here is a calculated risk as there is no guarantee that you will end up benefiting. Then there are those people in my network who I would help without any want of something in return, as long as it didn’t cost me too much (i.e. too much time/ effort/money, or cost me a professional opportunity for myself). This group would mainly consist of friends and close professionals that I have worked. There is then an even closer part of my network that I would cooperate with irrespective of the cost. For example my boyfriend and best friend are both performers. I would help either of them in any way even if it caused me to lose out. This is truly altruistic because they would be benefiting them at my expense.

I think understanding these things about myself gives me an important insight in how to cultivate my networks. If I would be more willing to cooperate with a friend without expecting something back in figures that others would feel the same. It therefore seems beneficial to get as many people into the ‘professional friend’ bracket as possible. This puts me in mind of a comment Emily Rose left on my Changing Practice blog. She wrote, “I think people remember you easier if they have met you in person”. I am now really aware of the truth in this statement and it makes me even more determined to improve at ‘face to face’ networking. By meeting people in person and building a rapport with them I can hopefully succeed in increasing my network of 'professional friends'. As Emily Rose quoted “It's not what you know or who you know but who knows you!” (Susan RoAne, 2006).

References:
Durrant, A. (2010) The networked professional reader

Axelrod, R. (1984) The evolution of cooperation. London: Penguin

Dunning, R. (2010) Critical reflection on the networked professional course reader http://rossdunning.blogspot.com/2010/11/critical-reflection-on-networked.html accessed 4 December 2010

Adeyinka, J. (2010) A critical reflection on professional networking theories 
http://joanna-adeyinka.blogspot.com/2010/11/critical-reflection-on-professional.html accessed 4 December 2010

Iles, M. (2010) Current networks http://markgraemeiles.blogspot.com/2010/11/current-networks.html accessed 4 December 2010

Iles, M. (2010) Changing practice http://markgraemeiles.blogspot.com/2010/11/changing-practice.html accessed 4 December 2010