The other day at First Friday Lewes I was discussing the different kinds of business networking groups with a couple of people. Someone had suggested I visit another local group that meets for a sit-down lunch, and everyone gets a minute to speak about their business. It's a familiar format. Having been a member of a similar organisation some years ago, I still maintain that I got a lot from the experience, but the aspect I really don't think works is the 'lockout' system.
'Lockout' is the practice of only allowing one person per profession to join a group. This is sold to prospective members as a positive benefit - you'll have no competition! Everyone in the group will be getting you business, because you'll be the sole printer/marketer/osteopath or whatever that they'll recommend!
In practice of course it doesn't always work that way. But thinking about it, why should 'locking out the competition' necessarily be a good thing anyway? Personally, my business has benefited from the connections I've made with people in my own industry, and learning from and working with other marketers, copywriters or web-savvy people has contributed significantly to my own professional development.
One of the people in the discussion said that lockout is 'a male way of looking at things - separate and dominate rather than co-operate', which I thought was interesting. Even leaving aside the male/female thing (I'm not sure I want to go there!) does word of mouth recommendation really work better when regulated through the 'lockout' system, or is it better left unfettered? I wonder if there's a parallel with the idea of shared space on our roads.
Shared space is a concept that some cities are adopting as a way of tackling problems associated with high concentrations of traffic and pedestrians. For example, in Brighton's New Road, the result of its being changed to a shared space over the last few years has resulted in increased pedestrian and cycle usage and a big reduction in car speeds. I've driven along the street myself and I can testify to the fact that it makes you drive very carefully and slowly, but the fact that you still can drive along it is excellent as it reduces the need for long diversions or idling in queues.
Related research has suggested that removing signs and barriers from many of our urban streets can actually make them safer to use. In other words, self-regulation rather than rules imposed from outside leads to better understanding and respect on all sides.
I realise that plenty of business networking organisations worldwide have thrived on the model that says 'if everyone follows the rules exactly, it will work'. And the 'lockout' concept is central to the model. But I suspect that tomorrow's business networkers, the YouTube generation, will be just as comfortable, if not more so, with co-operation rather than 'separation and domination'.
