Is Competition Healthy?

Working through some behavioural preferences in a team recently, it became apparent that competition was not considered a constructive behaviour in the workplace. This prompted some discussion and thought, with the final analysis being, it depends on how the competitive behaviour is channelled.

The reasoning behind competition being unproductive focused on the effect of a competitive behaviour on a person’s team-mates, their morale and ultimately the performance of that group. Competition within a team, when it manifests itself in an insistence on always having the last word, or always having to prove oneself right, or dismissing or belittling others’ opinions is not healthy, effective or productive for the team. Equally importantly, such behaviour is also likely to have a long-term negative impact on one’s career, not to mention one’s personal relationships. Whilst the individual in this scenario might feel energized by the fact that she is getting the last word or pushing through her viewpoint, that individual is losing out in the longer term due to her inability to hear out, let alone appreciate, other ideas and points of view – which the law of averages suggests will at least some of the time be better than her own. The impact on the organization, where limited perspectives and ideas are considered, can be detrimental – in terms of people morale and motivation, as well as the quality of decision-making and performance.

Whilst an internally focussed competitive spirit that surfaces in the form of last-wordism, is unhealthy, a competitive nature, when used to galvanize a team to perform and even outperform against an organizational target, or to create a superior product to anything in the market, is generally healthy and effective for the organization. If the individual and her team is focused on competing as a group against an external challenge, such as a competitor’s product or market share, then a competitive spirit can be a healthy attribute. It can be particularly healthy if the leader exhibits a competitive nature, coupled with an ability to nurture others, recognize and appreciate others’ strengths and motivate others to believe in their abilities and stretch themselves.

A final consideration - we know that the only constant is change, and growth is change. By continuing to grow, learn and develop ourselves, we are in a way competing against ourselves. We may prefer not to view self-development in that light, but it could be argued that in developing ourselves, we are demonstrating competitive behaviour!