A cooperative attitude inhibits destructive competition. Cooperation, on the other hand, is the ‘new’ constructive competition.
While competition among teams can be healthy in that it brings out personal bests and team bests, it can quickly lead to negative or dysfunctional behaviour. Competition can turn some people into fanatics, so single minded in their pursuit that they become blind to the consequences of their desire to win at all costs… so they turn to unfair practices, manipulate or alienate those around them, and ignore rules or stated guidelines. In addition, “unhealthy” competition can impact workers in ways a leader might not anticipate. An obvious, though unwelcome, possibility is the potential physical harm to co-workers. Unhealthy competitive behaviour has no place in a cooperative and collaborative work environment. Organizations with teams that cooperate gain greater rewards than those who compete.
At the opposite end of the cooperative attitude scale is poor behaviour. Poor behaviour will never drive performance. Your technical skill ultimately only rises as high in performance as behavioural skill. A cooperative attitude is a behaviour skill that is part of what creates effective collaborations and highly functional teams.
Without a cooperative attitude, disruptive competition and conflict reign – two conditions in which errors are highly likely, staff morale and motivation are low, performance is inconsistent and unreliable, communication and cooperation are nonexistent, and everyone has a secret agenda. Does any of this sound like a place you really want to work?
Catherine is the President and CEO of CORPORATE HARMONY, providing virtual solutions for leadership development and organizational culture change. Her leadership and coaching experience as a Project Manager in an ever-changing, fast moving technological organization with unrelenting demands drove her to the realization that a positive mindset and strength-building behaviors are essential for today’s complex and chaotic organizational systems. CORPORATE HARMONY’s virtual platform of programs, coaching and performance measurement, is an innovative online technology of tested proprietary content. The world-class content of CORPORATE HARMONY’s Positive Presence Program develops the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and the necessary ‘Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies’ for maintaining a positive and energized mindset and increased performance in today’s complex work environment, and leading to a culture of collaboration and connection. Catherine’s vision for Corporate Harmony is to bring the skill of “Positive Presence” to the corporate world as it becomes more complex, ambiguous and chaotic. Catherine is uniquely positioned to impact organizations’ productivity and long term success, with her powerful vision of eliminating bad stress from every workplace around the globe, bringing purpose into the people equation to promote healthy, productive and meaningful work cultures and turn the tide on the neglect of mental health on a global scale. Catherine is author of the book: “CORPORATE HARMONY – The Performance Link for Today’s Modern Organization” Catherine can be reached at: Catherine.Osborne@corporateharmony.ca or go to ‘contact us’ on our website www.corporateharmony.ca. Catherine is available for consultation, and can be reached by 519-695-3407.