In today’s world, many companies strive to emulate the tech giants, and “collaboration” has become one of the most overused buzzwords. Yet, this spirit of collaboration rarely seems to extend beyond the walls of the enterprise. The prevailing motivation still seems to be to “win” against the competition, with little room for true collaboration outside of that.
The looming negative consequences of lagging behind can trigger anxiety and prompt people to resort to mis-selling, fraud, and lying to customers. — HBR, The Pros and Cons of Competition Among Employees
In a 2017 HBR article titled The Pros and Cons of Competition Among Employees [6], researchers highlighted the significant role of emotions in competitive scenarios, stating that “how a competition makes people feel plays a crucial role for how they try to win.” While the study focused on intra-organizational dynamics, its findings can be translated to inter-organizational competition.
Even if healthy competition within an organization leads to happy and creative employees, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re motivated for the “right” reasons. Excessive competition with other companies can lead to the same negative outcomes as internal competition and unethical behavior such as “mis-selling, cheating, and lying to customers,” driven by collective anxiety about “losing to the enemy.”
One might argue that competition can drive innovation and improve products and services, suggesting that the key is to strike a balance between competition and collaboration. While there is some truth to this, I would challenge this notion by asking:
- Are there no other incentives that can drive innovation just as much, if not more?
- If financial gains were constrained, wouldn’t we still be driven to innovate because of the inherent value it creates?
- Isn’t the process of solving problems intrinsically rewarding in itself?
- And wouldn’t that sense of fulfillment be enhanced if our efforts were directed to the “right” causes? You know, little things like, say, equity?
At the heart of the matter is how we define “value.” When value is equated solely with monetary gain, it shapes a company’s work ethic, nudges employees toward self-interest, and sets the stage for conflict. When mere participation or contribution isn’t enough, when the focus shifts to outperforming others at all costs, we’re headed down a slippery slope.
In such an environment, companies that begin with noble intentions can easily lose sight of their original mission as they transition from private to shareholder ownership. Innovation, originally intended to solve problems and improve lives, can be repurposed as a mere tool to increase profit margins. The noble cause of enriching society, gradually be eclipsed by greed, becomes empty rhetoric.
Take the 2021 incident in which three Google employees were fired for standing up to standing up to “evil” [7] after the company’s stance had morphed over the course of about two decades from “‘don’t do evil’ to ‘do the right thing.’” May I ask, right for whom?
“Google realized that ‘don’t be evil’ was both costing it money and driving workers to organize”. “Rather than admit that their stance had changed and lose the accompanying benefits to the company image, Google fired employees who were living the motto.” — the fired employees said in a statement in 2021.
The misalignment of values and goals is a substantial problem.
I long for a shift in our collective narrative from a narrow focus on “winning wars for personal gain” to a more inclusive ethos of “building a kinder world, together.”
My personal journey has taught me that when I stopped viewing every interaction as a competition to be won, I made more connections and, paradoxically, performed at a higher level ever since. It was as if, by not trying to win, I became more motivated to excel.
After all, work is not a battlefield, and most of us are not soldiers. We’re human beings, and since we’re all going to die at some point — it’s science, look it up — it’s clear that as long as nature allows, we’re not here to survive, we’re here to live. So please, stop the killing already.