Thoughts on Competition

My thoughts on competition that I shared in class Thursday were largely explored in the four exerts of our reading:  "Being a Team Player on the Job", "Competition in Education"from Wikipedia, "Competition VS. Cooperation", and "Competition/Cooperation".

But before I delve into that, what do these words mean, literally?  For this, I consulted dictionary.com:

Cooperation:  (n.) an act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit; joint action

Competition: (n.) the act of competing; rivalry for supremacy, a prize, etc.

According to the articles, studies and research back up my feelings regarding competition as a stressful practice that divides rather than unite people to achieve a certain goal.  This goal, however, is not exemplary of the highest quality.  No, in fact competition merely seeks to do better than someone else or a group.  In the article "Competition VS. Cooperation", the most elaborative piece in the collection in my opinion, Isaksen is quoted as saying trying to do well and trying to beat others are two entirely separate mental processes that cannot be performed simultaneously.  If that's not enough evidence there's also the impact of competition's stress on human health quoted in every article.  However it is specifically emphasized in Wikipedia in the eye opening reality of the academic stress plaguing Japanese students in significant numbers, in some cases leading to suicide.

To be fair, every power needs a balance, to this I am not blind.  To merely act cooperatively has its weaknesses, or shall I say, potential weaknesses, like the "yes man" syndrome.  This occurs when people in a group are too agreeable and can unanimously agree to something inappropriate to the project's prosperity.  However as a team is nothing but a group of people, this can be maintained by individual awareness and the act of speaking up to keep the power of decision honest and balanced rather than mainstreamed.

This is not to say that competition doesn't have its place, but if I were to draw up some rough figures I would estimate it being helpful in only a fraction of the quantity cooperation is.  Competition is a good motivator according to "Competition/Cooperation", but is most enjoyable with combined with cooperative teamwork.  In other articles it was suggested that to promote a sense of unity, motivation, and participation in a team one might consider sharing leadership and rewarding the group as a whole when things go well.

Well, I feel like I'm rambling now.  There were so many good points brought up in how to work better in groups to bring out the best in oneself and each other, but I'll hang back on those seeing as how I don't need to tell you all what you already know and read.  IN CONCLUSION, heh, I feel better having my thoughts and feelings on the topic confirmed, especially since no one else in class seemed to share my views in it.