“It is a dog eat dog world out there". "You have to run to stand still'. These are the snapshots which most of us are exposed to in the modern world. Competition is such an all-pervading aspect of most people's lives, it has defined our activities, our schedule, our career paths and even our mental state. At a very early age children are told, that the world out there is extremely competitive, that they have to learn new skills every day, that it is all about becoming better than your neighbour, your colleague, your peer or your friend. The net result is - runaway stress, never ending set of activities and a feeling of disconnectedness from the community.
While there are some aspects of competition that are beneficial, overemphasis on competition to the detriment of everything else, does not lead to a healthy state of being. Competition has extended itself beyond the corporate world. It drives our personal world - notice that much of our ambitions or personal goals are determined by the need to be better than our friends, neighbours or relatives. How many times have children heard this "Look at your brother, he is doing so well in studies. Can you not learn from him?" Various systems in schools are designed to promote competition.
The flip side of competition is coopetition. While competition assumes that the world out there is the result of a zero sum game, coopetition presupposes that the pie itself can be extended to accommodate new players. A zero sum game has losers and winners, that people win at the cost of others. The emphasis therefore is on winning. Competition is the essence of this. Coopetition on the other hand states that it is possible for everybody to win. Most aspects of this world is not a zero sum game. You can win with others and not at the expense of others. What does coopetition need? Simple things - it asks for empathy among fellow beings, the ability to listen, building positive energy among a team and working hand in hand towards a common goal. Coopetition builds a remarkable state of positive energy in a group. A group becomes much more powerful than the mere addition of people in the group. Coopetition at its best gives the impression that the group consists of just one individual. Coopetition is most successful when bonding in a group happens at all levels - physical, psychological and spiritual.
People have in the past collaborated together to create a bigger pie. Now, the complexities of demands placed on individuals, institutions and organisations demand that coopetition is not only employed in times of crises but becomes a way of life. Competition though an important part of learning impacts the collective and then affects the individual in the long run.
This is not an individual issue, it is a collective one. We not only have to acknowledge that this is critical and but realise that competition becomes a way of life at a very early stage. We need to acknowledge that what we need to redefine what being the best actually stands for. We need to look forty years ahead and work backwards. We need to realise that our way of life as we know it, today needs to transform.