An operation that never fails

Co-operation or teamwork is an art of working in unison towards a common purpose, knowing fully well that we can achieve more together than alone.

The word cooperation is so magical that mere thought of it has a mind-soothing effect on us. It does not require a philosopher to tell us that cooperation is a divine virtue which is the key to success and accomplishment in every sphere of life. It leads to co-creation and it makes possible symphonies, bridges, and communities. One must remember the fact that human beings cannot lead a happy and comfortable life without co-operation , nor do animals can survive without this magical virtue. Hence, co-operation is the foundation to the living animals and so also to human society.

A society exists because of co-operation, therefore it is both a psychological and social necessity for human beings; for they cannot lead a solitary life. Can they? History too has witnessed the value of co-operation. Great monuments of the world like the Egyptian's pyramids, Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal etc, signifies the end result of co-operation. In modern society, progress in the field of science and technology, agriculture and industry, transportation and communication, trade and commerce etc, would not have been possible in the absence of co-operation. Similarly social unity and integration also depends upon co-operation because it is the co-operation which mitigates the mutual differences, mental conflicts and inspires people to render possible help to maintain solidarity.

Today mass degeneration of human values is seen in modern society,where everything is measured in terms of money and power. This has led to cut-throat competition in all fields including business and industry. Most of us have become so conditioned as to believe that competition brings out the best in us and it is the competition and not cooperation, which is the key to success. The truth however is that intensely competitive structures cause high stress and moral corruption which damage physical, mental and social health. Besides, they foster dehumanizing mentality causing distrust, rivalry and unfriendliness.

A comparative study of competitive and cooperative effort situations made by experts has revealed that cooperation works far better then competition. How? Well, its quite simple. Competition tends to drive wedges between human beings whereas cooperation builds bridges and fosters unity thereby promoting harmony and team-work.

Any kind of specialisation can be taken advantage of in a co-operative situation, but under competitive structures, the very same specialisation tends to become a tool for exploiting. In a climate of co-operation, both encouragement and helpful criticism can be given and received. Co-operation stimulates communication and finding of mutually satisfying solutions to problems. Thus, relationships and endeavors based on co-operation are more successful and lasting .