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POLL Competition, good/bad for productivity and morale.

Competition can significantly increased performance and morale in a work setting; how ever, if taken wrong, or too far it can permanently cripple morale and workplace relationships. Is it still worth encouraging?

  • 32 votes
  • 11 votes
mikey13451 3 May 5
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18 comments

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2

Research says creating you work as a solid team, helps the most. ZERO internal wars...but fight the rest of the world.

2

That's why communism never stood a chance. there was no competition. no need. socialism on the other hand allows competition but keeps it in check to the benefit of the masses. capitalism is a place for psychotic greedy bastards who don't care about anyone but themselves. How is it possible that capitalism prevails? intimidation je pense

1

I don't think that competition is the right word, here. Competition is a positive stressor, given that there is a good lineup of employees.

The real issue seems to be interference. Workplaces need someone to play a referee role and not allow someone to be put off work because of the inability of workers to work as a unit.

2

John Nash proved mathematically that cooperation is far more productive than competition. He won a Nobel Prize for his work.

I think they also gave the Nobel prize for the doctor who pioneered lobotomy. Just because people are given Nobel prizes it doesn’t mean they are beyond reproach.

@pthomas59 John Nash worked on his mathematical equations alone right? He did not exactly follow his own calculations. You don’t need a mathematical equation to solve this.

@Riteous Math is math. Ethics and/or morality aren't really an issue in this category.

@Riteous Technically, he was alone, but he suffered from schizophrenia, and saw peopel and heard voices which came from his own mind. At least one of his delusions contributed in making him think in new directions, but Nash did the math himself. So, in a sense he cooperated with the people of his own delusions

They made a movie, "A Beautiful Mind" about him.

I often use John Nash as an example of a mentally ill person who is functional, when I talk about how ancient prophets were pretty much functional mentally ill persons. In ancient times mentally ill persons were said to be "touched by the gods". Thus mentally ill persons in ancient times who were as functional as John Nash, could seem to accomplish great insprired works, which were attributed to god(s). So all the voices and visions were just delusions from mental illness. Because the minds of mentally ill persons work differently, they can come onto great insights missed by humanity in general... if they are mostly functional.

@snytiger6 I suffer from schizoprenia too and has been for more than 10 years now. Schizoprenia if you ask me takes you to extreme thinking but they are just your own mind working alone. Can I just ask if Nash’s computations only involve fixed constants because if not they are not perfect. Could you please show me the formula or equation so you and I can walk through it. As I have said, there is a Nobel peace prize in lobotomy so not all Nobel peers are perfect as well. Same as Stephen Hawking who has won several ‘intelligence’ awards but has been found with errors as well I refuse the idea that the Nobel Prize and Nash are beyond reproach. Would be interested in the minimum and maximum parameters of Nash’s equation.

@Riteous His math itself would be beyond me. The explanation of what he proved is understandable. However, I make no claim to have a "perfect" understanding of all the implications of hsi work.

Here is a very simplistic (and short) explanation
Basically, competition where everyone wins or loses causes a 0tto og people to lose, which creates a lot of wasted efforts when most get nothing for their efforts. Cooperation insures that most efforts are not really wasted and that everyone who tries gets something back for the efforts they made. Thus cooperation is far more productive where everyo9en wins to come extent, rather than competition, where there is only one winner.

The idea itself is nto new. The creator of the game Monopoly, originally intended it to show how evil and unfair monopolies were. Instead the game oly made people long to be the one with all the monopolies (resources). It never seemed to occur to people that with only one winner, everyone else went bankrupt.

The work of Joh Nsh had unintended consequences as well. The rich mostly stopped competing with each other and started cooperating with each other at the expense of working people. The middle class has been shrinking and slidign down into the ranks of hte working poor, mostly as a result of trying to implement the Trickle Down Theory con. The problem is that this is unsustainable, because the middle class is hte consumer base, and one the consumers are gone the economy crashes. Because cooperation has been limited to the top 1%.

2

The answewr is that it can be both.

I think some competition can be good, but when you get to extremes such as life and death issues... then cooperation works better.

1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    +Competition was minor within my work team.  We as a team competed with other companies for customers.  that competition was good for the customer because there was always pressure for us to turn out the best  product for the lowest cost.                                                                                                                                     
wmou Level 4 May 5, 2018
1

Competition is necessary.

1

I was in sales and marketing throughout my career and we always had competition with sales goals. Everything from headhunting with a board charting job orders, recruits and placements to sales projections for major consumer goods companies. Competition is necessary to increase sales and I fought to be the best I could be. In 2008 I was Sales Rep of the Year for Gund, Inc. I have more plaques and awards than wall space allows.

And those awards are now good memories, aren't they? Congrats on a job well done

Thank u you're very kind. Gund was releveraged by a new buyer Enesco and top earners in the Company were forced out in 2010. I am very proud of my accomplishments and still network with my alumni w Gund-which was the best company to work for.

2

Compition is good for character building.

4

Competition encourages independence, just avoid the "Make their moms wish they never had children" bullshit.

2

Not only competition but continuous improvement as well... definitively a good thing !!

4

How about you compete with 6 other people for your own job?

Bingo. I think that job security should be included in every worker agreement.

there is capitalism at work. not very clever at all really

@markdevenish

There is capitalism, and now neoliberalism and you'll notice many employers getting on this 'competition' wagon.

Often times employers will abandon the idea of permanent jobs and instead re advertise them at regular intervals, forcing existing staff to re apply for their own jobs.

The competition is supposed to keep staff on their toes.

I've seen it happen in council posts. It only causes resentment. Thus my response to the OP.

@Ellatynemouth That sounds horrendous.

@bingst

It is, I agree. And I've seen it in action.

It's working place bullying overseen by HR. It only creates a demoralised workforce, not an eager one.

3

Just as long as the result that there will be a lot of winners that meet the desired standard. The world now is in such a mess because of the neverending competition on a standard that is never attained always.

2

Just as long as the result that there will be a lot of winners that meet the desired standard. The world now is in such a mess because of the neverending competition on a standard that is never attained always.

2

I personally love competing, but for the game aspect of it. I enjoy winning, but don't care too much when I lose. It is just fun. However, I do not think most people take that approach. It turns really ugly fast.

2

Light-hearted competition that rewards EVERYONE who does a good job with EXTRA benefits, while having plenty of perks at the job for everyone equally, seems best.

I've learned that the way to keep the attention of students is to make playful games out of less pleasant tasks, with fun, casual competition, and winning points for their teams, and smiles for students who know the answers, and free time to read library books when they complete the assignments.

No I disagree, competition with school age children can cause feelings of jealously, hatred and overall worthlessness. Children should not be subjected to such inane situations and the winners will have a tendency to look down upon those who fail to win. It's Neanderthal and Cro-Magnum type of survival ingrained in our minds since birth and should not be encouraged at all.

@buzz13 I disagree. The Thai students love the games, and get so excited they scream with excitement. They are fun to teach, and learn quickly. There are no sad, upset students, as the classes are small, and everyone participated.

2

It's worth it.

6

It's a good thing to a point but as you've pointed out, within limitation. Just enough for people to find incentive but if that reward is too far stretched you'll find thr opposite problem might exist.

What he said.

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