Competition in the workplace: a recipe for success or a descent into chaos?

The positive sides of competition in the workplace

Competition is not necessarily a negative thing. In fact, the success and survival of organizations depend in many ways on employees who bring their ambition to bear for the benefit of the organization. For example, competition between two teams from the same company can lead to innovation through higher quality products and services as the teams strive for perfection. External competition is also crucial to a company's success, as employees and managers compete for markets, sales or brand reputation. In this context, a leader's quest for power often determines the success or failure of the entire group.

On a more personal level, employees can also benefit from using their competitive advantage internally. "Outperforming yourself can be an extremely effective motivational tool, encouraging employees to improve and become better at what they do. This energy can be positively channeled by setting personal goals for employees and offering incentives for achieving these goals. It's important for managers to emphasize and reward scenarios that allow for positive competition in the workplace," said Dr. Ryne Sherman, Chief Science Officer at Hogan Assessments and co-host of The Science Of Personality Podcast.

The pitfalls of a competitive workplace

However, there are various problems that can also arise from competition in the workplace. Competition can lead to employees having inflated expectations and making mistakes, as well as taking shortcuts in their work. Too much focus on external competition could also increase the risk that teams or management are willing to take in order to achieve goals, and this could jeopardize the entire company. It could also lead to serious issues among team members, creating a toxic work environment if the ambition and competitive spirit of these employees is not properly addressed.

 "Leaders need to make sure they can manage the attitudes and competitive spirit they foster in their team. Poor management of a team's competitive culture could hurt productivity in the long run instead of fostering growth and innovation," says Dr. Ryne Sherman. Leaders need to be aware of potential interpersonal issues that can develop between team members in a high-risk and competitive environment, as these issues could affect work performance among individuals as well as the team as a whole.

How to find the right balance?

Finding the right balance is the key to dealing with competition in the workplace. The first step to getting to grips with this is to understand why we compete with each other. "Why we compete in the workplace is often strongly related to our values. One way to think about the relationship between our ambitions and values is what we are competing for. Some may be competing for a higher salary or bonus, while others use competition to fuel their ambition. Friction between teams can often stem from clashing personal goals," noted Dr. Ryne Sherman, adding, "Personality assessments can help individuals identify why they feel the need to compete and leaders find healthy ways to channel competition.

Another essential step is to create trust and a safe space where the rules of competition can be respected by all parties before deciding on a form of competition in the workplace. When leaders take the time to create such a trusting environment, negative repercussions are more likely to be avoided and a respectful and open sense of collaboration is fostered. Fair competition is also critical to success. "Individuals perform best when competition is close. In other words, when they compete against their peers. When matching groups compete against each other, employees are more motivated as their chances of winning are more realistic in terms of feeling. For competition to be productive, leaders must be careful to assemble teams that are at a similar level," concludes Dr. Ryne Sherman.

Source: www.hoganassessments.com