Competition or Cooperation? the Catch 22 of Corporate Team Building

Employees should be encouraged to work togetherworry about, but there is no question that they should
and communicate in team building activities, however awant to be the best in their field (and if not then some
little healthy competition is proven to be extremelyserious motivation is needed!). The problems arise
beneficial towards stimulating and motivating thewhen they not only want to excel in their field, but
individual. It’s the Catch 22 of the corporatewhen the competition to excel turns against other
world, and proves to throw a curb ball into the mixmembers of the same team.
when you are trying to plan a team building event.It seems that competition can cause some team
The Healthy Balance of Competition In Team Buildingmembers to compromise their ethical standards just to
Competition should be a part of any good team's life.get ahead. Sometimes the old saying “it's just a
Competing against other companies, teams orgame” can be easily forgotten when tempers
organisations that have similar goals is the best way torun high. It's important for trainers to keep
get ahead, and often brutal tactics may be called uponcompetitiveness balanced.
to do so. We are not too different from our animalWhile competition is encouraged to help team
counterparts who fight ruthlessly for survival in theirmembers excel, stay aware when organising a team
own respective kingdoms, and who says that webuilding event that your focus is on uniting as a team. It
should be? How else to be successful than to be themight be a good idea to include some aspect of
best? It is a common fact that many who start upcompetition in your team building activities to quickly get
businesses will not last three years unless they quicklyall of your team members motivated, as long as they
become a serious threat to their competition.are competing to work towards a common goal. Keep
In modern society there is a strong slant onthe object of victory small and the challenges
competition – just look towards the media andinsignificant to a wider and more personal implication so
commercial world. One would have to have beenthat the competition ends once the game does, you
sitting with their head under a rock to have missed thedon’t want it transferring into the workplace.
ever continuing and highly publicised competitionGood, effective and fun ideas include a football or
between Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama (and Johncricket game, a scavenger hunt, a track race, or a
McCain riding the coattails) in the race for Americanrace to build a raft or complete a puzzle. These will
presidency. And we are only just recovering from theencourage healthy motivation and competition but
Howard vs Rudd media war. owardHoHkjsensure that your team won’t still be at each
Debates and scare tactics are rough play, but they doothers throats in the quest for the best come Monday
the job when it comes to rallying support in the public.morning back in the office.
Your team might not have a presidential candidacy to