The news and media are teeming with examples of how overly competitive workplaces foster a kind of toxicity that kills even the most well-intended company from within. A toxic environment can spread like wildfire and can destroy years of efforts spent in building a good company culture. That is why overly competitive work environments are becoming a thing of the past, business leaders are recognising it as the double-edged sword that it is. While a controlled amount of healthy competition is proven to drive innovation, boost productivity, and encourage people to push themselves, when taken too far, it can create a very toxic and hostile environment. Understanding the nuances of competitiveness in human nature is important to recognise the ripple effect it can have in the workplace.

Competition kills collaboration

If you’ve ever worked in a competitive workspace, you will know that the strategy is to pit workers against one another instead of fostering open communication and collaboration so that they can work together to achieve the same shared goals.

Competition discourages teamwork and often leads people to work in silos which can be counterproductive. This can look like a manager assigning the same task to two coworkers to pit them against each other, or it could also look like a manager comparing the quality of work done by one employee with another suggesting that if Employee B could do it, what’s stopping you? In both scenarios, the manager is creating an environment of unnecessary competition which will end in one employee feeling undervalued or inadequate in the eyes of their manager. Such things can then foster feelings of animosity towards the other, for no fault of their own. A better way to deal with this would be to create a collaborative environment – instead of assigning a singular task to two employees to see how one can outperform the other and deliver the work faster, one can assign the task to both employees so that the turnaround is faster and more effective. This is an example of how competition discourages teamwork and often leads people to work in silos which can be counterproductive.

Competitive workplaces and the impact on employee engagement

A study by Business Leader, a UK-based app found that anxiety and depression are around 3x higher in salespeople as compared to any other profession. This insight comes from a field that is known to be cutthroat and competitive and target-oriented.

Overly competitive workplaces create an environment where employees feel as if their entire self-worth is measured by outperforming others at work. This not only impacts their state of mind but also leads to burnout. It’s no secret that workers need to be in a good physical and mental state to be able to give their 100%, which is why it is important to create a safe space for employees to perform and deliver successfully, by building them up instead of breaking them down. What’s more is that disengagement spreads quickly, all it takes to stir up dissatisfaction is one disengaged employee who feels frustrated with the workplace and begins to vent to their colleagues, creating a domino effect on employee engagement.

Competitiveness can suffocate innovation 

Creativity and innovation are important qualities for employees in every profession to emulate. Having confidence in themselves is the first step towards thinking with an open mind which is the building block of creativity. The pressure of competition however can stifle creativity and innovation creating an environment of fear of failure, judgement and self-doubt and employees will be less likely to take risks or explore unconventional out-of-the-box ideas because they don’t feel like they’re good enough because they lack confidence. Unmotivated and demoralised employees limit the potential and growth of not just themselves, but also the entire organisation.

Breaking the mould by fostering the spirit of collaboration

At enreap, we strive to do things differently and actively promote teamwork, and mutual respect and we value diverse perspectives. We also encourage our teams to engage in constructive debate to facilitate a safe space for employees to share their ideas and voice their opinions. By giving our employees opportunities to collaborate, we, as an organisation, are benefitting from new ideas and fresh perspectives which we might otherwise become blind spots. When you foster an environment of collaboration, every success is a team win.

The pursuit of common goals

One of our mottos here at enreap is “Evolving Possibilities”. One can only push boundaries and explore new frontiers and be the change makers that enable transformation by working together as a team and celebrating each other’s wins. When every employee has a shared purpose, all your resources and efforts are aligned towards achieving common goals. This is the kind of environment which allows employees to thrive and actively promotes employee engagement.

Cooperation over competition

A study by McKinsey revealed that improving communication and collaboration can boost productivity by 20-25%, and these are the pillars of cooperation.

When you create an environment of cooperation, you enable employees to share interests with one another and are thereby giving them the agency to cooperate and achieve shared goals. Why are cooperative relationships with employees important? They enable employees to work together, all while having their own interests and projects without feeling the pressure to compete with their peers. They understand that assignments and projects are not a test to see who can outperform who, but rather goals to help the organisation grow and thereby achieve individual and team success.

Fostering a sense of belonging

At enreap, we make sure that everyone in the organisation has a voice and an opinion that matters, so everyone feels valued. This way, employees feel empowered as opposed to demoralised or undervalued in a competitive environment.

Enabling a spirit of collaboration

Teamwork is at the heart of enreap’s success and is the force that drives innovation. All goals are seen as common and are tackled with a united approach, and successes are shared as a team because achievements are built on collective efforts.

Recognising healthy competition within cooperative dynamics

Anyone who has ever played a sport will know that competition, when fostered in a healthy way, can promote cooperative dynamics. However, in order to reap the benefits of healthy competition, one must first create a cooperative work environment so that everybody understands that they are on the same team. Just like playing a sport, competition within cooperative dynamics can boost morale, efficiency and team spirit, and allow employees to work with one another, but this only works in a cooperative environment.

All these factors come together to create an environment of cooperation and mutual respect, which allows the entire organisation to innovate and grow. If you’re a jobseeker and are looking for a place to build a career in a culture that allows employees to thrive and grow, reach out to us.