Competition has been characterized as a social practice in which people are rewarded based on how their accomplishments contrast those of others performing the same work or engaging in the same activity. A highly competitive setting can support a learning environment that provides students with academic challenges in educational facilities. Furthermore, competition can provide the kinds of experiences that promote the formation of professional mindsets and work ethic, as well as psychological and emotional development. Therefore, competition is believed to be effective in both academic and professional environments since it contributes to one’s personal character development and pushes an individual beyond barriers.
The first effective side of the competition involves the desire of individuals to achieve greater results and motivation to persist. Therefore, the first benefit concerns building mental strength and stronger character. Perseverance, adaptability, and courage are all valuable characteristics that may be applied to any profession or life situation (Neubert, 2017). Students learn how to bend but not break under pressure via competitiveness. In addition, students learn how to deal with challenging settings. Educational competitions in the classroom provide students with secure environments in which they have the ability to develop these qualities (Attle & Baker, 2007). For example, with the help of competition, students become more productive since the incentive to succeed leads to better management of tasks and priorities.
Similarly, a competitive environment in the work setting provides the same experience. Firms search for personnel that can handle the pressure of working in a competitive environment. The corporate world revolves around problem-solving and utilizing the workforce to reach a better result which is only possible when an employee has a strongly built character. In case when the competition is healthy, and employees do not disrespect each other by trying to achieve their objective, competition helps to build character, which can later help in other career paths or workplaces (Tebeanu & Macarie, 2013). Therefore, the process of competing should start at school and navigate the person through chaotic situations, teaching individuals to bypass obstacles.
Another practical side of a highly competitive environment is social and emotional learning. Competition helps students with developing social and emotional competencies. Students can develop a better understanding of how to cope with opposing perspectives and ideas by participating in the competition (Neubert, 2017). They can gain experience on how to cooperate with people who have quite different characteristics (Tebeanu & Macarie, 2013). This is a perfect situation where children can practice healthy competition that fosters team spirit and good communication. For example, during the implementation of a teamwork task, children who adhere to the healthy competition will hope that everyone will do great rather than hope that everyone fails. Healthy competition in a workplace also indicates the maturity of employees. Through competition, employees learn various behavioral patterns and an array of personalities that contribute to the working process.
The last discussed effective side of a competitive environment involves fostering inner creativity. A competitive environment urges both students and employees to seek the best strategies to win. In cases when the outcomes look beneficial, there is an incentive to test and explore novel ideas to compete with peers for the reward (Ozturk & Debelak, 2008). For example, students might find creative ways to show their presentations. As far as business goes, individuals will employ their talents to bring the new product to the market to both satisfy the needs of customers and compete with their counterparts. Similarly, employees try to compete with coworkers and find creative solutions to the firm’s problems for the sake of rewards, such as bonuses, promotions, and acknowledgment.
Nevertheless, the intrinsic meaning of competition that lies within the outcome can produce negative effects on this environment. In case when an individual stops to control such a competitive environment, there is a risk of worsening relationships with peers and coworkers (He et al., 2014). This is the case of unhealthy competition, which shifts the focus of a person to personal gain rather than fostering relationships and valuing the journey. For example, in an academic setting, students might start to prefer the process of receiving excellent grades and praise rather than communicating with peers and working in a team. In this case, students disassociate themselves from the team and disregard the feelings and needs of others.
The same scenario may be seen in the workplace with employees competing for rewards or acknowledgment with the risk of creating a toxic environment. For example, employees might begin to sabotage each other’s ideas and chances of succeeding. This case will lead to stagnation of the team and the firm. As a result, such toxic competition will push an individual against others and will make the person alienate everybody for the sake of personal benefit.
The last negative side of the competition is focused on the inability to make further improvements. Competition can only foster creativity when the intentions of a person are not built solely on winning. In a situation when the only interest of a person is not the development but reaching the outcome, people become blind to the improvements they are making (He et al., 2014). For example, in order to achieve the desired grade, students might study for the test, but after this, they will instantly forget the information. Therefore, the influence of unhealthy competition will make students’ efforts futile, and the information will be retained for the purpose of receiving the grades or praise.
The same situation may occur in the workplace, with employees inflating their egos. In this situation, employees will not be able to make any improvements due to their feeling of superiority and unwillingness to work with others. As a result, such behavior might lead to damages in projects and misunderstanding in the team. In cases when individuals focus on individual output and personal gain, there are no processes of improvements which is detrimental to personal growth.
Hence, a highly competitive environment is effective in contributing to personal development and relationships. Aside from building character, competition contributes to a person’s motivation since both children and employees strive to reach their heights and fulfill their potential. Additionally, both students and employees tend to experience mental growth in a healthy competitive environment by studying various personalities and outlooks. Nevertheless, with the loss of control over the competition, individuals might experience unhealthy competition, which always results in jeopardizing relationships with others due to selfishness. Moreover, students and employees might experience ebbing creativity due to their goal of a single win and not an improvement. However, the efficiency of a highly competitive environment is greater than the given negative impacts, which can be controlled by an individual. Without competition, individuals and businesses are doomed for stagnation and lack of creativity.
References
Attle, S., & Baker, B. (2007). Cooperative learning in a competitive environment: Classroom applications. International Journal of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, 19(1), 77-82.
He, H., Baruch, Y., & Lin, C. P. (2014). Modeling team knowledge sharing and team flexibility: The role of within-team competition. Human relations, 67(8), 947-978.
Neubert, J. (2017). 10 Ways Competitions Enhance Learning. Institute of Competition Sciences. Web.
Ozturk, M. A., & Debelak, C. (2008). Affective benefits from academic competitions for middle school gifted students. Gifted Child Today, 31(2), 48-53.
Tebeanu, A. V., & Macarie, G. F. (2013). Cooperation and competitiveness in the educational environment from the students’ perspective. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 76, 811-815.