Below are some thoughts of mine on collaboration and competition, particular to a discussion within EWB in July 2008. http://my.ewb.ca/home/ShowPost/44782
There’s been a lot of great questions and discussions about both Competition and Collaboration as they relate to EWB, our work internally, and our work with other groups. This is relevant at so many different levels – on campuses, between chapters, in the workplace, overseas, and at a National level – and relates closely to the impact that we seek to have organizationally.
In this vein, I wanted to take the chance to offer a bit of a framework for thinking about Competition and Collaboration. It’s a big post, but I hope that it provides a basis for discussion and thought.
Competition
Overall, I would like to pose this hypothesis: Competition drives innovation and performance.
But there are different forms of competition, and it’s important to clarify what we mean when we talk about wanting or not wanting competition in EWB. I will outline three types of competition: Winner Takes All; Rising Tide; and Friendly Rivalry.