Performance by Kevin McManus
Industrial Engineer’s monthly column about performance improvement (May 2011)
Constrained by competition
The United States, more than any other country, is driven by competition. At times this is tough for me because I think we take the whole “winner take all” notion a bit too far. I have experienced the down side of “one winner” and “rank the team” systems. I’ve also experienced the benefits of true synergy, the ultimate indicator of team cohesiveness. Still, competition is a motivator. The question is what intended and unintended behaviors do we motivate with our work systems.
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