SorintWellness: Can a Competitive Work Environment be Harmful to Employee Wellbeing?

SorintWellness doesn’t just promote individual wellbeing in our workplace. Group and intrapersonal wellness is just as important as individual wellbeing. And one of the topics related to group wellness is the work environment. Nowadays, with the conversation around workplace health increasing, competitive work environments have been put under the microscope: Is a competitive work environment healthy? In what ways could it harm employee culture?

In many ways, historical value systems have conditioned us to believe that competition can drive performance and innovation. Value systems of the past often promoted a competitive work environment due to historical, economic, and cultural factors. Influenced by the Industrial Revolution, capitalist ideals, and social Darwinism, competition was seen as essential for driving economic growth, individual advancement, and organizational success. However, a competitive work culture can be negative for several reasons, one of which is undermining collaboration. In a highly competitive environment, employees may be more focused on outperforming their colleagues rather than collaborating and sharing knowledge. This can lead to siloed departments, reduced teamwork, and hindered communication, which ultimately impairs organizational effectiveness.

In this SorintWellness article, we’d like to outline how a competitive workplace culture can prevent collaboration. We hope that we can leave you with some food for thought and we encourage you to reflect on the following: Do I experience a competitive work environment in my day? If so, in what ways do I contribute to a competitive work environment? How does this interfere with collaboration?

A competitive work environment can undermine collaboration amongst colleagues due to a focus on individual success, a fear of being outperformed, a lack of trust, a hoarding of information, unhealthy competition, misaligned incentives, and fragmentation.

Focus on Individual Success: In a competitive environment, employees may prioritize their own success over collective goals. This focus on individual achievement can lead to reluctance to share knowledge, resources, or credit with others, hindering collaboration.

Fear of Being Outperformed: Employees in a competitive environment may fear that collaborating with others could result in being outperformed or overshadowed by their colleagues. This fear can lead to reluctance to participate in collaborative efforts or share ideas openly.

Lack of Trust: Intense competition can erode trust among team members. Employees may view their colleagues as rivals rather than collaborators, leading to a lack of trust in their intentions or abilities. Without trust, effective collaboration becomes difficult to achieve.

Hoarding information: In a competitive environment, individuals may hoard information or resources in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage. This can prevent vital information from being shared with team members, hindering collaboration and impeding progress on projects.

Unhealthy Competition: Excessive competition can foster a culture of unhealthy rivalry and conflict among team members. Instead of working together toward shared goals, employees may engage in destructive competition, such as sabotage or undermining others, further undermining collaboration.

Silos and Fragmentation: In highly competitive environments, departments or teams may become siloed, focusing solely on their own goals and objectives. This fragmentation can hinder communication and coordination between different parts of the organization, making collaboration more challenging.

Misaligned Incentives: If incentives and rewards are tied solely to individual performance metrics rather than team or organizational goals, employees may prioritize their own success over collaborative efforts. This can create a disincentive for collaboration and teamwork.

Overall, a competitive environment can create barriers to collaboration by fostering a culture of self-interest, distrust, and rivalry among employees. At Sorint, to overcome these barriers, we encourage a collaborative culture that values teamwork, trust, and shared success. We value supportive leadership styles, promote a sense of shared purpose, and celebrate collaborative behavior.

If you have any comments, thoughts, or suggestions for future wellness-related topics, please be in touch! Send us an email at sorintwellness@sorint.com. And remember to join our WeTalk channel (#SorintWellness) to stay updated on news and events.