Sadie’s post is here: https://create.twu.ca/ldrs501/2018/11/22/5724/

Hello Sadie,

Thank you for your post. I agree with the principles you have chosen for your organization, specifically the ones where you catch someone doing something right and creating a supportive environment (Thompson, 2018).

At the end of your post, you discussed cooperation and competition (Thompson, 2018, para. 11). Ungerger, Ungerer, and Herholdt (2016) say “cooperation works better than competition” (p. 382). However, this statement does not mean you cannot have both. The term for a relationship that has both cooperative and competitive aspects is coopetition (Padula & Dagnino, 2007). Coopetition has been used by educational institutions to access resources unavailable to them individually (Dal-Soto & Marlon Monticelli, 2017). Another example of coopetition is seen in the health care industry, when multiple facilities form one bargaining association to deal with unions, while still competing for clients.

In your context, coopetition may work. The cooperative part of your environment could be a reward for all staff should the organization meet specific targets. I am unfamiliar with what a relevant target would be; for my organization, one of our targets is a 50% reduction in falls with injury by 2020. Should all our home reach that target, we get a bonus. In the meantime, the competitive part of this goal is the home achieving the lowest number of falls with injury getting a special prize. This competitive part of the goal does not hamper homes from helping their sister homes, but it drives individual homes to be the best among their peers. Something similar may work for in your context!

References:

Dal-Soto, F. & Marlon Monticelli, J. (2017). Coopetition Strategies in the Brazilian Higher Education. RAE: Revista de Administração de Empresas, 57(1), 65–78. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-759020170106

Padula, G. & Dagnino, G. (2007). Untangling the rise of coopetition: The intrusion of competition in a cooperative game structure. International Studies of Management & Organization, (2), 32. Retrieved November 22, 2018, from https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca:2420/10.2753/IMO0020-8825370202

Thompson, S. (2018). Competencies, principles, and me. Retrieved November 22, 2018, from https://create.twu.ca/ldrs501/2018/11/22/5724/

Ungerer, M., Ungerer, G., & Herholdt, J. (2016). Navigate strategic possibilities: strategy formulation and execution practices to flourish. Randburg: KR Publishing. ISBN 978-1-869-22623-7.