Wednesday, April 18, 2012

COOPERATION VS COMPETITION



COOPERATION VS COMPETITION
COOPERATION:
I think that is when we help at the other person to obtain something objective to serve to the group or the society.

COMPETITION:

Is the ability to compete with somebody in different cases. The competition we can see in the people and the animals. The people to compete in the job, in the school, in sports, in beauty, between others.  And the animals to compete to survive between themselves.

I think that the COOPERATION is more appropriate for life.

As a future teacher I think that we should focus on cooperation, because if everything helps us like a group united, we will obtain knowledge that everyone need and this form to stand out to compete.


COMPETITION:

In biology, ecology and sociology is a contest between organisms, animals, individuals, groups, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources, for resources and goods, for prestige, recognition and awards, for mates and group or social status, for leadership; it is the opposite of cooperation.




COOPERATION:      

Cooperation or co-operation is the process of working or acting together. In its simplest form it involves things working in harmony, side by side, while in its more complicated forms, it can involve something as complex as the inner workings of a human being or even the social patterns of a nation. It is the alternative to working separately in competition. Cooperation can also be accomplished by computers, which can handle shared resources simultaneously, while sharing processor time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperation



COMPETITION VS. COOPERATION





By Perry W. Buffington, Ph.D.







Which works better, competition or cooperation?  The answer,



without equivocation, is cooperation.  Although most people are



surprised by this, scientists have repeatedly verified it in



hundreds of studies since the late 1800s.  Yet big business, the



educational system, the health-care community, and most parents



continue to encourage competition, almost totally neglecting the



power of cooperation.  None of these groups realizes that



unabated competition may be costing billions of dollars in sales



and overall decreases in human achievement.  Furthermore,



researchers have shown that too much competition may cause poor



health.  Yet we continue to hold the cherished belief that



competition (not cooperation), to paraphrase Sigmund Freud, "is



the royal road to success."



If in fact competition brings out the "beast" in us, then



research demonstrates that cooperation surely brings out the



"best" in us.  This finding has been held in virtually every



occupation, skill, or behavior tested.  For instance, scientists



who consider themselves cooperative tend to have more published



articles than their competitive colleagues.  Cooperative



businesspeople have higher salaries.  From elementary grades to



college, cooperative students have higher grade point averages.



Personnel directors who work together have fewer job vacancies



to fill.  And, not surprisingly, cooperation increases



creativity.  Unfortunately, most people are not taught



cooperative skills.



Dr. David W. Johnson and Dr. Roger T. Johnson, professors at



the University of Minnesota and co-directors of the



Cooperative Learning Center, concur and add that education and



psychology have been at odds on the issue for years.  Roger



Johnson explains, "If we are to teach people to be cooperative,



then education and psychology must work together.  You see, a



typical classroom teacher is taught to keep students quiet and



apart, indirectly fostering competition.  Yet ... people learn



best when they work cooperatively with each other.  Children who



experience this type of learning at an early age carry it with



them as they mature."



David Johnson adds, "More students feel good about



themselves as learners when they cooperate.  Their self-esteem



goes up, they have a better sense of community, belonging, and



acceptance.  One can also extrapolate this finding to any



setting."



The Cooperative Learning Center, cooperatively chaired by



the Johnsons, has been researching and training cooperative



skills for over 15 years.  According to Roger Johnson, the Center



has "a research base of over 500 studies dating back to the turn



of the century."



Given their research and training tradition, the Johnsons are concerned that too much unsupported emphasis is placed on



competition.  Moreover, they feel that the means by which



individuals once learned cooperative skills are eroding.



Roger explains, "There are a lot of reasons to worry.  Some



of the standard ways that people once learned to cooperate -



home, churches, communities - are not operating as they did a



generation ago.  Teaching young people how to cooperate does not



receive the appropriate level of interest."  As a result,



competition breeds unabated.  Few are teaching, practicing, or



promoting a better idea.



To counteract this problem, the Johnsons work through



education.  Says David Johnson, "Although we do some work with



big business, we prefer to work with the school system.  That way



we teach students, the next business generation, how to be



cooperative and influence corporate America indirectly.  Once



people experience cooperation, they find out that it's a better,



even easier way."



It seems that cooperation has an impact on individuals



working together in several key areas.  Not only does it create a



more fluid leadership, but it allows everyone to participate



actively without fear of censure.  Cooperation also has an



impact on an individual's perception of the work environment.



Another area directly impacted by cooperation is, perhaps



surprisingly, health.  A fascinating study conducted by the



Cooperative Learning Center took a statistical look at



competitive hockey players.  The study examined the relation



between cooperation/competition and mental and mental and



physical health.  The Center evaluated 57 collegiate and



semiprofessional ice-hockey players (aged 18-29 years) trying out



for the 1980  Olympic team.  Using sophisticated personality



measures and a social-interaction scale, the researchers found



that cooperation does much more than help people get along.



In this study, the more cooperative individuals were better



adjusted psychologically and physically healthier than their more



competitive colleagues.  It seems that competition, or the



constant feeling that you have to work against something, has



unhealthy physical side effects.  Cooperation, and other



pro-social/unselfish behaviors, tend to have positive side



effects.



To that point, limited evidence suggests that cooperation



generates a type of "runner's high."  Although the research is



not definitive, it is promising.  Like those individuals who



exercise regularly, people who are cooperative and help others



also experience a type of "high," which might better be described



as calmness or sense of freedom from stress.  As the researchers



have shown, once this cooperation, not competition, is preferred.







Additionally, individuals who develop a cooperative stance



tend to feel more in control of their lives and do not live for



approval from others.  They tend to feel good.  This is in sharp



contrast to the constant intensity of the competitive individual.



As with everything, too much of a good thing can be a



problem.  In the case of cooperation, as psychologists point out,



too much can lead to "group-think," "yes-man syndrome," or



inappropriate conformity.



Scott G. Isaksen, director for Studies in Creativity at



Buffalo State College in Buffalo, New York, explains, "If



everyone is so caught up in cooperation with the other side that



they lose a critical respect for the issue, they can all decide



to do the wrong thing unanimously.  Although there's no doubt



that a



cooperative environment increases the number of ideas, improves



the quality of the outcome, and facilitates a better working



environment, cooperation must be done in such a way as to protect



the integrity of the project at hand."  Simply put, cooperation



is the rule, but objectivity must be maintained.



There are ways to facilitate cooperation, and they are the



same no matter the environment, from big business to peewee



football.







1.   Focus on doing well. Isaksen points out that attempting to



do well and trying to beat others are two separate mental



processes.  It is impossible to concentrate on both.  Of the



two, cooperating with yourself and others to create a



positive outcome has more rewards.







2.   Allow ample time.  Cooperation comes to a grinding halt as



time pressures increase.  Time pressures produce non-agreement,



decreased information exchanges, and firmer



negotiator demands.  The perception of available time



facilitates cooperation.







3.   Use similar language.  If someone is hoping you will



cooperate with him or her on a particular venture, ask



questions using the same works they used to describe the



plan originally. Isaksen explains, "This creates what



psychologists call 'congruence,' and you will appear to be



more cooperative and interested even though you are



critically challenging and gathering additional information.







4.   Share leadership. Isaksen sees cooperation as a form of



leadership, equally shared by all group members.  By sharing



the leadership, you allow others to take on initiative and



to be integral parts of the group.  There is an increased



sense of "ownership" of plans and ideas by all members, and



the work environment is pleasurable.







5.   Learn cooperative problem-solving tools. Isaksen points out



that these are really creativity tools by another name.  For



instance, he says, "A simple tool is brainstorming.



What happens is that someone invites another to offer wild



suggestions so that others can find ways in which they can



tag along, create, or cooperate."  Other techniques include



suspending judgment, clarifying goals and objectives before



seeking cooperation, and evaluating others' plans in a non-threatening



manner.





6.   Practice reciprocity.  When someone helps you out, make it a



point to help them.  Express your gratitude by helping them



before they expect it.  A policy of general reciprocity -



people helping people - facilitates cooperation.  This



particular technique has been shown empirically (especially



in international studies) as one of the few ways to gain an



adversary's cooperation.







7.   Share resources and information.  When people are vying for



knowledge, work space, personnel, or anything to help them



get the job done, cooperation decreases.  Resource exchange,



however, encourages one person to work with another.







8.   Reinforce team efforts.  Rather than praising one person for



a job well done, utilize a team approach to problem solving.



When the team does well, the entire group is rewarded.  This



minimizes individual competition, and maximizes cooperation.



Distribute the rewards equally among group members.







9.   Act cooperatively.  Research supports the fact that



individuals who have witnessed a cooperative act will



"pass it on," sharing some degree of cooperation with the



next person they meet.  Anytime you help another person



feel better, you have increased the probability that he or



she will be cooperative toward you.  As Isaksen summarizes,



"Actions speak louder than words and encourage another



person to cooperate with you."







10.  For your health's sake, experience cooperation.  Make it a



point to notice how much better you feel when you



cooperate with others.  As the researchers suggest, once you



experience the positive feelings, there seems to be no other



way to work except cooperatively.




Cooperation is a valuable commodity and works best when it



is freely given and indirectly encouraged.  It promotes goodwill



toward men and women, and is a gift that is always appropriate.



And there's no better time to be cooperative.  After all, 'tis



the season.



http://www.charleswarner.us/articles/competit.htm