Competition vs Collaboration

It is human nature to compete with everyone else wherever it get chance. It happens in university and also in work place. We tend to compete with our fellow mates for something or the other. Partly it is because the system is designed this way. We are used to implementing a structure where only a few goes upwards (further) in the hierarchy/position/recognition. In university only a few gets good grades and others average or poor. I think students who get poor grades are not really bad in studies but they get poor grades because university has to differentiate all student so that some can be promoted for next level. Dilemma is there are always fewer seats on the next level. It also happens in work place. Employees are continuously ranked (ranking system may differ in different organizations) so that when the time comes few of them can be promoted for next level. So in a way university teaches students about real life and make prepared to fight, compete to get those fewer places.

It does not mean that we are always competing with each other we also do collaboration with some of the mates and form teams to compete with other teams. We can argue that people form teams to compete with other teams and then take credits for individuals. In a sense it true. But sometimes even the competitors collaborated for each others’ benefits. For example automobile companies forms joint group to buy raw material (particularly coal). Sometimes competitors come together and don’t let the customers benefit from the competition. This is called forming cartels. And some of the regulators like CC (Competition Committee) try to break these cartels. It also happens in the university some of the students will form a group and learn from each other, help each other and perform better than the others .

I think one needs to learn (or master) how and when to compete and/or collaborate.

PS: I am not suggesting not to compete. I have been very competitive and had secured 438 position out of more than 120,000 participants for engineering degree on national level. one of the most competitive exam for engineering in the world.