Article March 4, 1944 Issue

Co-operative Competition

THOMAS L. LEISHMAN

In our modern age, competition is sometimes praised, though more often feared or condemned. On the one hand we have the old adage that "competition is the life of trade," while on the other we hear such negative expressions as "ruinous competition." "destructive competition," and the like.

Anyone who would take his rightful place and prove his progress in the business or professional world is in need of knowing the true sense of competition, if he would defend himself from the mesmerism of the destructive meaning often attached to it. What, then, is the root meaning of the word? It comes from two Latin terms, com or cum, meaning "with" or "together," and petere, meaning "to seek" or "to strive." Competition, then, does not necessarily imply that striving to outdo or to surpass another which is widely assumed to be its only meaning; rather it may be justly considered as a constructive and joyous striving together toward a common goal. In such striving, conflict is replaced by cooperation; and in so far as the concept of striving for the mastery remains, it may well be viewed not so much as an eager effort to surpass others, who are regarded as opponents, but as a consistent endeavor to better the quality and the quantity of one's own achievements.

The direct application of cooperative competition to business affairs is readily apparent. The fact that others are undertaking the same type of work, or offering the same type of product in the same field and at the same time, is a liability only when it is accepted as such. It can as readily be viewed as an asset, and proved to be so. Our competitors are aiding us, in that they are preparing the public thought for the reception of the type of goods or of service which we, as well as they, have to offer; while we, in the same way, aid their endeavors. It has been the experience of the writer, in both business and professional activities, that the realization of the co-operative aspect of competition is of practical as well as of theoretical value. To the extent that we accept competitors as fellow workers instead of dangerous opponents, we progress naturally, and without the sense of strain which the word "competition" so often implies, thus attaining our rightful position in business and in society.

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