How to Grow and Encourage Healthy Internal Competition

Collaboration and teamwork are important facets of a healthy workplace. A great deal of time and effort is spent on team building exercises at many companies, because the benefits are obvious. However, developing healthy internal competition is another way to bring out the best in your workforce.

What is Healthy Internal Competition?

In order to let healthy internal competition work for you, some consideration is required. It’s critical to know the difference between healthy and unhealthy competition. You want to grow and encourage healthy internal competition, while discouraging unhealthy rivalries.

Positive Reinforcement

One key element for healthy internal competition is positive reinforcement. Your teams should compete for something gained as opposed to avoiding something lost. There is a lot of nuance to this, and it comes down to the stakes. A catered lunch is a healthy reward, for example. Basing a promotion on competition results, on the other hand, is not. Think about the stakes from the loser’s point of view.

Team-Based Competition

Another way to promote healthy internal competition is to organize it around teams. Competing as part of a team allows each employee to contribute in their own way without feeling singled out. Furthermore, winning and losing with peers affords the opportunity to share the experience and form healthy working relationships. There is also less room for jealousy and resentment.

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

It’s important to keep in mind that not all employees respond to competition. Some may even become disengaged. For this reason, participation shouldn’t be mandatory. The goal is to get the most out of your people in a positive way, even if that means they aren’t part of the competition.

Keep It Temporary

Healthy internal competition should be one aspect of your company’s culture, but not all-encompassing. Perpetual competition can have a negative overall impact on your organization. Also, set definite timelines and stick to them. Competitive events should have a well defined beginning and end.

Case Study: Rapid Improvement Plans

The late Brad Hams, of Ownership Thinking, created Rapid Improvement Plans. Teams agreed on an obtainable objective that helped the company’s bottom line. In addition, they agreed on the final reward. Rather than a winner-take-all competition, every team that accomplished the goal also received the prize. This is a great example of healthy internal competition, where everyone has the potential to win.

Steps to Grow and Encourage Healthy Internal Competition

While competition can bring out the best in people, it can also bring out the worst. With this in mind, there are steps you can take to grow and encourage healthy internal competition. When done right, these events contribute to a stronger organizational culture.

Create a Cohesive Team

Especially with a diverse team as discussed above, team-building exercises are a great way to bring them together. In many cases you’ll have employees that haven’t worked together before. This is a fantastic way to bring new perspectives and experiences together.

Regulate

Competition can sometimes make people do questionable things. After all, some people are far more competitive than others. Creating safeguards against dishonesty, as well as encouraging real-time, transparent progress-tracking can help keep the competition fair for everyone. In the Rapid Improvement Plan, for instance, progress for every team is tracked on a common wall.

Value the Process, Not Just the Reward

Healthy competition isn’t just about winning and losing. This is an opportunity for personal growth among your employees. After any competition, consider holding a debriefing session. Discuss what your people learned, and give them a chance to provide feedback about their experiences. Talk about what worked in the competition and what didn’t.

Final Thoughts

Healthy internal competition starts with a culture of teamwork. Every competition should be a learning experience for your people, an opportunity to learn new skills and forge new friendships. A successful competition brings teams together, regardless of whether they win or lose. It’s also a chance for you to learn more about your employees and what drives them to succeed.

For personalized insights and executive coaching, get in touch with me at Coach4Execs. My depth of experience and transformational methods will unlock your company’s full potential. If you’re not sure how executive coaching can benefit you, let my clients tell you more!

Georganne Goldblum,
CEO of Coach4Execs