Education is giving too much emphasis to competition at the expense ofco-operation, when at the same time business is placing increasing value on teamwork, argues Roger Downer
It is difficult these days to read a report or listen to a presentation on economic performance without encountering the C-word, competition. Indeed, it seems that "competition" and "competitiveness" are the catchwords of modern Ireland. Given their ubiquity in so many strategic documents, it is appropriate to reflect upon how they impact on our national psyche.
Unquestionably, there have been many highly positive outcomes from our drive to be competitive in so much of what we do. It has contributed greatly to the favourable economic climate that we currently enjoy. The resulting international recognition of our successes has increased our self-confidence, removed our national inferiority complex and ensured that we will never again accept second-class status or performance in any field of endeavour.
However, there is concern that our growing obsession with "competitiveness" and "winning at all costs" is clouding our definition of success, obscuring our true societal goals and reducing our recognition of the importance of another C-word, co-operation.
Steven Covey in his best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, describes a corporate president who lectured his senior managers on the importance of co-operation and teamwork. He then announced a prize of a trip to Bermuda for the top performer. By establishing a competition in which there would be one winner and several losers, he was undermining the very goal that he was trying to achieve. As Covey suggests, it is equivalent to the boss who announces that "firings will continue until morale improves".
In the corporate world, the importance of co-operation is being recognised increasingly. Even companies that compete in similar markets are seeking cost-sharing opportunities and choosing to pool intelligence in certain areas so that each firm gains benefits. Indeed, the unfortunate but comprehensible term "co-opetition" has been coined to describe this growing practice.
What then is the appropriate direction for Ireland in the future, competition or co-operation? In my view the right way forward for the country is to harness the competitive ethos, which pervades our current thinking, and complement it - temper it - with the equally beneficial and productive spirit of co-operation.
This calls for a fundamental appraisal of how we operate as a society. In particular, we need to examine whether our current educational system and the set of values used in our broader community help us to address this challenge. Unfortunately, the conclusions are not encouraging.
Education in Ireland is highly competitive, with students under considerable pressure to obtain high points in the Leaving Certificate in order to enter intellectually elitist programmes and compete for top places in their graduating classes. The emphasis, in many cases, appears to be on obtaining a higher grade than other classmates rather than on learning.
It is interesting to observe that discussions with prospective employers about the type of graduate they wish to employ indicate as much emphasis on factors such as teamwork, communication skills and extra-curricular interests as on academic performance.
Yet few universities include these qualities in curricular design or recognise them for purposes of student awards.
Our general societal values also fail to properly take account of the need to encourage co-operation. There is a great tendency to equate success with the attainment of top positions, wealth or material possessions.
The favoured cliché of the "me" generation was "the person with the most toys wins" and, regrettably, this philosophy continues to exist in much of Ireland.
The consequence is that individuals are encouraged to pursue the perceived trophies of success and abandon their responsibilities to assist the less advantaged members of society. Ireland cannot take pride in its economic achievements or claim to be a successful nation as long as there are members of society who are disadvantaged and denied opportunity for advancement.
Dwight Eisenhower, in his inaugural address almost 50 years ago, said: "A people that values its privileges above its principles will soon lose both."
Let us celebrate our many privileges and ensure that they are shared with all members of society. Let Ireland light a beacon for the world by demonstrating how a nation's resources and competitive streak can be combined with a sharing and caring, co-operative ethos to achieve real and long-term impact for every human being.
Roger G. H. Downer is President of the University of Limerick
The names of the Spanish prime minsiter, Mr José Maria Aznar, and of the Basque political party Batasuna were spelled incorrectly in a news report in yesterday's newspaper.