Intergroup Competition

I was reading on intergroup competition today, particularly where you have two groups that are competing with one another.  (You can think about Congress as an example if you’re having trouble understanding the description.)

Here’s what happens:

• Each group becomes more closely knit.

• Leadership changes from democratic to autocratic.

• Each group demands more loyalty and conformity of members.

• Each group begins to see the other as the enemy, not merely neutral.

• Each group experiences distortions of perception (denying own weaknesses, seeing only the negative in the other).

• Hostility increases; interaction and communication between the groups decreases; it becomes more difficult to correct perceptual distortions.

• If forced to interact, each group tends to listen only to its own side and to find fault with the other's presentation.

And it is very hard to reverse.

Consider how your structure and/or incentives might be inadvertently fostering animosity or an us-versus-them mentality amongst your employees.

When one is competing, one is always either advocating for oneself or defending against another. There is no time for problem-solving nor true debate.  (And these are essential for creativity and innovation to occur.)