Trophy Hunting: The Pros and Cons of Competition as a Motivator

stopwatch and track

Employee burnout is on the rise in the United States. This means employers are constantly looking for ways to keep their employees motivated, challenged, and satisfied with their job.

One great way to motivate employees it through competition. Competition is one of the best ways to keep people excited about what they’re doing, but it can also have downsides as well. 

Read on to learn all about the pros and cons of competition as a way to motivate people. 

The Pros and Cons of Competition

Competition can be both a good and bad thing for motivation. So it’s important to understand both sides before deciding to use it as a way to motivate people. 

Pro: Some People Are Naturally Competitive

For those of us who thrive when involved in a competition, it only makes sense to use competition as a way to keep us motivated.

If competitive people don’t feel challenged by their work, they’ll quickly get bored. By using competition, these people will be excited about work because they have something to work towards – outperforming others.

Con: May Lead to a Hostile Environment

If people become overly competitive or the stakes are too high, the environment may become hostile. A hostile work environment can be disastrous, so it’s important to be cautious of this to prevent people from becoming stressed.

Avoid people getting overly competitive by keeping the competition light and fun. The prize should be nothing too big and the playing field should be kept even and fair. You can even use a trophies plus medals website to find fun prizes for the winners!

Pro: Could Lead to Higher Performance

If employees don’t feel challenged by their work anymore, they tend to become complacent and no longer go above and beyond in their job. This can lead to lackluster work performance which doesn’t do the business any good.

Adding a little competitiveness to the mix can really motivate those employees who have lost the passion for their work. This will increase their work performance which is great for everyone.

Con: May Discourage Teamwork

If people start feeling competitive towards their coworkers, this could have a negative effect on the team mentality that every business should have.

If employees start to feel like they are pitted against each other, they will no longer want to work as a team. This can really hurt the office morale and have a bad impact on overall work performance and quality.

Pro: Makes Work More Fun

If done correctly, creating a competition style work environment can have a great impact on office morale. Employees will start to have more fun at work because of the fun, competitive environment that’s been created.

Competition, if approached in the right way, can actually bring employees closer together.

Competition Can Be Motivating

There’s a fine line between positive and negative competition. By staying on the right side of that line, you can create a fun, exciting, and motivational work environment. 

Consider the pros and cons of competition and make the decision for yourself! If you think competition will make you and those around you more motivated, then implement it into your work life. 

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