𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲?
Capitalism is based on healthy competition. I have always believed that competition in business is a good thing. It spawns innovation and keeps us from becoming complacent. I also believe that partnerships and collaboration are important. No one entity or individual can do it all; we benefit from each other’s knowledge and expertise. Partnerships accelerate innovation and can create a sense of community.
This summer I visited the Ring ‘o Brodgar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the remote Orkney Islands of northern Scotland.
Doing so was a surprise lesson in understanding the incongruous relationship between competition and community.
As I stood before this ancient circle of monoliths, older than Stonehenge, I was both moved and mystified. The circle created a sense of community. A welcoming space where you could envision people thousands of years ago gathering for important ceremonies. While it begged the question of how each of the 27 multi-ton rocks was moved and placed at this site, the purpose felt obvious—it was about honor and community.
But a Neolithic archeologist named Colin Richards who excavated the Ring ‘o Brodgar in 2008 believes that the ring was not the work of a tribal leader looking to create a special gathering place, but rather the work of several groups on the islands engaged in vigorous competition. According to Richards, it wasn’t about the end product—the circle itself. It was about the incredible force of human ingenuity required to locate the monoliths, transport them many miles, and then secure them upright at the site.
In other words, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. And that journey was a competitive race to prove which tribes had the most impressive stones and the strongest men.
Once constructed, the site was used, generation after generation, as a gathering place. It likely did create a strong sense of community, but it all started with raw competition.
We see examples of competition leading to community in science and in athletics. What about in business?
#competition #community #thejourney #unescoworldheritagesite #photographyislife #photography #orkneyislands
"𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘨 '𝘰 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘨𝘢𝘳," Orkney Islands 2023
Executive Chef at Newrest.eu
1moExcellent