Today's society is characterized by being highly competitive, and it is customary that each and every citizen is required to have a high level of competition in different areas, domains and fields.
It is something very present in our day to day, and both competition and competitiveness are often linked and shake hands especially in the workplace, which are sometimes confused with each other. However, in reality they are different concepts that refer to different constructs. That is why in order to clarify how they are distinguished, throughout this article we will see what are the differences between competition and competitiveness.
Competitiveness and competition: a general definition
In order to clarify what are the main differences between competition and competitiveness, it may be interesting to first establish a general definition of each of these two concepts.
We understand competitiveness to be the type of interpersonal relationship that is established between two or more people or groups in order to achieve an end or meet a certain objective, in which at least one of the parties pretends to be better or obtain better results than their competitors.
The competitive person pretends to be the first or the best in something, in a constant comparison with the performance of others, and they tend to seek the success and benefits of being ahead of others, be it through the effort to overcome the capabilities of competitors or by reducing competition by other means.
Concerning competence, this is understood as the ability to function, progress and master a skill. It is about developing and acquiring expertise in something, often gained through effort and repeated practice. The competent person is one who is able to cope with the task that is demanded of him / her with great efficiency. On the other hand, the term competition also has among its meanings that of dispute or confrontation with others for the same purpose.
The main differences between competition and competitiveness
Competitiveness and competition are often closely linked concepts in the world of business and the economy. Both require great effort on the part of the individual and tend to appear together: generally, to be competitive, you need to have a minimum of competence, while it is often possible to improve competence in a task by competing with others. .
But as we have already mentioned, and as it can be extrapolated from their different definitions, both concepts have some key differences that distinguish them. Among them, some of the main differences are as follows.
1. Focus on the task vs. others
One of the most marked differences between competitiveness and competition can be found in the person's targeting object.
Competitiveness involves putting the focus on what others are doing and comparing your own performance against them. You look at the position we have with respect to others.
The competition, on the other hand, focuses more on the task to be undertaken, with the performance of the activity being what will determine the level of competition.
2. Different objectives
Also the objective of competition and competitiveness is different.
The objective of the competition is mainly the approach to the proposed goal or objectives, trying only to do the task efficiently and in any case to improve one's ability.
In the case of competitiveness, what is sought is to be above or superior to the rest, regardless of the performance or level of individual competition. In other words, it is a will to improve relative to what others are doing.
3. Point of view
The concepts of competition and competitiveness can both refer to the existence of a conflict situation between individuals or groups, but they do so from different positions.
Competitiveness refers to the attitude or way of acting that a person takes with respect to those that they consider their rivals. Thus, it is a concept that puts the focus on an individual element, leaving aside the rest of the parts that intervene in a context of competition.
Competition, when understood from the meaning of conflict or dispute, refers to the situation or the existence of "others" with whom to compete, rather than the attitude one takes towards it. Therefore, it describes a general context in which there are many agents interacting with each other, and is not focused on an individual (be it a person or a company).
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