There are two schools of thought concerning the chances of success in relation to the competition collaboration paradox. In a previous post I suggested that to compete can be enhanced by collaborating. I used the example of the gathering of the clans like Harley Street is the London hub for medical consultants. Hatton Garden is the same for diamonds and Soho for Chinese restaurants
The sweet spot in business, by definition a competitive enterprise , has to be the relationship between teamwork within a system and competition outside. To collaborate we need to compete at a higher level. A football team collaborates to compete against another team. If you are on a solo mission like writing a book you will need support from many around you. These can include publishers, marketers, distributers, designers, accountants, lawyers , satisfied customers , IT experts and much more.
No man is an island and as such should bring as many people onboard as possible. It is essential that you create a team around you. They might have employees of just self employed experts that you engage for particular needs. In almost all fields you are competing in some way. Competing for attention, competing against price , competing in product and service quality, competing to solve problems and or add value.
The most successful companies are those that find a happy medium within the organisation concerned. This is best represented by the competition that exists between customer (source of income ) employee ( deliverer of income ) and share holder( beneficiary of income) One of the main reasons companies fail in the long term is they haven’t got systems in place to create a win win for all involved. They say you can’t satisfy everyone but the more you do the better your profit.
Peter Bull ( Author of the Get InTouch Series)