When Polar Opposites become Forces for Good

This week, I have been discussing how polarities can be a force for good and how their dualism can be greatly beneficial in the business world.

Yin and yang is the best and most well known concept of dualism. In the west, we mainly use them to describe opposites. However Chinese philosophy describes how these seemingly contrary forces are complementary, interconnected, and interdependent. It also describes how they can raise each other up as they interrelate to one another. You cannot have one without the other, else there will be no balance or progression.

Competition is often seen as high energy, can be abrasive or negative, as well as two-dimensional where there are winners and there are losers. Usually it is just for your benefit.

Cooperation is seen as a more positive experience and where there is a connection and you are helping and complementing those around you, for mutual benefit.

Bur what if we think about this from a different perspective? What if we turn competition on its head?

Competition can keep us sharp, focused, open to learning, and like me, it keeps us wanting to be the best for our clients, as we ask "how can we do better for them", "what do they need" and "how can we better meet those needs". If you use competition to fuel cooperation, your organisation's purpose could extend beyond simply helping another organisation, and could lead to being part of a collective, where a combination of the parts is much greater than the sum of the individual parts.

So now you have . Combining these approaches could lead to more focused horizon scanning for opportunities and it can also prompt responsive innovation & growth within the company through its processes, staff development, internal tech. The positive force of competition and the positive effect of cooperation makes these polar opposites a force for good and essential to a more holistic & beneficial approach to commerce.