Giving Cooperation a chance.
By Pose123
@Pose123 (21635)
Canada
May 15, 2009 8:11pm CST
Cooperation would appear to be very simple don't you think? working together toward a common goal for the benefit of all involved. But amazingly it can be quite challenging, even when we have so many successful examples all around us. Human society is based upon the concept of cooperation, but finding a balance to ensure the good of all members of society is difficult. Given the choice, it seems most people would choose the more peaceful path of cooperation. Intellectually, we know that together we can create something greater than what one could do alone, but cooperation still seems to be one of the greatest challenges people face. We don’t always agree on how goals can be reached. Our priorities may be different, or our methods, but in the end, cooperation offers the best chance for success.
So how can we learn to cooperate with each other? We can gain greater perspective by trying to understand one another’s point of view, perhaps even putting ourselves in their place. We can search for commonalities as well as differences, and look for the good in different approaches. There is always more than one way of doing things, and some approaches are better suited for certain situations than others. All this is easier when we let go of the necessity to be right and to call others wrong. More important, we must believe that there is a solution that benefits all involved, not just one side.
2 people like this
7 responses
@savypat (20216)
• United States
16 May 09
As a manager, I always found that giving a person a job and then letting them do it
was the best way to get cooperation from workers. If you can focus on the bottom line and not get distracted by the details you can allow people to handle their part of the problem while you continue on with your part of the job. Of course this only works as long as you have willing workers and the goals are plainly set.
1 person likes this
@Anora_Eldorath (6028)
• United States
20 May 09
Pat-
We are talking about this very subject in my communications class. It's focused around the book A Place to Shine, and The New American Workplace. It's nice to know that there are managers out there such as yourself allowing your team-members to shine.
Namaste-Anora
@France7 (385)
• Philippines
16 May 09
How are you pose? I like your thought at the last part when you stated that believing that there is a solution of everything that happens is a way to solving things. In my opinion, i view cooperation different from participation. In cooperation, people do things just for the sake of doing, but in participation, they do things not just because they are obligated but they do it because they like doing it. Thus, in attaining a particular goal for a group, cooperation is needed together with participation.
1 person likes this
@MsBoomBoom (130)
• United States
16 May 09
I agree, you'd think cooperation would be very simple especially for adults but things that tend to make too much and is seemingly just the right thing to do is what causes so much friction. I think many people are totally individually focused, its all about 'me', how does this benefit 'me' versus 'us'. If more focused on the 'we' or 'us' we'd all have a better chance of succeeding.
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@gongchhua (272)
• China
16 May 09
Learning to cooperation is important in 21 century. The labor divides more and more fine in today. Most of the research fields and work need many participators who came from defferent fields to complish the project together. The maximum output depends on how to divide the work properly and the relationship between the participators. Instant communication with each other, formative summary and sense of identity belongings are the most important factors to reach the goal of work.
1 person likes this
@Anora_Eldorath (6028)
• United States
20 May 09
Pose-
I think that at times it is the intellect that perhaps causes the most problems where cooperation is concerned. It's almost that we depend too much upon reason, and dismiss the universal unconditional love of our fellow being that we miss the boat so to speak. Perhaps cooperation begins when we all allow others to shine around us, regardless. Perhaps cooperation begins when we all accept, instead of tolerate. Perhaps cooperation begins when we realize and admit that all roads are viable to the solution.
I definately agree with looking for the commonalities. I find that when we do this we begin to understand that we're all truly after the same goals, though we may drive a different vehicle to get there. I also like to try to see things from the other person's point of view, and sometimes getting to know that person on a deeper level is all it takes. For example, the grumpy woman who never smiles at you where you both work may be going through a horrendous divorce and simply need a friend. Everyone has a story, and sometimes we just need to sit and listen to that story.
Namaste-Anora
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
20 May 09
Hi Anora, Thank you for commenting and your reply makes a lot of sense. I really like the way you think about these things. Getting to know the person is so important and the thought that we accept the other person rather than just tolerate. I know that these things are not always easy to do and I've personally found taking my own advice very difficult at times. Blessings.
1 person likes this
