The 3 differences between competition and competitiveness

Today's society is characterized by being extremely competitive, and it is common for each and every one of the citizens requires a high level of competence in different areas, domains and scopes.

It is something very present in our daily lives, and both competition and competitiveness are often linked and go hand in hand especially in the workplace, which is sometimes confused between Yes. However, they are actually different concepts that refer to different constructs. That is why in order to clarify how they are distinguished, throughout this article let's see what are the differences between competition and competitiveness.

• Related article: "The differences between effectiveness and efficiency (with examples)"

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 as type of interpersonal relationship that is established between two or more people or groups in order to obtain a purpose

or fulfill a certain objective, in which at least one of the parties pretends to be better or obtain better results than its 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 success and benefits of being ahead of others, either by striving to exceed the capabilities of competitors or by reducing competition for others tracks.

With regard to competition, this is understood as the ability to function, progress, and master a skill. It is about developing and acquiring expertise in something, often obtained through effort and repeated practice. The competent person is one who is capable of coping with the task that is demanded of him 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 objective.

The main differences between competition and competitiveness

Competitiveness and competition are concepts often closely linked in the world of business and economics. Both require a great effort on the part of the individual and usually appear together: in general, in order to be competitive, needs to have a minimum of proficiency, while it is often possible to improve proficiency in a task by competing with others.

But as we have already mentioned, and as it can be extrapolated from its 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 competence can be found in the object of focus of the person.

Competitiveness involves focusing on what others are doing and comparing your own performance against them. The position we have with respect to others is looked at.

Competition, on the contrary, focuses more on the task to be undertaken, being the performance in the activity what will mark the level of competence.

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, only trying to do the task efficiently and in any case improve one's own ability.

In the case of competitiveness, what is sought is to be above or be superior to the rest, regardless of the performance or level of individual competence. In other words, it is a will to improve relative to what others are doing.

• You may be interested: "The 7 functions and roles of business psychologists"

3. Point of view

The concepts of competition and competitiveness can both refer to the existence of a conflict situation between people or groups, but they do it from different positions.

Competitiveness refers to the attitude or way of acting that a person takes with respect to those that he considers his 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 competition context.

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 taken with respect to it. Therefore, describes a general context in which there are many agents interacting with each other, and does not focus on an individual (be it a person or company).

Bibliographic references:

• Borowiecki, K.J. (2013). Geographic clustering and productivity: An instrumental variable approach for classical composers. Journal of Urban Economics. 73 (1): 94 - 110.
• Hegadekatti, K. (2017). The Programmable Economy. SSRN.
• Krugman, P. (1994). The Age of Diminishing Expectations. MIT Press.
• Martínez Torres, O.A. (2016). Economic analysis. Zapopan, Jalisco: Editorial Astra.