Coopetition: “united we stand, divided we fall”

by Ariella Risch | Nov 01, 2011 in Coopetition, Themes | Leave A Comment

When in 2004 I spoke in illywords magazine about coopetition, many people thought I had used a neologism. We said, that coopetition is not short on dissociated thinking as it entails being co-operative and competitive at the same time.

It seemed to be absurd!

Nowadays it would be hard to conceive a world divided with walls or any kind of barriers. What’s needed instead is bearing into mind and putting into practise the old but nevertheless true motto ”united we stand, divided we fall” when we handle with a good idea that requires a strong commitment together with a considerable outlay of financial and human resources.

Professor Yaneer Bar Yam, expert of complex models and President of the New England Complex System Institute said that in the near future ten billion of human beings will be linked one another in an ongoing exchange process able to create a sort of “hyper-individual” whose creative potential is at this point in time still inconceivable.

I am firmly convinced that human evolution should benefit from the mutual exchange even if competitive. Today we celebrate the 7th billion new born. We are not so far from what professor Bar Yem predicted, but I have the feeling that we still face great competition and less cooperation in our way of working and living.

Is  there any young person or group of young people that is using the concept of coopetition in their life, studies or work? I’d like to hear your voice.