Ruchika T. Malhotra

Conventional wisdom tells us that competition breeds innovation. But what if encouraging a highly competitive atmosphere is doing the opposite and stifling growth instead? Research shows that collaborating can result in much more success than competition and has in fact brought about some of history’s biggest breakthroughs. Through this talk from award-winning culture expert Ruchika T. Malhotra, leaders will be able to reflect on their perceptions of scarcity and competition to understand how the winner-takes-all environment of constantly pitting people against one another stalls innovation and quickly leads to burnout. It creates divisions and rivalry that blocks a culture of psychological safety and inclusion. With research-backed evidence illustrating that humans are wired to succeed by working together, Malhotra shares tactical steps to “uncompete” through choice, action and resistance. We can and must shift away from a zero-sum mindset to succeed as individuals, teams, organizations and societies.