MBA Grads Could Benefit from Grace Amid Competition

Reprinted from: The Wall Street Journal, (c) 2001, June 25, 2001

We know success in the business world requires persistence, drive and the desire to excel. On the other hand, we must be careful that these traits don't lead to self-absorbed, ungenerous behavior. Such conduct isn't the way to get work done.

Starting when we're children, we learn that the world is highly competitive. In school, we're chosen for the team or we're rejected. When class ranks are announced we are, in a way, told where we belong. When I grew up in Hong Kong, test papers were handed out in order of how well one did, and exam results were published in the newspaper.

Competition has its appropriate place. It gives us discipline, focus and a sense of accomplishment. My 15-year-old son, Ryan, worked hard for a spot on his school's basketball team-and in Indiana that's a big deal. Arriving at school daily by 5:45 a.m., he improved his skills, gained confidence and became a better player. At the macro level, open and competitive markets work. Competition engenders efficiency and accountability.

What's cause for concern is that we're often competitive when the situation doesn't call for it. How many of us, while driving, don't let people cut in? And if there's an ideal parking spot, we vie for it. When we see a long line forming, we walk faster so that we can beat others to the door.

We exhibit competitive behavior in other ways. We put pressure on people by going directly to their bosses. When students get angry with a faculty member, they might send their complaints all the way to the top. They also might post these complaints on the Web for all to see. These acts have struck me as ways of getting even, not necessarily about giving constructive feedback.

Our competitiveness may be conditioned by the pervasiveness of rating things-everything from vacuum cleaners to education. As a result of such rankings, in explicit or veiled terms, we describe ourselves as "bigger than," "more than," "more successful than," "better than," or "higher than."

In The Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive business-school survey, corporate recruiters repeatedly complained about the arrogant and cutthroat attitudes of business-school graduates and recommended that schools instill humility in their students and encourage more teamwork and collaboration. Let's have more regard for each other.

All the buzzwords today are about working together.We call it collaboration, alliances, partnerships, networks, among other words. We have boundary-less organizations, cross-functional integration, etc.

We expend a lot of effort on developing team skills. We have outdoor and indoor team-building exercises, workshops on diversity and seminars on how to handle conflict and how to listen. These are useful, but are they enough? I would say no. No amount of team building can get us to work together effectively if we won't let other people into our spotlight.

Harold Leavitt, a management scholar, said, "To get the world's work done, people have to get along with one another, and getting along requires empathy, sensitivity and feelings of bondedness and membership."

Eighteenth-century Scottish economist Adam Smith is well-known for writing about the "invisible hand," a sorting-out mechanism by which the fittest survive, and those less fit find their places elsewhere. But he also wrote "The Theory of Moral Sentiments," which discussed the concept of sympathy. "Sympathy" was defined as a proper regard for others, the basis of a civilized society. Looking at Mr. Smith's work as a whole, it's about the invisible hand and the invisible handshake.

This capacity for regard for others is about grace-with a small "g," as in hospitality or consideration, and with a big "G," as in a sense of God's presence in us and in each other. Grace enables us to look beyond competition in our relationships and the things we do.

One example: Our college, as others, has teaching awards. For years, we gave three to four awards annually. But one of our best faculty members, Dave Ricchiute, Deloitte & Touche professor of accountancy, reminded us that teaching should not be a competitive sport. There are a lot of people who give their heart to teaching; they leave important imprints on their students. But the way we gave teaching awards didn't necessarily highlight these particular teachers. Three years ago, with a gift from a benefactor, John Kaneb, we were able to expand the number of awards by seven, allowing us to honor about one-third of our tenured faculty over a three-year period. This allows us to recognize multiple people's efforts and dedication. In the way that we manage the college, we're careful not to create competition among teachers, or winners and losers among the various academic departments.

Grace makes it possible to forgive. People will hurt us. They'll treat us in a graceless way, and we'll often respond in kind. Even if we don't strike back, we may hold back, becoming more guarded, or we may withdraw while nursing grudges. Grace calls for the ability to forgive, to make kinder assumptions about people. In business, often when we're left out of a communication loop, we'll jump to the conclusion that it was done on purpose. It would be wiser instead to "be generous in your disappointment," as Notre Dame's Father John Dunne once said in a homily.

Apologies, sincere and timely, must be a part of our vocabulary. Last year, one of our students reneged on a job offer she'd accepted. There were many reasons-all enticing, but none acceptable. I was deeply disappointed. I couldn't reverse what she had done, but I believed that a message had to be sent to the employer, the student and the student body. I arranged for a conference call to the employer to convey my deep apologies. I asked that the student be present to witness this exchange. It was important that the student know her action compromised the college. I also wanted her to see a public apology in action.

In the end, the capacity for grace comes from a sense of how we see ourselves. Do we have a healthy self-concept? The recruiters responding to The Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive survey commented on the integrity they find in our students. At Notre Dame, our self-concept is grounded in our faith and belief that we're made by God, and that's the source of our worth. We aren't defined by our titles, possessions or awards. We're so much more.

 -- Dr. Woo is the Martin J. Gillen Dean and the Ray and Milann Siegfried Professor of Management.