The first thing we are going to do so that you can know the meaning of the term competitiveness is to discover its etymological origin. In this case we can state that it is a word that derives from Latin since it is the result of the sum of several components of said language:
-The prefix “com-”, which means “together”.
-The verb “petere”, which is synonymous with “attack”.
-The suffix “-dad”, which is used to indicate quality.
Based on all of the above, we can indicate that competitiveness means “quality related to fighting to achieve an objective.”
Competitiveness is the power to compete : to compete for control of something, to compete to keep what another or others also intend to achieve. The idea of competitiveness refers to having the necessary capacity to confront competitors .
The concept is frequently used in the economic and commercial field. Competitive companies or countries are those that, thanks to their management of resources, can obtain advantages over the rest and thus gain market share.
Many factors affect the competitiveness of a company. Among the most important are the level of salaries and input prices and the relationship established between the quality and cost of the product.
According to theory , a company that pays salaries in line with its income, accesses inputs at convenient prices and offers a good quality product taking into account its cost, will be competitive. On the other hand, those that pay high salaries, buy expensive inputs and market products with a poor quality-cost ratio are not competitive.
These ideas are usually transferred to countries . However, depending on how these variables are managed, serious social problems can arise. Suppose that a government, in order for its nation to be more competitive, promotes a reduction in wages. This decision may result in many workers not being able to have the income necessary to satisfy their needs. The increase in competitiveness, therefore, represents a worsening of the quality of life .
Within the workplace, it is very common for there to be competition between different workers in order to be recognized and even get a promotion. However, it is especially important that those in charge of companies do not hesitate to promote competitiveness that is healthy and not counterproductive. That is something they will be able to do through measures such as these:
-The leader or manager must commit to recognizing and praising each of the employees in those aspects that they have managed to highlight.
-It is important that it is clear that there are limits to competitiveness. That is to say, not everything works to achieve goals.
-No less relevant is that collaborative competitiveness must also be encouraged. What this means is that employees must be made aware that each one has something positive that, when combined with the qualities of others, can make a solid and great project. It's about fostering a sense of team.
In the field of sport , competitiveness is associated with the possibilities of a team or an athlete to defeat any rival. For example: “With the retirement of our captain, we have lost competitiveness,” “Our team once again showed its competitiveness by finishing the tour with six games won and only two lost.”