Collaboration Over Competition: A Smarter Way Forward

Today at the Knowledge Management Global Network course on Knowledge Creation & Innovation, we had the privilege of learning from Vadim Shyrayev, who led a thought-provoking session on:

From Competition to Collaboration

We're so accustomed to competing that we rarely pause to imagine what could be gained by choosing collaboration instead. Vadim challenged that mindset as collaborating, even with competitors, can:

1. Expand our playing field—from a red sea to a blue ocean

2. Save tremendous energy otherwise lost in unproductive rivalry

3. Simply... make us smile more 

But collaboration isn’t just teamwork. It’s about crossing boundaries—working with people outside your usual circles, across organizations, toward a shared purpose.

Vadim shared practical tips to cultivate this mindset:

• Aligned Mission, Purpose, and Values

• Collaborate with those it is important to, not with those it is easy 

• Nurture a Collaborative Culture

• Train for Mindflex – the ability to shift perspectives and realign as context evolves

• Build Shared Knowledge Assets

• Strengthen Your Own Differentiation – it builds trust and unlocks willingness to partner

True innovation isn’t about guarding ideas—it’s about growing them together.

Let’s dare to be open, even in spaces where we were taught to compete.