A Bigger Prize audiobook cover - How We Can Do Better Than the Competition

A Bigger Prize

How We Can Do Better Than the Competition

Margaret Heffernan

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Corporate Culture

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A Bigger Prize
The Illusion of Winning+
Damage to Education+
Ruining Relationships+
Stifling Progress and Cooperation+
Devastating Economic Consequences+
Solutions for a Collaborative Society+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8
What did Robert Goldman's 1984 study on top athletes reveal about the desire to win?
  • A. Most athletes preferred a long, healthy career over a single gold medal.
  • B. Over half of the athletes would take a performance-enhancing drug that guaranteed a gold medal even if it would kill them within five years.
  • C. Athletes perform significantly better when they are unaware they are competing against others.
  • D. The desire to win naturally decreases as athletes reach the professional level.
Question 2 of 8
According to the book, what is a major psychological consequence of viewing life entirely as a competition?
  • A. It builds resilience and prepares individuals for corporate leadership.
  • B. It fosters a sense of independence and self-sufficiency that reduces anxiety.
  • C. It causes stress levels to spike and often leads to overwork and burnout.
  • D. It encourages individuals to participate in a wider variety of social activities.
Question 3 of 8
How does an overemphasis on competition in schools affect a student's motivation?
  • A. It strengthens their intrinsic motivation by providing clear goals.
  • B. It weakens their intrinsic motivation, making them dependent on external rewards.
  • C. It encourages low-performing students to discover new and innovative study methods.
  • D. It eliminates the desire to cheat by creating a transparent ranking system.
Question 4 of 8
How does viewing relationships through a competitive lens affect romantic partnerships?
  • A. It turns the partner into a trophy and the relationship into a performance rather than an opportunity for intimacy.
  • B. It creates healthy boundaries that prevent partners from becoming overly dependent on one another.
  • C. It encourages partners to continuously improve themselves, leading to longer-lasting marriages.
  • D. It eliminates power struggles by clearly establishing a dominant partner.
Question 5 of 8
Why does the competitive nature of modern science often hinder progress?
  • A. Scientists spend too much time on collaborative projects rather than individual research.
  • B. The pressure to win grants and priority causes scientists to keep their discoveries and ideas to themselves.
  • C. Competition forces scientists to focus exclusively on applied sciences rather than theoretical models.
  • D. Competitive scientists are more likely to publish their findings without conducting proper peer review.
Question 6 of 8
What is a negative consequence of companies engaging in aggressive price wars to beat the competition?
  • A. It inevitably leads to the complete monopolization of the market by a single entity.
  • B. It forces companies to increase their marketing budgets, which alienates consumers.
  • C. It often results in costs being passed onto society, such as unlivable employee wages and poor livestock conditions.
  • D. It causes the government to heavily tax private corporations to make up for lost revenue.
Question 7 of 8
How does the company W. L. Gore & Associates foster collaboration among its employees?
  • A. By offering massive financial bonuses to the highest-performing teams.
  • B. By utilizing a horizontal hierarchy where employees must convince colleagues to work with them on projects.
  • C. By implementing a strict ranking system that eliminates the bottom ten percent of performers annually.
  • D. By assigning employees to permanent, specialized teams managed by a single supervisor.
Question 8 of 8
What makes the Finnish education system a successful model for lessening competition?
  • A. It completely separates students based on their future career paths.
  • B. It relies heavily on standardized tests to ensure all students are learning at the exact same pace.
  • C. It assesses students based on individual progress rather than using grades or comparing them to classmates.
  • D. It rewards students with financial incentives rather than traditional letter grades.

A Bigger Prize — Full Chapter Overview

A Bigger Prize Summary & Overview

A Bigger Prize (2014) explains how competition is holding us back. These blinks demonstrate how our competitive schools, economy and society – believed to produce higher grades, lower prices and better results – are actually stifling collaboration and preventing us from realizing our full potential.

Who Should Listen to A Bigger Prize?

  • Professionals who work with colleagues
  • Anyone who is into sports
  • People interested in the downside of competition

About the Author: Margaret Heffernan

Margaret Heffernan is a multimedia entrepreneur. She began blogging at an early age before going on to teach and write books. A Bigger Prize is her fourth bestseller.

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