You may think the animated film Monsters, Inc is simply a kids’ adventure set in a land inhabited by weird and wonderful alien creatures who produce energy in a unique way.
In one sense, you’d be right, as this is the plot of the 2001 Walt Disney box office smash, but if you delve deeper, there are some valuable lessons to be learned from its characters.
The company culture and employee conduct at Monsters Incorporated, the firm in the film’s title, reveal how workplace competition can have a positive impact, as long as it’s healthy. However, once it crosses the boundary into unhealthy rivalry, it can have the opposite effect, ultimately causing a toxic culture and team dysfunction.
What is Monsters, Inc about?
Pixar Animation Studios created Monsters, Inc for Disney based on a story by US animator and filmmaker Pete Docter, who came up with the idea in 1996.
Set on the planet of Monstropolis, the population is fighting for survival due to their main energy source gradually depleting. The planet converts human children’s screams into energy, which is harnessed by companies like Monsters, Inc.
For generations, residents have been employed as professional “scarers”, going through a secret portal to earth to frighten children, whose screams are then harnessed back on Monstropolis to power the planet.
Although no harm comes to children who have been scared, they’re wrongly believed to be toxic and dangerous creatures who can kill a monster through any physical contact!
Due to earth children becoming less easily frightened in the 21st century, they don’t scream as much as they used to, leading to a deepening energy crisis on Monstropolis.
Monsters Inc Sulley
One of the main characters in the kids’ sci-fi film is high-flying scarer James P “Sulley” Sullivan, who generates the most scares in the company. He’s good-natured, hardworking and confident by nature.
While he loves his job and enjoys the prestige of being the most successful employee, aiming to break the all-time record, he also has a humble side and wants to be a good worker for his employer.
Everything changes when he realises an active door to earth has been left open by his rival and one-time roommate at Monsters Inc, Randall Boggs.
Suddenly, as Sulley examines the open portal, a toddler girl named Boo pops out, having come from earth due to Randall’s error. She runs off into the factory and panic ensues as Sulley tries to recapture her before the management finds out and reports them to the Child Detection Agency.
Eventually, Sulley and his friend Mike Wazowski capture her and hide her in their apartment until they can return her to earth. Soon they realise she’s not the dangerous monster the government has led them to believe, also discovering her happy laughter generates far more energy than screams.
The film’s plot has many twists and turns revolving around the relationship and ongoing competition between Sulley and Randall: initially, Randall had been kind, but lacking in confidence. He admired Sulley, who boosted his morale and encouraged him to use his abilities better. However, Randall got in with a popular clique and ditched Sulley.
After Randall made a blunder at the Scare Games, he became increasingly hostile towards his former friend. Any feelings of camaraderie turned into a desire for revenge, as Randall vowed never to lose to him again.
The plot has been hailed as an example of how healthy competition in the workplace can be a positive factor, but when it becomes intense rivalry based on an obsessive desire to beat a colleague, rather than a goal of performing well, it can have the opposite effect.
Healthy workplace competition
Healthy rivalry can motivate employees, drive innovation and improve performance. Sulley and Randall’s rivalry to be the top energy producing scorer pushes them to perform at their best.
Inspiring a positive workplace environment, rivalry can improve group and individual performance. When individuals are motivated and inspired to outperform colleagues and achieve specific goals, productivity can rise, and the results are usually of a better quality.
Innovation and creativity
Competition should foster an environment that inspires employee innovation, as individuals striving to meet their goals often come up with inventive ideas and new approaches to boost progress and organisational growth.
When deciding how to motivate employees, there are many things to consider, including publicly recognising their achievements and hard work, such as with a mention on the company website.
Rewarding employees with incentives such as a bonus in their salary, or a monthly prize of a meal for two, for example, means they’re 40% less likely to seek work elsewhere, as they feel valued.
Creating a clear career path so they can advance within the company by setting them goals and offering an opportunity for personal development can also keep workers happy and consequently boost productivity.
When the workplace offers a pleasant environment where people are given more autonomy and flexibility, such as in serviced offices or a coworking space, this also inspires greater loyalty. The key is to encourage an ethos of collaboration to achieve success, rather than rivalry to meet personal goals.
Understanding how to boost company morale and ensuring everyone’s on the same page is half the battle when it comes to being a successful manager.
Increased productivity
In the right kind of competitive environment, individuals should feel inspired and motivated to work efficiently. A desire to outperform colleagues, while not losing sight of the fact you’re all working towards a common goal, is the key.
As individuals strive to achieve their own goals, this can lead to a greater level of productivity across the company. Teams that feel motivated and collaborate well together are 50% more productive, according to research by Stanford University.
Dangers of unhealthy competition
The characters of Sulley and Randall in Monsters, Inc demonstrate perfectly how rivalry can be a positive for the individual and the company. On the other hand, if it escalates into unhealthy individual rivalry, it can lead to unethical behaviour and dysfunctional teams, as demonstrated by Randall’s approach.
He becomes obsessed with winning at all costs, regardless of the impact on coworkers, leading to a toxic situation that undermines the company’s success. Increasingly ruthless and sneaky, he even resorts to an illegal device called a “scream extractor” which he intends to try out on Boo to generate more energy – regardless of the fact it would leave her exhausted.
Randall is a role model of how NOT to behave at work. His conduct teaches us there’s never a case when the end justifies the means if you’re planning on doing something illegal, or that would hurt colleagues and the company, to reach a personal goal.
Managers need to set boundaries and ensure the goals you set encourage collaboration, rather than allowing maverick individuals to do their own thing and ultimately harm company morale. Business growth and producing a more productive environment should be everyone’s collective goal.
© chingyunsong / Shutterstock.com
