Have you heard of the Rails Doctrine? We have our own doctrine: things that we follow and perhaps “wish” to change the world of. This doctrine will update as we change; and hopefully we find our pillars as we go.

Cooperate, not Compete

While most companies are “competitive” in nature, we strives for cooperation. Why compete when we can cooperate? Competition tries to kick everyone down the ladder they’re climbing, so they’re the only ones on the ladder, and on the top of everyone else’s rung; while cooperation tries to make the ladder a wide staircase (plus a platform at the top) so everyone could stand at the top together.

If we design programs, let’s design it so it promotes cooperation. Something that, if cooperate together, each would get more than they would by themselves or when competing with one another.

Cooperation means teamwork. Each individual wishes to get more by contributing their part to the whole; where if they don’t contribute the whole team gets less. Best of the best, these projects/programs does not have a limit. Every contribution counts! It’s normal, though, to have some people naturally contributing more than others. One suggests not to put their individual contribution public, because that encourages negativity: jealousy of those at the top, pressure of those at the bottom to contribute more even though they have other stuffs to prioritize, rejected-feeling that they didn’t contribute enough, shyness that encourages not contributing (because others contribute too much). Instead, we shall promote:

Scoring as a whole team; that encourages cooperation within team members to push the score higher, irregardless of how much they contribute. Team members shall contribute whatever they feel safe and sufficient. It should not puts a pressure on people to contribute more and more, therefore sucking all their time and energies out like the farmer whom killed the duck for its golden eggs.

Will competition be eliminated? No, unfortunately. Mother nature have carved competition so deep in our veins that we can’t eliminate it with longer evolutions. Though, we could do better. People could help each other. [Give and Take] by Adam Grant suggests giving to other people (for free) and those you give to naturally help pushes you up; instead of you stepping on others to get up.

How about between teams? Well, “teams” compete is not natural. It’s us whom defined the boundaries of teams. Originally, humanity is one team, but our differences in ideas split us apart. It’s as if we’re trying to fight each other for a “right and wrong”, but that’s not true! That’s an illusion! Teams is an illusion. We made it up, it doesn’t exist per se! Cooperation means striving to understand each others’ viewpoint. For big teams split into small teams because both refuses to understand each other. Both refuses to find a better solution. Both wants to fight for what they believe in. And the solution is clear.

People whom gives naturally attracts people to form a group, each contributing for a better whole, than wistfully compromise. For [synergize] allows each other to understand each other’s perspective, each other’s worries and doubts, and each other’s strength (from a different viewpoint), to form a better solution than any one of us could form without each other. For people willingly, and openly, cooperate.

And become better together.