Cooperation vs. Collaboration

The cycling pelaton is a classic example of cooperation (as opposed to everybody’s favourite, collaboration). The members of the pelaton do not have a shared objective: each member wants a different person to finish first. Nonetheless, they individuals have a better chance of succeeding if they work with the group – even with a group of competitors – than they would working on their own. And (note) they do not work as a team (despite what this post says) even though they share thre workload, communicate proactively, and engage with each other. They work as a murmuration. Nobody is in charge of a pelaton, membership is fluid and dynamic, and each exchange (of position, say) is negotiated individually.

(via The Organization as a Cycling Peloton ~ Stephen’s Web )