DEFINITION:
The term “cooperation” (or “cooperativeness”) refers to the ability to work well with others in the pursuit of common goals.
ETYMOLOGY:
The English noun “cooperation” is attested from the fourteenth century. The related verb “to cooperate” is derived from the Late Latin past participle cooperātus of the deponent verb cooperor, cooperari, “meaning to cooperate.”
Cooperari is compounded from two Classical Latin elements, the prefix co-, which derives from the preposition cum, meaning “with,” and the deponent verb operor, operari, meaning “to work,” “to labor,” “to be busy,” or “to be occupied.”
Operari is also connected with the noun opus, operis, meaning “work,” “labor,” or “a completed job of work.”
DISCUSSION:
Those who are strong in “cooperation” (the trait of “cooperativeness”) work more enthusiastically and efficiently as a member of a group or team.
“Cooperation” goes beyond the mere willingness to be helpful to teammates, as it encompasses a propensity to be helpful to all co-workers, even those who are members of other teams.
Individuals who are strong in “cooperation”/”cooperativeness” are especially good at listening to the input of other team members.
One character model analyzes the personality trait “cooperation”/”cooperativeness” into the following five sub-traits:
- Acceptance of others (tolerance)
- Helpfulness
- Conscientiousness
- Empathy
- Compassion