Crab mentality is to outdo another at other's expense (Tan-Alora and Lumitao). This is widely acknowledged as one of the negative characteristics of Filipino culture. Needless to say, this must be addressed - especially in the context of managing a business. To do this, we must first try to understand how crab mentality made its way into our culture.

My theory is this: crab mentality in Filipino culture (and maybe also in other cultures) is a result of two factors: (1) high power distance and (2) lack of competitiveness. Having a high power distance implies that we put emphasis on hierarchical differences - so much so that some or even most of us feel that our present circumstances prevent us from rising up the hierarchy. True competitiveness pertains to wanting and giving committed and passionate effort to win fair and square. In contrast, the lack of competitiveness implies that there could be no will to win at all or perhaps to win using underhanded means. To a truly competitive person the manner of winning is as important as winning itself.

Given these two factors, I have concluded that some Filipinos would tend compete underhandedly in the belief that their current status in the company or society prevents them from winning. They feel that they can only outdo another at other's expense.

As a manager, a way to address this is to create an informal work environment that emphasizes on meritocracy rather than seniority. Needless to say, a flat organizational structure is imperative. It is also important to practice fair and transparent processes in formulating and implementing policies, performance appraisals, rewards and punishments. This is to neutralize the high power distance. With this in place, competitiveness is enhanced and would naturally manifest itself not through destructive crab mentality but through productive, result yielding friendly competition.