Post date: September 10, 2007
I got an email from an old colleague of mine and I just have to share this.
How Things Work In Real Life
Start with a
cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and
place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and
start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all
of the other monkeys with cold water.
After a while, another monkey
makes an attempt with the same result all the other monkeys are sprayed with
cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the
other monkeys will try to prevent it.
Now, put away the cold water.
Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey
sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all
of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that
if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.
Next, remove
another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer
goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the
punishment with enthusiasm! Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new
one, then a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the
stairs, he is attacked.
Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no
idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are
participating in the beating of the newest monkey.
After replacing all
the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with
cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for
the banana. Why not? Because as far as they know that’s the way it’s always been
done around here.
And that, my friends, is how a company policy begins.
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