|
Boat race
The Americans and the Japanese decided to engage in a competitive
boat race. Both teams practiced hard and long to reach their peak
performance.
On the big day they felt ready. The Japanese won by a mile.
Afterward, the American team was discouraged by the loss. Morale
sagged. Corporate management decided that the reason for the
crushing defeat had to be found, so a consulting firm was hired to
investigate the problem and recommended corrective action.
The consultant's finding: The Japanese team had eight people rowing
and one person steering; the American team had one person rowing and
eight people steering.
After a year of study and millions spent analyzing the problem, the
consultant firm concluded that too many people were steering and not
enough were rowing on the American team.
So as race day neared again the following year, the American team's
management structure was completely reorganized. The new structure:
four steering managers, three area steering managers and a new
performance review system for the person rowing the boat to provide
work incentive.
The next year, the Japanese won by two miles. Humiliated, the
American corporation laid off the rower for poor performance and
gave the managers a bonus for discovering the problem."
Click here for more Japanese
Jokes |
