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Company X and Company Y decided to have a canoe race.
Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day, Company X won by a mile.
Company Y, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.
Their conclusion was that Company X had 8 people rowing and 1 person
steering, while their team had 8 people steering, and 1 person rowing.
Feeling a deeper study was in order, management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing!
Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent
another loss, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager.
They also implemented a new performance system that would give the person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the 'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners and free pens and a certificate of completion for the rower. There were discussions getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.
The next year, Company X won by two miles!
Humiliated, the management laid off the rower (a reduction in workforce) for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment.
The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year's racing team was "out-sourced!"
Posted by Kevin Kelly at
June 22, 2007 10:36 AM