Company Policy

[radtexan]

Start with a large 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 ice cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result; all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. 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. When all of the original monkeys have been replaced none of them have ever been doused with cold water. Consequently, none of the monkeys know why
they are beating the newcomer or why they are not permitted to climb the stairs.

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.

[zinsurance]

Man, that is the truth. I worked at Wal-mart in college and was often told that certain things couldn't be done and when I would ask why I rarely got an answer that wasn't "Because it's against company policy" Often times there was no written record of this "company policy". Great analagy Rad.

[willk]

Amen. I was lucky to work with a guy that was totally outside the box. Yes he failed a few times but never took "that's the way we have always done it" for an answer. You never know what's on the other side until you look!

[Miller]

That is the truth. I don't even think you would have to go as far as putting monkeys in the cage. Most people would go along with the knocking other people off the stairs just because most people can not think on thier own. It is so bad to know that kids are taught to follow the status quo instead of question why they are doing something and if it is good.