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The American and the Japanese corporate offices for a large multi-national
corporation 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 team 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
office laid-off the rower for poor performance and gave the managers a
bonus for discovering the problem.
Certifiably Funny is the available courtesy of Brainbench, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. It is reprinted with prior permission
from the Editor, BenchPress, Brainbench, Inc. www.brainbench.com
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