Corporate America
Jul 27, 2021 17:52:51 #
StanMac
Loc: Tennessee
I'm sure a few of us have been there before .....
GOOD OL' CORPORATE AMERICA!
A Japanese company and an American company decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.
The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.
Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing.
So American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.
To prevent another loss to the Japanese, 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 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the "Rowing Team Quality First Program", with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.
The next year the Japanese won by two miles. Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower 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 outsourced to India.
Stan
GOOD OL' CORPORATE AMERICA!
A Japanese company and an American company decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.
The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.
Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing.
So American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.
To prevent another loss to the Japanese, 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 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the "Rowing Team Quality First Program", with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.
The next year the Japanese won by two miles. Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower 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 outsourced to India.
Stan
Jul 27, 2021 18:14:47 #
Jul 27, 2021 18:42:32 #
Jul 27, 2021 19:10:27 #
mundy-F2
Loc: Chicago suburban area
StanMac wrote:
I'm sure a few of us have been there before ..... ... (show quote)
Working in the consulting field for over 35 years, I have concluded Stan's story is true...
Mundy
Jul 27, 2021 19:18:47 #
StanMac wrote:
I'm sure a few of us have been there before ..... ... (show quote)
Just another day in the work place
Jul 27, 2021 19:44:45 #
Now there you go! I'd almost forgotten That stuff. But after the 2nd word, I could complete the entire story. I remember remarking to a Fortune 500 Silicon Valley CEO, while watching workers file into the HQ building to start their day, "Boy, it is interesting to see the large collection of volunteers coming to work today."
Sadly, I had to explain that ALL of the "keepers" had at least ONE job offer in their desk drawer, but chose to come to work here, instead. Paraphrasing Ben Franklin: "Your job is to keep them."
Retired on a low budget but smooth stomach lining.
C
Sadly, I had to explain that ALL of the "keepers" had at least ONE job offer in their desk drawer, but chose to come to work here, instead. Paraphrasing Ben Franklin: "Your job is to keep them."
Retired on a low budget but smooth stomach lining.
C
Jul 27, 2021 21:07:53 #
Jul 27, 2021 21:23:11 #
Funny, yes. But if it were true then the USA wouldn't be the economic powerhouse it is as no profitable corporation could actually continue to exist that way; thanks to Dr. W. E. Deming, and the Japanese.
Jul 28, 2021 06:29:13 #
rmorrison1116 wrote:
Funny, yes. But if it were true then the USA wouldn't be the economic powerhouse it is as no profitable corporation could actually continue to exist that way; thanks to Dr. W. E. Deming, and the Japanese.
Yup, Deming and Kaoru Ishikawa... TQM, Total Quality Management... it still works but it's so, so hard to get folks on board...
Jul 28, 2021 07:13:23 #
Jul 28, 2021 07:50:32 #
So true.
I thought perhaps you were going to say that the head rower missed a stroke, got butt-hurt, and opted out for a sub of lesser quality, causing the loss.
I thought perhaps you were going to say that the head rower missed a stroke, got butt-hurt, and opted out for a sub of lesser quality, causing the loss.
Jul 28, 2021 09:07:15 #
Your post loses its humor when the reader realizes that the Guvment you describe is US! The corporate world is also US! Reminds me of an Italian army post I once saw in northeastern Italy, one army kept the other army locked up so the Italians have a reserve fighting force always under lock and key! Italy has always been the trend setter for the Euros. Nobody has invaded Italy since the advent of this policy. Monaco and Trieste have begun plans to incorporate this method of defense. 60 Minutes in doing a history of Italian warfighters. Strue!
Jul 28, 2021 09:23:22 #
davidrb wrote:
Your post loses its humor when the reader realizes... (show quote)
Interesting... speaking with an older resident in Malta, she said, during WW2, they were most afraid of the Italian bombers (Malta being the most bombed of places) in that, Allied bombers aimed for military targets and German bombers aimed for the Allied assets... but the Italians just "bombed"... houses, fields, clothes lines, rabbit hutches... no place was safe...
Jul 28, 2021 09:25:03 #
Jul 28, 2021 09:36:00 #
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