Boat Race

The Americans and the Japanese decided to engage in a boat race. Both 
teams practiced hard and long to reach their peak performance levels. On the 
big day they felt ready. The Japanese won by a mile. 

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 recommend
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. 


The Bells
wstuart@uio.satnet.net