SlowlySinking
Master Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2002
- Messages
- 897
Subject: Different Management Styles<br /><br /> A couple of years ago, a Chinese company and an American company arranged to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.<br /><br /> On the big day the Chinese won by a mile.<br /><br /> Afterward, the American team became discouraged and depressed. The American management decided the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found. A Management Team made up of senior managers was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Meetings were held in Las Vegas.<br /><br /> Their conclusion was that the Chinese had 8 people rowing and only 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and only one person rowing. A solution wasn't obvious so <br />the American management team hired a consulting company and paid them a seven figure consulting fee to sort it all out and recommend improvements.<br /><br /> After six months of intense work and more meetings with senior management team members in Las Vegas the consultants forwarded a 1500 page report which advised that too many people were steering the American boat, while not enough people were rowing.<br /><br /> So the American Team acted. To prevent losing to the Chinese again nextyear, the rowing team's management structure was completely reorganized into 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents, 1 assistant superintendent steering manager, and 1 rower. <br /><br /> The Americans 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 management meetings in Hawaii, lavish dinners for managment and free pens for the rower who of course wasn't invited. The management team even promised newly designed paddles with holes and minimal medical benefit incentives for a winning performance. They hoped to give the rower both empowerment and enrichments through this quality program.<br /><br /> The next year the Chinese won by two miles. <br /><br />Humiliated, the American management fired the 70 year old rower for her poor performance, halted development of a new square iron canoe, sold the paddles and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. This of course was done after a 2 week meeting in Barbados.<br /><br /> The money saved was then distributed to senior executives as bonuses for a job well done.<br /><br />Somehow this sounds a bit like the company I worked for. 
