Monkey Experiment: Proves Corporate Policy Process

Pootle

Pootle

Well-Known Member
Start with a 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 cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result, and all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon the 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. Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey. After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water. 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.
 
Interesting, however l trust you are not suggesting that chimps are unable to communicate an experience to another chimp.
 
No, it's just a short witty story about how companies tend to do business practices without looking for any changes of business practices to move forwards or improve themselves.

PS- You mentioned Chimps, no mention of Chimps in the above story, it just says monkeys. Is that because your mind pictured Chimps when you read the above?

To be honest my mind did too when I read it first. It must be our perception of monkey experiments about intelligence historically using Chimps more often than not.
 
interesting yep no mention of chimps in your post and l was sure you did, So yes definitely pictured chimps, also because of their high levels of aggression towards each other.
 
Hehe, we had this hanged as a poster on the wall in the smoking room in a company I worked for few years back. :-) The management didn´t like it :-)
 
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