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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 - all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold
water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb
the stairs, the other 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 ttacked.
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 company policy begins.
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