A Little Psychology for the Workplace

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 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 company policy begins!

So true........ So true. Seems to work with government as well - but then they are all a bunch of monkeys too!

delboy wrote:

So true........ So true. Seems to work with government as well - but then they are all a bunch of monkeys too!

Hey.... hey....... hey, I work for the Provincial Govn't I'll have you know.......... No problem...... but I'm not a monkey yet cause I only started 1 year ago.........