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