STUPIDITY AT WORK

Simon's rant about stupidity at work made me remember this excellent email i got from a colleague which goes a long way to explaining company policies and employee attitudes...

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 a Company Policy begins.