OT - International canoe race

[Richard]

A Japanese company and an American company decided to have a canoe race on the White River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile. The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat.

A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese had eight people rowing and one person steering, while the American team had eight people steering and one person rowing.

So American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.

To prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to four steering supervisors, three area steering superintendents and one assistant superintendent steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the one person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the "Rowing Team Quality First Program", with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower.

There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles. Humiliated, the American management! laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles and canceled all capital investments for new equipment.

The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses, and the next year's racing team was outsourced to India. And guess where senior execs invested the bonuses they received and the savings they realized from the federal tax cuts to the wealthy? Right! Overseas!

[okieboater]

Richard, there is a message in that story.

W. Edwards Deming went over to Japan and the leadership over there listened to what he had to teach.

Out side of a few Industrial Engineers, most probably never heard of Mr Deming and what he taught the Japanese Industrial Leadership.

Google W. Edwards Deming and find out what he taught.