An analogy
You start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string from the top. Then you place a set of stairs under the banana. Before long a monkey will go to the stairs and climb towards the banana.
As soon as he touches the stairs, you spray all the other monkeys with cold water.
After a while, another monkey makes an attempt, with 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.
As soon as he touches the stairs, you spray all the other monkeys with cold water.
After a while, another monkey makes an attempt, with 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 the cold water away.
Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and attempts to climb the stairs. To his shock, all of the other monkeys beat the crap out of 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, replacing it with a new one.
The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment... with enthusiasm, because he is now part of the "team".
Then, replace a third original monkey with a new one; followed by the fourth; then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked.
Now, the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs. Neither do they know why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.
Finally, having replaced all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys will have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, not one of the monkeys will try to climb the stairway for the banana.
Why? Because in their minds... that is the way it has always been!
Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and attempts to climb the stairs. To his shock, all of the other monkeys beat the crap out of 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, replacing it with a new one.
The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment... with enthusiasm, because he is now part of the "team".
Then, replace a third original monkey with a new one; followed by the fourth; then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked.
Now, the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs. Neither do they know why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.
Finally, having replaced all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys will have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, not one of the monkeys will try to climb the stairway for the banana.
Why? Because in their minds... that is the way it has always been!
Can you think of a few examples where this analogy can be applied?
2 comments:
This is the way certain Government department work.New staff are not employed on their qualification but posted indiscriminately. A Science graduate should be posted to the Ministry of Science or any science based department but it is sadly not so. A English literature graduate may be posted to a ministry in charge of energy and telecommunication.As such, they follow the system of study on the job. Without a foundation in the field of expertise, they follow whatever is done in the past, without possibility for innovation and creativity as they have no basic knowledge of the subject they are dealing. It is like like a system of "blind following the blind".
Worse still they become so called experts because they know more than their boss who was just transfered into the department.These experts are given preference for promotion over Outsiders.It is like in-breeding but with inferior genes.
These experts just spout out what was the practice without understanding why it is so.Imagine an arts graduate in charge of gene modification.
I will definitely agree with your suggestion that we need to fill technical positions with those possessing the necessary qualifications and experience. Similarly, we need those with management qualifications and proven experience to manage properly too. To be fair, there are also those who did not have the chance to further their studies but with relevant experience, have proven their worth in terms of work and ethics and even leadership qualities.
In a different context: like in our civil service, which has been under 55 years of rule under BN/Umno. Some top civil servants are confused as to who are their real bosses. By following orders blindly, anything against the ruling coalition seems against the nation.
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