News and views November 2004

Joke of the Month

A zoologist placed 4 apes in a cage, together with a staircase at the top, of which was a banana.
The apes looked at the banana and the boldest ape began to climb the stairs towards it. When it was half way the zoologist pressed a button and a stream of ice cold water drenched all four apes and left them shivering and miserable. Next day the bold ape tried again with the same result. On the third day the same. On the fourth day, when it went to climb the staircase the other apes leapt on it and beat it nearly senseless. Then the researcher took one of the apes out of the room and replaced it with another. The newcomer saw the banana and began to climb the stairs. The other apes, led by the bold one leapt on it and beat it nearly senseless. The zoologist continued replacing apes until there were no apes left who had experienced being drenched in icy water. He then let another ape in. It saw the banana and began to climb the stairs. The other three apes set on him and beat him nearly senseless. I ape language he asked them 'Why did you do that/' they answered .'That's just the way we do things round here

Management wisdom of the month - Wisdom from the past

"Organization is not an end in itself but a means to the end of business performance and business results. Organization Structure is an indispensable means; and the wrong structure will seriously impair business performance and may even destroy it…The first question in discussing organisation structure must be; what is our business and what should it be? Organization structure must be designed so as to make it possible the attainment of the objectives of the business for five, ten, fifteen years hence." (Peter Drucker 1954)

-and

"Organisations are a system of cooperative activities - and their co-ordination requires something intangible and personal that is largely a matter of relationships." (Chester Barnard 1938)