us and frank cat Fi | 22 Jul 2010 01:08 pm
Funny tale
It was about a boat race between a boat crewed by an old conglomerate – lets call it BEEB – and one crewed by a new, innovative, company.
Both sides practiced long and hard and the new company won by a mile.
So the board of the BEEB did what any board would do: they set up a working party to find out why.
The working party reported that the new company had seven people rowing and one steering and that they at the BEEB had seven people steering and one rowing. So, faced with a crisis of that magnitude they appointed management consultants. That’s the only thing you can do. Isn’t it?
The management consultants, who cost a million pounds, reported back confirming the diagnosis of the working party but suggesting that the old conglomerate crew be completely restructured thus: three assistant steering managers; three deputy steering managers; a director of steering services and in addition, the rower should be given an incentive to row harder.
They had another race and this time the new company won by two miles. So they laid off the rower for poor performance and they sold the boat and used it for a higher than average pay award for the director of steering services!
(I first heard this tale told by Tony Benn at one of his performances with Roy Bailey and laughed myself silly)
Stumble it!