American Management

The Americans and the Japanese decided to engage in a boat race. Both teams practiced hard and long
to reach their peak performance levels. On the big day they felt ready. The Japanese won by a mile.
The American team was discouraged by the loss. Morale sagged. Corporate management decided that the
reason for the crushing defeat had to be found, so a consulting firm was hired to investigate the
problem and recommend corrective action. 

The consultant's finding: The Japanese team had eight people rowing and one person steering; the
American team had one person rowing and eight people steering. 

After a year of study and millions spent analyzing the problem, the consultant firm concluded that
too many people were steering and not enough were rowing on the American team. So as race day neared
again the following year, the American team's management structure was completely reorganized. 

The new structure: four steering managers, three area steering managers, and a new performance review
system for the person rowing the boat to provide work incentive. 

The next year, the Japanese won by TWO miles!!! 

Humiliated, the American corporation laid off the rower for poor performance and gave the managers a
bonus for discovering the problem.