A Modern Parable:

[Trip]

A Modern Parable:

 

A Japanese company ( Toyota ) and an American Company (Ford Motors)

decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri 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 team made up of senior management members was formed to investigate

and recommend appropriate action.

 

Their conclusion was the Japanese had (8) people rowing and (1) person

steering, while the American team had (7) people steering and (2) people

rowing.

 

Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a

consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second

opinion.

 

They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat,

while not enough people were rowing.

 

Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent

another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was

totally reorganized to (4) steering supervisors, (2) area steering

superintendents and (1) assistant superintendent steering manager.

 

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the (2)

people 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 rowers.

 

The next year, the Japanese won by two miles.

 

Humiliated, the American management laid-off one rower, halted

development of a new canoe, sold all the paddles, and cancelled all

capital investments for new equipment.

 

The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses.

 

The next year, the lone designated rower was unable to even finish the

race (having no paddles,) so he was laid off for unacceptable

performance, all canoe equipment was sold and the next year's racing

team was out-sourced to India .

 

 

Sadly....The End.

 

FYI

 

Ford has spent the last thirty years moving all its factories out of the

US, claiming they can't make money paying American wages.

 

Toyota has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants

inside the United States .

 

Last year's results:

 

Toyota made $16 billion in profits (1.3 trillion yen)!!!

 

Ford racked up $2.76 billion in losses.

 

Ford Senior Executives are still scratching their heads. And collecting

bonuses.

 

 

 

 

[Kevin B 123]

Ahh, Trip,

 

We simply MUSt find the "trap-door" leading the the center of their Hollow heads, and fill then with SOMETHING ! ya think, mayhapts a bit of Yankey engin-a-new-A-T!

[ol'momma]

You'd haveta empty their heads of some other 'stuff' first.

[zzelle]

cute

[Fullpantry]

Sad, but true