This is for you Dave- LOL


An update to an old e-mail parable:



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 management

team made up of senior management 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.



There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other

equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses. The

pension program was trimmed to 'equal the competition' and

some of the resultant savings were channeled into morale

boosting programs and teamwork posters.

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

canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The

money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as

bonuses.

The next year, try as he might, 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.

Here's something else to think about: 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 US. The last quarter's results:

TOYOTA makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked

up 9 billion in losses.

Ford folks are still scratching their heads, and

collecting bonuses... and now wants the Government

to 'bail them out'!!.

IF THIS WEREN' T SO TRUE IT MIGHT BE FUNNY