Dont Spray The Apes

Here is a nice article I found while browsing the net. It is in fact the nature of everything including humans to follow what their elders have done.

Start with a cage containing five apes.




In the cage, hang a banana on a string and put stairs under it. Before
long, an ape will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the
banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the apes with
cold water. After a while, another ape makes an attempt with the same
result - all the apes are sprayed with cold water. This continues
through several more attempts.




Pretty soon, when another ape tries to climb the stairs, the other apes
all try to prevent it. Now, turn off the cold water. Remove one ape
from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new ape sees the
banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his horror, all of the other
apes attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he
tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.




Next, remove another of the original five apes and replace it with a
new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous
newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm. Again, replace a
third original ape with a new one. The new one makes it to the stairs
and is attacked as well. Two of the four apes that beat him have no
idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they are
participating in the beating of the newest ape.




After replacing the fourth and fifth original apes, all the apes, which
have been sprayed with cold water, have been replaced. Nevertheless, no
ape ever again approaches the stairs. Why not? Because that's the way
they've always done it and that's the way it's always been around here.





And that's how policy begins!!!

Source: http://management.about.com/cs/generalmanagement/a/SprayApes1999.htm

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