EVER WONDER WHY THINGS ARE DONE A CERTAIN WAY?

Start with a cage containing five monkeys.

Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs

under it.

Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards

the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the other

monkeys with cold water. After awhile, another monkey makes an attempt

with the same result - all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold

water.

Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other

monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and

replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to

climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all the other monkeys

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 monkeys 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!

Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a

fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the

stairs, he is attacked. Most of the monkeys that are beating him have

no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they

are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining

monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water.

Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for

the banana.

Why not? Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been

done around here.

And that, my friends, is how company policy begins.