This just in...

A Japanese company and an American company 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.

Afterward, the American team became very discouraged and morally depressed. The American management Team made up of senior mangement 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 8 people steering and one rowing.

So American management hired a consulting company and paid them an incredible amount of money. After six months of hard work, they advised that too many people were steering the boat and not enough were rowing.

The American Team acted: to prevent losing to the Japanese again next year, the rowing team's mangement structure was reorg'd to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the Rowing Team Quality First Program, or RTQFP...with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower. Even new paddles and medical bennie incentives were promised for a winner. "We must give the rower the empowerment and enrichments through this quality program."

The next year the Japanese won by two miles. Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles and cancelled all capital investments for new equipments. The money save was distributed to the senior execs as bonuses for a job well done.


Hey! I work for these guys?!?!?! No SH&#T!