CORPORATE ROWING
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 team won by a mile.
Afterwards, the American team became very discouraged and morally depressed. 
The American management decided that the reason for the crushing defeat had to 
be found.  A "Measurement Team", made up of senior management was formed.  They 
would investigate and recommend appropriate action.
Their conclusion was that the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person 
steering, while the Americans had 1 person rowing and 8 people steering.  So 
American management hired a consulting company and paid them incredible amounts 
of money.  They advised that too many people were steering the boat and not 
enough people were rowing.  To prevent losing to the Japanese again next year, 
the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized 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", with meetings, dinners 
and free pens for the rower.  "We must give the rower empowerment and 
enrichments through this quality program".
The next year the Japanese won by 2 miles.  Humiliated, the American management 
laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, 
sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment.  Then 
they gave a High Performance Award to the steering managers and distributed the 
money saved as bonuses to the senior executives.

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