Row, row , row your boat

Knowing how much Andy loves quotes I´ll start of my blogpost with one:

"You cannot solve a problem using the same thinking that caused it"

-Albert Einstein

As oil prices are soaring to new highs, the Big Three from Detroit: General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are suffering. GM´s stock price finds itself at a 54 year low and the future looks anything but bright for the trio. When you are faced with a challenge, how do you best solve it? Do you remain on the same course and hope for the best or do you go in a different direction? Are you reactive or proactive?

Perhaps the parable below taken from Fortune can offer some insight:

A Modern Parable

A Japanese company (Toyota) and an American company (Ford) 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 eight people rowing and one person steering, while the American team had eight people steering and one person 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 how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team’s management structure was totally reorganized to four steering supervisors, three area steering superintendents, and one assistant superintendent steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 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. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices, and bonuses.

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 canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year’s racing team was out-sourced to India.

Sadly, The End.

-

In times of trouble the easiest can often be to stay on course until forced to do differently, although it may be the easiest it is not always the best. Sometimes you need to change your way of thinking, look for opportunities instead of limitations and solutions instead of problems.

Change your approach and you will get a new perspective.