"Because We’ve Always Done It That Way!"– Encore
In our last issue we asked if you ever wonder why some things are done the way they are in your organization. We presented the story of how the modern day railroad track came to have such an unusual width. The following story may also help explain how habits, procedures and culture become ingrained in organizations.

Start with a cage containing five monkeys. In the cage, hang a banana on a string and put 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 monkeys with cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result - all the monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Repeat this procedure a few more times and then turn off the cold water. If later a monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it even though no water sprays them.

Now, 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 horror, all of the others 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!

Again, replace a third original monkey with a new one. The new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four monkeys 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 monkey!

After replacing the fourth and fifth original monkeys, all the monkeys that were sprayed withcold water have been replaced. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs. Why not? None of the monkeys know why, they just know that, “that’s the way it’s always been around here.”

This is often how organizational behavior is indoctrinated into an organization and a culture becomes entrenched. A risk averse corporate culture is a good example of this phenomenon in action. Years ago people in the organization stepped out and tried some new idea or innovation. When it didn’t work out as planned someone slapped his or her hand and essentially said, “Don’t try to touch that banana again”! A few more attempts receive doses of cold water thrown on them too; the word spreads and before you know it a conservative, take no chances culture is born.

Leaders wishing to change the negative behavioral aspects of their organization’s current culture would do well to invest in some historical sleuthing to uncover the underlying reasons behind the behavior. More often than not those reasons are no longer valid. Then the leader can put into place new policies, procedures, training and rewards to encourage the new culture they desire.

Leadership Lessons from the Race for the Pole
On December 14, 1911, the classical age of polar exploration ended when Norway's Roald Amundsen conquered the South Pole. His competitor for the prize, Britain's Robert Scott, arrived one month later but died on the return along with four of his men - only 11 miles from their next cache of supplies.

The Last Place on Earth by Roland Huntford is a gripping and highly readable account of the race for this last great terrestrial goal. And it is a classic study of the dramatically different styles of the two leaders. Amundsen and Scott were almost mirror opposites in style. Amundsen was a professional; he left little to chance, apprenticed with Eskimos, and obsessed over every detail. Scott was an amateur who chose improvisation over careful planning, left no margin for error and clung fast to the misguided British rule of "No skis, no dogs," both previously proven to be vital to survival and success. The Last Place on Earth has also been transformed into an award wining seven part PBS docu-drama series. We can learn a great deal about leadership from the successes of great leaders and the failures of poor ones. The Last Place on Earth provides lessons from both.

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