The Horse and the Groom
A GROOM used to spend whole days in currycombing and rubbing down his Horse, but at the same time stole his oats and sold them for his own profit. “Alas!” said the Horse, “if you really wish me to be in good condition, you should groom me less, and feed me more.”
This Aesop’s fable describes exactly what happens when someone with poor management skills gets put in charge of an organization. It is easy to create the illusion of care while depriving people of the very things they need to grow and stay strong.
There was an organization that I once worked with where the maintenance department had monthly breakfasts. This involved about 25 employees from the department and was generally handled pretty frugally so the cost per person was fairly low. Management launched two initiatives. The first was to cut costs and the second was to create a better sense of teamwork in the organization. They did this by cutting the budget for the maintenance department breakfasts and starting monthly team building dinners for the executives.
I don’t know if the team building dinners helped the managers, but I do know that the cost in morale and productivity was much greater than any savings that came by canceling the breakfasts for the maintenance workers.
storage stevenage
September 19, 2011 @ 6:45 am
I think this example is so apposite. It seems incredible to many that we used to have commonly have companies where management had their own restrooms and eating facilities. No mixing with the proletariat when you could avoid it. You still get demarcations these days, albeit less condescending, such as car parking spaces etc.
One thing I have always hated in my working life is ‘one rule, for you but different rules for me’. I am not some rabid socialist, I am a typical conservative type. I just am appalled that ‘management’ fail to see how their actions look to their staff. If you belabour another old adage about a chain only being as strong as it’s weakest link, then why would you want any of your staff to feel aggrieved?
Achille
October 11, 2011 @ 6:24 pm
nice post, same happen to me and i’m already quit from my job. They always said for cutting cost we must do this, but somehow they dont realize it’s cutting my mood to work