Re: So a segment of the student body thinks....

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I'm reminded of a story....

Apr 13, 2016, 2:03 PM [ in reply to Re: So a segment of the student body thinks.... ]

about five monkeys that one of my professors at Clemson told the class. The experiment involved five monkeys, a cage, a banana, a ladder, and cold water.

The five monkeys were locked in a cage, after which a banana was hung from the ceiling with a ladder placed underneath the banana. One of the monkeys immediately races towards the ladder, intending to climb it and grab the banana. However, as soon as the monkey would start to climb, ice cold water was sprayed on the other four monkeys.

When a second monkey attempted to climb the ladder, the other four monkeys were again sprayed with ice-cold water. The pattern was repeated for the third climber and, if they were particularly persistent, the fourth one as well. Eventually, when one of the monkeys even went near the ladder, let alone attempt to climb it, the other monkeys began beating him up.

The scientists conducting the experiment then began replacing one of the monkeys with a new monkey. As can be expected, the new monkey would attempt to climb the ladder in order to get the banana. Likewise, the other monkeys who were familiar with the cold-water treatment, would run towards the new monkey and beat him up. The new monkey, unaware of the cold-water history, would get the message: no climbing up the ladder in this cage.

Each time a monkey was replaced with a new one, the events would repeat themselves (monkey runs towards the ladder; other monkeys beat him up; new monkey does not attempt to climb again). However, there was one notable detail. The first new monkey, who had never received the cold-water treatment and didn’t even know anything about it, would, with equal vigor and enthusiasm, join in the beating of the newest monkey added to the cage.

When the researcher replaced a third monkey, the same thing happened; likewise for the fourth until, eventually, all the monkeys had been replaced and none of the monkeys in the cage had any experience with or knowledge of the cold-water treatment yet they all joined in the beating of the new monkey although they really had no idea why.

Over the course of time, we all develop routines, habits and practices, which become the “culture” (i.e., losing at $CU). These cultures can be remarkably different, in terms of what sort of behavior they value, what they don’t like to see, and what they punish. Always, these habits and conventions have been developed over the course of time and, often, nobody actually remembers why they were started in the first place.

Whether the story of the monkeys is true or not is irrelevant, but as the story points out, leaders must always question the why of each and every action, process, best practice and policy with which they engage (i.e., continuing to allow students to attend football games and sit in the lower deck at no cost). Otherwise they just become another monkey. The point is, raising questions about the method in which things are done may actually be quite valid. Just because "we've always done it that way" doesn't make it the right course of action going forward.

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Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.

So a segment of the student body thinks....