Company Policy

I do not know who to attribute this to, but it has the whiff of the "profound"...

Start with a cage containing six monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a bunch of bananas above the monkeys just out of reach, then place a stool under it that would enable the monkeys to stand on the stool and reach the bananas. Before long, a monkey will go stand on the stool and reach towards the bananas.  As soon as he touches the bananas, researchers (or HR) spray all of the other monkeys with cold water.  After a while, another monkey makes an attempt to reach for a banana and all the other monkeys get sprayed with cold water again. Pretty soon, the monkeys figure out when any monkey gets on the stool, the other monkeys get sprayed with cold water. They now gang up on any monkey who even touches the stool to prevent from being sprayed.

Once the monkeys are fully conditioned, researchers put away the cold water and remove one of the original monkeys from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the bananas and decides to hop up onto the stool. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys viciously attack him.  After several more attempts that result in epic beat downs, he learns that if he tries to climb the stool, he will suffers acute assault and battery. 

Next, remove another of the original six monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer jumps on to the stool and he immediately receives a wicked thrashing. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm!  

One by one, replace each of the remaining original monkeys with a new monkey and wait until the 'new' monkey learns not to stand on the stool.  Ironically as the process continues, the new monkeys participating in the enforcement beatings have no idea why they are flogging the new monkey. 

After all the original monkeys have been replaced, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey dares to approach the stool and retrieve a banana. 

Why not? Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been done around here.  And that, my friends, is how company policy is made.