Where is the box?
I was told about an experiment that may or may not have happened, still it raises some intersting thoughts. Behavioral researchers have placed five chimps in a cage. In middle of the cage bananas where hanged from roof down, well in the animals reach. The fruits where rigged in such way that whenever a poor monkey pulled a banana all off them where hit by a rather unpleasant watter jet.
Smart beings as the chimps are, soon they have realized that it is best if fruit is left untouched. At this point unknown to the monkeys researchers have turned device off. Fear however could not be turned off and it remained leaving fruits uneaten.
Researchers then replaced one monkey from the cage with a new one newer hit by the water jet. The new chimp followed his built-in natural instincts and went ahead to reach for the bananas. Others where afreaid of water hose so they brutally beat the new one whenerer he attemted to make for the fruit. Few beatings and common understanding was reached again: the banana must not be touched.
Peace was only broken again when another experienced monkey was replaced with a new one, who naturally was also beaten for similar reasons. Interestingly the first new monkey had shown remarkable keenness, himself participating in the violent act even though he had no experience of being under a water jet.
One by one all monkeys from first stage of the experiment where replaced by new ones. Still informal rule of “do not touch the fruit” prevailed. But by now for reasons utterly different than with the first original five monkeys. The common good of group of not being hit by the water jet disappeared. Nor individual nor group had any benefit to protect still they had not chosen to act differently. It was too late the law was set by tradition and subsequently accepted: change had become virtually impossible.
I think that same absurdity can be observed sometimes in large and old organizations. We however as supposedly being a more advanced species than chimps, need a justification for such behavior. So we tend to misuse terms like “experience”, “state-of-the-art”, “proved methodology”, “development process” and so one. Till someone disruptive enough goes for the fruit, and trough amazing innovation redefines our dictionary. Did it happen to you?
