Does this sound like an ABP AGM to you farmers_son?

[rkaiser]

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 touchess the stairs, spray all of the monkeys with cold water. After a while, another monkey will make an attempt with the same response..all of the monkeys are sprayed with cold water. keep this up for several days.

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 monkeys 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.

Replace the 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 orignal monkeys, all the monkeys which have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs.

Why not?

" Because that's the way it's always been done around here."

[farmers_son]

The story of the five monkeys is a common one.

See:

http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/Articles/a-m/monkeys.htm

The story could be applied to any organization or group at all. Rkaiser chose ABP. Rkaiser could have chosen any political party, any community organization, any corporation, or even applied the analogy within families. The analogy could even be applied to industries. I am sure that anyone dissatisfied with the course of action of a particular group of people could find reason to grasp on to the monkey analogy as a somewhat unflattering condemnation of that particular group’s course of action of lack of action.

I would encourage rkaiser to read a very good book, The Living Company by Arie de Geus. Anyone interested in organizational behaviour would find that book very interesting. Arie de Geus was a former executive of Royal Dutch Shell and had a background in psychology. Like rkaiser, Arie de Geus was looking for a way to explain organizational behaviour but instead of monkeys de Geus chose people as an example. De Geus proposed that organizations act like people, just like you and me. As such organizations tend to be somewhat predictable. Behavioural change within ourselves is difficult, it should not surprise anyone to find that organizational change within organizations is difficult as well.

However I believe that necessity is the mother of invention and the challenges and obstacles we all face will inevitably direct us to accept needed change as deep down we all have a basic need for survival.

I guess as cattle producers we could be thought of as monkeys in a cage who have been sprayed on with BSE, drought, changing exchange rates, rising land prices, the list could go on and on. But speaking personally for this monkey, I am still reaching for the banana.

[rkaiser]

Thank you sir, and I know that "you the monkey" like "me the monkey" will always try for that banana even if we get a little wet. I have watched you operate at the ABP meetings and even though you and I disagree on the BSE testing issue, I appreciate your monkey business. Sure wish you could make a step up that ladder rather than the old Baboon who is currently vice heading for the throne.

Cheers you old chimp.

Come to think of it - one of my old high school nick names was Monkey man Kaiser.

P.S. I'll buy that book the next time I am in Chapters Book Store. Would you like a book selection suggestion. Try the "Past Present And how we can survive the Future in the beef cattle business". Ben Roberts has become a friend and a mentor and would be glad to send you or any one else one of his books at a reasonable price.

Ben can be reached at his home in Pomeroy Washington. PO Box 850 Pomeroy WA - 99347