Toy Theory -- Part II: More Business Tips From Classic Toys
22.05.12
Collectibles and Lego bricks contained lessons on topics such as asset management and core competencies. Here are three new examples of toy theory in action.
The Barrel of Monkeys Theory
Each of the twelve identical plastic monkeys is posed in a way that their arms take the shape of hooks. The idea is to pick up one monkey and use it to fish another monkey out of the pile by making the two monkeys link arms. Hooking two monkeys together is a piece of cake, but the challenge is trying to link the remaining monkeys together. You're only allowed to touch the first monkey, so as the monkey chain grows longer, you have less and less control over the monkey at the other end of the line.
Does that sound like the chain of command at your office? I thought so. It's not easy to make your intentions translate through that many layers of hierarchy. Like the game of "Telephone," part of the problem is that each link in the chain represents a loss of fidelity. In the case of the Barrel of Monkeys -- and certain organizations -- the problem is amplified by the fact that you have a limited number of ways to control the system. You can pull, but you can't push.
Source: Huffington Post (blog)