Okay. So you put half-a-dozen monkeys in a room, with a bunch of bananas hanging from the ceiling, and a step ladder leading up to them. As soon as any of the monkeys go up the ladder to get a banana, you turn the sprinklers on drenching them with ice cold water. Over a period of time, the monkeys will learn it is not best advised to go up the ladder.
Now replace one of the monkeys with a new monkey. The first thing they will do is try and nail themselves a banana. On approaching the ladder however, they will be mauled by the other 5 monkeys.
Replace another monkey. Again, they will try and get a banana, and again the other monkeys will beat the crap out of them. The previously new monkey will lead the charge on this.
Continue until all the original monkeys have been replaced. None of them will dare go up the ladder to get something they want, but they have no idea why. Should any of them decide to have a go, then the rest will close ranks and deliver a firm beating.
This is how corporate culture is created and sustained.
*From a late 90′s viral e-mail
