THE POWER OF DOING THE RIGHT THING


The Hundredth Monkey Effect

The "Hundredth Monkey Effect" highlights the power of one individual's actions to create a ripple effect, transforming the behavior and culture of an entire group. Here's the story:

In the 1950s, on the island of Koshima, where a large population of monkeys lived, sweet potatoes would fall from trees into the sand for the monkeys to eat.

One young, clever monkey discovered that by washing the sandy potatoes in a nearby stream, they became cleaner and more enjoyable to eat. She shared this technique with her siblings, who in turn taught their playmates. For years, only monkeys from these close-knit groups washed their potatoes before eating.

Then, something extraordinary occurred. Seemingly overnight, all the monkeys on the island began washing their sweet potatoes. It was as if a certain threshold of adoption had been reached. According to popular interpretations of the research, once the hundredth monkey learned the behaviour, it quickly spread to every monkey on the island.

Some even speculated that the behaviour spread to monkeys on neighbouring islands, despite no direct contact. It's not as though one monkey sent out a message like, "Wash your potatoes!"—yet, once a critical mass was reached, it was as if all the monkeys simply knew what to do.

The story of the hundredth monkey reminds us that our actions can influence others. By consistently doing the right thing, we can inspire those around us, potentially creating a wave of positive change that spreads beyond our immediate circle, impacting teams, families, and communities in ways we might never imagine.

 

 

Culled from – It’s not about Coffee – The story of Starbucks Coffee – lesson of putting people first, from a life of a starbucks, by Howard Behar

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