These (allegedly true) short stories provide amusing examples of lateral thinking and initiative, and staff training (or lack of) at the workplace. It is better to train people properly rather than assume that new starters have the necessary initiative to work out for themselves what they should be doing.
While transporting some unfortunate mental patients from one secure place to another, the newly appointed bus driver stopped at a roadside restaurant for a natural break. On his return to the bus, all twenty patients were gone. Being a resourceful fellow and fearing the consequences of his negligence, he drove to the next bus stop, where he claimed to be a replacement for the usual service. Allowing twenty people aboard, the driver made straight for his destination, where he warned staff at the gates that the 'patients' were deluded and extremely volatile. The angry 'patients' were duly removed, sedated, and incarcerated, and remained in detention for three days until staff were able to check the records and confirm their true identities. The actual patients were never found.
A new hotel employee was asked to clean the elevators and report back to the supervisor when the task was completed. When the employee failed to appear at the end of the day, the supervisor assumed that like many others he had simply not liked the job and left. However, after four days, the supervisor bumped into the new employee. He was cleaning in one of the elevators. "You surely haven't been cleaning these elevators for four days, have you?" asked the supervisor, accusingly. "Yes, sir," said the employee, "This is a big job and I've not finished yet - do you realize there are over forty of them, two on each floor, and sometimes they are not even there."
From India, Pune
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3While transporting some unfortunate mental patients from one secure place to another, the newly appointed bus driver stopped at a roadside restaurant for a natural break. On his return to the bus, all twenty patients were gone. Being a resourceful fellow and fearing the consequences of his negligence, he drove to the next bus stop, where he claimed to be a replacement for the usual service. Allowing twenty people aboard, the driver made straight for his destination, where he warned staff at the gates that the 'patients' were deluded and extremely volatile. The angry 'patients' were duly removed, sedated, and incarcerated, and remained in detention for three days until staff were able to check the records and confirm their true identities. The actual patients were never found.
A new hotel employee was asked to clean the elevators and report back to the supervisor when the task was completed. When the employee failed to appear at the end of the day, the supervisor assumed that like many others he had simply not liked the job and left. However, after four days, the supervisor bumped into the new employee. He was cleaning in one of the elevators. "You surely haven't been cleaning these elevators for four days, have you?" asked the supervisor, accusingly. "Yes, sir," said the employee, "This is a big job and I've not finished yet - do you realize there are over forty of them, two on each floor, and sometimes they are not even there."
From India, Pune
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Good one. But I did not understand the first story. Lateral thinking surely does not mean, what is there in the first story. What say???
From India, Delhi
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From India, Delhi
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Hi,
Funny stories... Nice. But none of them carry the message of what you say. The first one can be an illustration for the Recruitment Guys who simply do the head count and do not bother for the "Right person at the right place." The second one can depict a lack of clarity of purpose, improper communication... Perception!
Anyways, these are on the lighter side. Rajat has posted an article on lateral thinking a few days back. You can have a look at it if you feel like it.
Thanks for posting.
Cheers,
Deepali
From India, Delhi
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Funny stories... Nice. But none of them carry the message of what you say. The first one can be an illustration for the Recruitment Guys who simply do the head count and do not bother for the "Right person at the right place." The second one can depict a lack of clarity of purpose, improper communication... Perception!
Anyways, these are on the lighter side. Rajat has posted an article on lateral thinking a few days back. You can have a look at it if you feel like it.
Thanks for posting.
Cheers,
Deepali
From India, Delhi
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Lateral Thinking.doc