IDG Contributor Network: CRM implementation: Change is hard but it's worth it

There has been a fable making the rounds since the 1990s about a group of monkeys. In the fable, five monkeys were placed in a cage, with a batch of bananas hanging from the ceiling (beyond the reach of the monkeys) and a ladder right underneath it.

It only took a few seconds for one of the monkeys to begin climbing to grab the bananas. As it did, a researcher sprayed it with a stream of cold water. Soon, each of the monkeys learned not to climb the ladder. Furthermore, if any of them started to, the others would hold them back forcefully.

The story continues that once all five monkeys were conditioned that no banana is worth climbing that ladder, the researchers introduced a new monkey and removed one of the original monkeys. And wouldn’t you know it -- the new monkey spots the great bananas and starts going up the ladder. The other monkeys -- knowing the drill -- jump on the new monkey, and beat him up.

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