A lesson in unintended consequences.

A high ranking official, from a nearby Asian country, is enjoying his meal at an important function in one of China’s best five-star hotels, when one of his chopsticks breaks. The shame and embarrassment to the hotel and to the country is deep. Everyone involved has lost face.

The next morning, the hotel’s General Manager (GM) calls a meeting of all department heads to find out why the chopstick broke. Who is to blame?

The GM starts his inquiry at the Purchasing department.

The GM says, “The chopsticks must be defective, why did you choose such a poor quality product for this hotel?”

The Head of Purchasing replies, “I don’t believe this is a problem with the vendor. I have been buying from this company for many years.”

The GM turns to the Head of Food and Beverages, “There must have been something wrong with this particular batch. Why didn’t you check the quality of the chopsticks when you received the shipment?”

The Head of Food and Beverages replies, “My experience is that this manufacturer sells chopsticks to many of the top hotels in China, and we have never had a problem in the past. When we received these chopsticks, I can assure you that they were in excellent condition.”

The GM says, “If the chopsticks are of high quality as you say, then you must be mistreating the chopsticks in your procedures.”

The Head of Food and Beverages counters, “We do not mistreat the chopsticks. We collect them after meals and put the chopsticks in the proper racks inside the dishwasher machine. The problem must be with the dishwashing equipment.”

The Head of Engineering says, “Yes, the thermostat on the dishwashing equipment malfunctioned three months ago. The temperature is too high.”

The GM blurts out, “Then why didn’t you do your job and fix the problem? Your laziness has shamed all of us.”

The Head of Engineering replies, “We need a new part. I made the request for the part as soon as the problem occurred three months ago.”

Full Circle

The GM is exasperated that this inquiry has gone all the way around the table without a resolution. He started with Purchasing and now after all the finger pointing, he has returned to Purchasing. The GM looks at the Head of Purchasing, “It’s your job to see that vendors deliver parts on time. Why have you allowed this supplier to make us wait so long?”

Silence fills the room. Finally, the Head of Purchasing responds, “Actually, we never ordered the part. This part is very expensive. Perhaps you recall a conversation we had about six months ago with the Head of Finance. You asked him to look for ways to reduce costs in every department and avoid making purchases that were not absolutely necessary, because operational costs were over budget the previous quarter. Since the dishwasher machine is working fine, just running hotter than normal, we followed your request and held-back this non-essential purchase to help hit the budget numbers going forward, as you requested.“

The GM looks down at the table in front of him. He runs his fingers through his hair, closes his eyes, and shouts, “buy the bloody part!”

The meeting was over, and the matter was never again discussed publicly.

What lessons do you draw from this true story?

Who was primarily the person responsible for the broken chopstick? Was the problem systemic or one of judgment?

Should the GM have more clearly defined what “unnecessary costs” meant? Should the Heads of Finance and Purchasing have asked for more clarification? Should Purchasing have checked with Engineering to better understand the consequences of not buying the part? Should Purchasing have notified Engineering that the part wasn’t ordered? Should Engineering have complained that the part was late? Should Engineering have gone around Purchasing to the GM to get action? Was it Foods and Beverages’ responsibility to escalate the problem? Could anyone really foresee that a chopstick might break? If so, would that have really changed anyone’s decision or behavior? Could anyone have imagined that the first time a chopstick would break would be in the hands of a visiting high-ranking government official? Was it just bad fortune?

Surely, this is a fine example of unintended consequences. I make no claim to have THE answer. The value of this story is in the discussions that it spawns among leaders. It brings up ideas about communications, processes, escalation procedures, collaboration, involvement, and responsibility.

What assumptions does your team and organization make about these topics? What isn’t being discussed today in your organization, but is sure to surface as an embarrassment down the road?

Sometimes telling a story is the best way to prevent unintended consequences. Do you have a broken chopstick in your immediate future? What’s your fortune?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Michael Cushman, The Engaging Guru, wants you to master enrolling others in your truth, get the goodies of life, and change the world.  www.engagingchange.com