MANAGEMENT LESSON

FROM THE MONKEYS

Submitted By
Dhaslima Nazrin
Arul Rosy
Priyanka
B.Subasri
STAYING ONE DESPITE INTERNAL
CONFLICT
 Monkeys are an intelligent lot. We have always known that. But that they can deceive the
external world so well which can be realized only on keen observation.
 Monkeys are a noisy bunch and they fight and squabble within their group.
 But in hostile situations, they leave their differences aside and project themselves as ‘one’ to
the outsider.
 They also have a special ‘call’ in place to forewarn each other when danger strikes. Once the
call is made; everyone rushes to safety, without checking the authenticity of the call.
 Complete trust, working as a team despite internal conflicts is what every manager needs to
learn from the monkeys. A common language that all team members understand and innate
trust in each other’s decisions is what makes a good team.
 LEADERSHIP STYLE
GORILLA – A gentle but strong leader who
protects their team, but who is on their own
when it comes down to decision making
and responsibility.
Chimpanzee - who is anything but gentle
and leads the group as part of a small, well-
bonded team.
 Baboon - who prioritises on co-operation
and expects that all team members take
responsibility.
 DEVELOPING SUCCESSFUL TEAM FROM
STUDYING CHIMPANZEE
 Chimpanzee spend a huge chunk of their day grooming each other to create lasting social
bonds.
 When chimpanzees are stressed – whether this is due to food shortages, or the arrival of a
new group member – the frequency of grooming in their group increases.
 Grooming brings back the status quo to the group.
Lesson:
 In the workplace, managers should ask themselves how much time an average team
member spends chatting to each other informally.
 Allowing more bonding times like this in the office is important.
 IMPRESS BY DELIVERING RESULTS
In Chinese mythology, monkeys are traditionally seen to love being the centre of attention.
They can become stubborn and irritable if they do not get their way all traits that have also
been observed in monkeys in the wild.
 In business:
 Having the charisma to impress others can certainly make a leader successful. But stubborn
individuals can also destroy teamwork.
 Monkeys can also be confident, bold and even fearless, leaping long distances from treetop
to treetop.
 For example : They are also known to be curious, eager to investigate new objects or
environments and improvising tools to do so.
In management:
 Entrepreneurs looking to break conventions need to be bold and fearless. Being curious or
inquisitive will also help businesses set new trends or push boundaries.