[Granville-Hough] 11 June 2009 - Managerial prerogatives and pecking order

[Trustees for Granville W. Hough]

Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:13:04 -0700
From: Granville W Hough <gwhough at oakapple.net>
Subject: 11 June 2009 - Managerial prerogatives and pecking order

    In teaching business management, I sometimes used the example of 
jackdaws (the crow in the British Isles).  These jackdaws had very 
similar behavior patters to their cousin crows in North America, and 
patterns which remind one of top business managers of banks, etc. in 
business.  Jackdaws typically had a nesting tree where the top-ranking 
jackdaw had his perch on the highest limb, just as the top business 
manager has the highest office with the best view, etc.  Joining the top 
jackdaw for nightly rest and recreation was his mate, who inherited with 
her position, pecking rights over all the female crows.  Now jackdaws 
are generally monogamous, and once mated, stayed together till death did 
them part.
    Now there developed in one of the British towns, a fine jackdaw 
rookery where the top ranking pair were as slick and bright as could be, 
and the others, on lower limbs were a little more ruffled.  The bottom 
pair were on a low limb, very scruffy looking; but their task was to be 
the buffer, to endure the nightly prowlers, and to give the alarm in 
case of fire or disorder.  Any of the jackdaws who lived above them 
could come down and give them a good pecking anytime they wanted to do so.
    Now it happens that a hungry fox came by one night, and took away 
the male of the lowest ranked pair.  The other females thanked their 
lucky stars and gave the widow jackdaw one more peck to remind her that 
she must now do double guard duty.  A night or so later, the top jackdaw 
female got careless and flew into a fast moving automobile and became 
just another road-kill.  Now the rookery had a top-ranking male widower, 
and lowest-ranking female widow.
    Now the top jackdaw had a real dilemma.  It was lonesome being on 
top with no mate.  He dropped down to the next limb to look over the 
females at that level.  The males got very nervous and clearly insisted 
that all females were taken.  So top jackdaw kept dropping down, and the 
males all got more and more nervous, now seeing that top jackdaw was 
going to have his way, no matter what.  Executive prerogative was the 
term in crow language. 
    When top jackdaw got to the lowest rung, he got a welcome reception 
from the bedraggled widow, who could hardly believe her good fortune.  
She was enthusiastic in joining him on the top rung, and her new 
feathers were soon glossy and slick.  She had a few debts up and down 
the tree rookery, and she repaid them all, peck for peck, with interest 
indeed.
    So that is how executive prerogative and pecking order worked in the 
crow rookery, the Bush world, and the business environment.