Vol.

III, N o. 48, 18 December 2015

I'd call him a sadistic, hippophilic necrophile, but that would be beating a dead horse..Woody Allen

The Dead Horse Theory: Management Wisdom

Bill Dettmer in a 2003 edition of ASQ Press, Strategic Navigation, explained the tribal wisdom of the
American Indians. The wisdom has been secretly passed on from generation to generation, and it states that,
"When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount."
However, in many corporates and organizations, strategies
adopted are far more advanced and innovative. There is a
conventional saying in the marketing management that when
your sales force is appearing dead, buy a stronger whip. While it
may still last for a mile, the whipping may prove to be an
endgame. Another strategy to ride a dead horse is by changing
the rider. Dysfunctional ministries often witness this spectacle
with many tired bureaucrats getting parked in an otherwise dead
department to flog the dust-laden files. Similar change of riders
is also attempted by many organizations, averse to change
management. Strategy of appointing a committee to study the
horse is an old Indian rope trick well mastered by all including
business organizations. We also have visits of corporates, senior functionaries, ministers or peoples
representatives to other countries to study how they ride their dead horses.

Shifting of goal posts of lowering of standards helps not only getting ones close relatives into an organization
but also include a dead horse in a race. Business vocabulary savvy will rename a dead horse as a livingimpaired and thus continue to keep it going. In defence forces, they teach young officers, never to reinforce a
failure, but dead horse theory practitioner try to harness several of such horses to increase the speed. There is
another practical strategy of sanctioning additional funding to train the dead horse to increase its performance.
One is reminded of many a MNREGA stories.
Many business analysts would also attempt a productivity study to see if a lighter rider would improve the
dead horse's performance. This star performer can also be tolerated in any organization, as a dead horse does
not have to be fed, it is less costly, carries lower overhead and therefore contributes substantially more to the
bottom line of the economy than do some other horses. Works well while cooking the accounts book. The HR
Manager, when asked to accommodate the dead horse will rewrite the expected performance requirements for
all horses. If none of the above mentioned strategies work, promote the dead horse to a supervisory position.
We see many politicians and bureaucrats rising to dizzy heights through this route.
Of Course CBS recommends the only effective way to ride the dead horse - bury it and buy a new one !!

Written by: - Dr. K.K.Sharma

Professor & HOD UG Programs,
Chitkara Business School

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