Dams breaking and dams being built

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Dams breaking and dams being built – selfishness boosts efficiency. During the Spring and Autumn period, Sun Shu’ao, the governor of the State of Chu, built a north-south canal in the Goupi area. This canal is wide and long enough to irrigate tens of thousands of acres of farmland along its banks. But as early in the day as it got light, the farmers along the embankments would plant crops on the banks where the water had receded; some even planted their crops right in the middle of the embankments. When there is heavy rainfall and water rises in the canals, these farmers, in order to save their crops and the fields along the canals, secretly make openings in the dikes to let the water out. The situation is becoming increasingly severe; a canal that was painstakingly dug is now severely damaged and no longer recognizable. Floods occur frequently due to leaks, turning what was meant to be an irrigation system into a source of disaster. Faced with such a situation, the administrative officials of Goupi County throughout the ages were helpless. Whenever the canal waters rose to catastrophic levels, troops were deployed to build dams and seal the gaps. Later, when Ning Dai Li Ruogu took on the role of county magistrate, he too faced the troublesome issue of dam breaks and repairs. He then posted a notice stating: “From now on, whenever a canal breaks, troops will no longer be deployed to repair it; instead, the local residents living along the canal will be mobilized to fix the damaged dams themselves.” ”After this notice was posted, no one ever went secretly to break the dam and release water again. 【The philosophy of the story: “Putting people first” does not mean indulgence.】 On the contrary, in organizational management, it means fully respecting and utilizing the self-interested instinct inherent in human nature, by formulating policies and systems to maximize the interests of the organization. Without understanding the inherent selfishness of human nature, it is impossible to achieve management that brings happiness to everyone. 】