Trouble with Teamwork
Mary Owen examines the role and efficiency of teams
Recruiters say that candidates who can give examples ofwork they have done as members of a successful team are in asstrong a position as those who can point to significant individualachievement. Indeed, too much of the latter may suggest thatthe person concerned is not a 'team player' - one of the moreserious failings in the book of management.
The importance of being a team player is a side effect of the increasing interaction acrossdepartments and functional divides. Instead of pushing reports, paperwork and decisions aroundthe organisation, 'teams provide a dynamic meeting place where ideas can be shared and expertisemore carefully targeted at important business issues,' says Steve Gardner, in his book KeyManagement Concepts. He adds, 'Globalisation has added a further dimension to teamwork.Multinational teams now study policy decisions in the light of their impact on the local market.'
But is teamworking being overdone? 'Some managers are on as many as seven or eightdifferent teams', says Dr Cathy Bandy, a psychologist who recently ran a conference on thesubject. 'They take up so much time that managers can't get on with core tasks.' Forming teamsand having meetings has, she says, become an end in itself, almost regardless of purpose. There isalso the danger of an unhealthy desire to keep the team going after the work has been done. 'People feel the need to belong, and team membership can provide a kind of psychologicalsupport.'
The idea behind teamworking is that, when the right group of people is brought together, a'force' develops which is greater than the sum of their individual talents. This is often true in sport,where good players can reach unexpected heights as members of an international team.However,few business situations have as clear a set of objectives, or as clear criteria of success orfailure, as winning a match.
'In business, everyone needs to be clear about what the challenge is and whether a team isthe right way of approaching it', says Steve Gardner. 'Unfortunately, people focus instead on whothe members of the team should be and what roles they are to play' Dr Bandy agrees. 'There isalways a danger that teams can turn into committees,' she says. 'In a lot of situations, one or twoindividuals would be much more effective.'
So what makes a successful team? There are some general qualities that have been identified.Steve Gardnerrecommends that in every team there should be someone who is good atresearching ideas and another who is good at shooting down impractical ones. There should bethose who can resolve the tensions that naturally occur in a team and others who are focused ongetting the job done. Also, providing a clear and achievable target at the outset is the best way ofensuring that the team will move on to greater things.
13、 What point does the writer make about teamworking at the beginning of the article?
A It is the most successful form of management.
B It has changed the recruitment procedure in companies.
C Well-run teams still allow individuals to demonstrate their talents.
D Being a team player is now considered an essential management skill.
14 、According to the article, teamwork developed within companies as a response to
A modern office design.
B changing work practices.
C a reduction in administrative tasks.
D the expansion of international business.
15 、In the third paragraph, Dr Bandy suggests that
A many employees do not enjoy working in teams.
B some managers are not very effective team leaders.
C some teams are created unnecessarily.
D few teams are well organised.
16 、According to the writer, teamwork is more effective in the field of sport because the players
A know what they want to achieve.
B are more competitive by nature.
C have more individual talent.
D can be driven by national pride.
17 、Steve Gardner and Dr Bandy agree that when a business team is created people do notpay enough attention to
A the structure of the team.
B alternatives to the team.
C selecting the team members.
D directing the team's activities.
18、 What is Steve Gardner's advice on operating a successful team?
A Maintain a flexible approach to membership.
B Allow personalities to develop within the team.
C Select people who fit naturally into certain roles.
D Make every effort to avoid conflict between members.
《Trouble with Teamwork》，團(tuán)隊(duì)合作的麻煩。文章講了團(tuán)隊(duì)的重要性和很多團(tuán)隊(duì)存在的問題，以及怎么樣才能打造一個(gè)成功有效的團(tuán)隊(duì)。
第十三題，問文章開頭作者針對(duì)團(tuán)隊(duì)合作做了什么論點(diǎn)。第一段是強(qiáng)調(diào)團(tuán)隊(duì)合作的重要性，太多的個(gè)人成果會(huì)顯得這個(gè)人不是個(gè)合格的團(tuán)隊(duì)成員。選答案要理解第一句話的含義：Recruiters say that candidates who can give examples of work they have done as members of a successful team are in as strong a position as those who can point to significant individual achievement.招聘者說能夠給出自己作為一個(gè)成功團(tuán)隊(duì)成員的例子的候選人同那些指出重要的個(gè)人成果的人具有同樣重要的地位。言下之意，擁有團(tuán)隊(duì)成員的經(jīng)歷也很重要。所以選D，作為一個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì)成員如今被視為必要的管理技巧。A、B、C都沒有提到。
第十四題，問公司內(nèi)部的團(tuán)隊(duì)合作是作為對(duì)什么的回應(yīng)。也就是問團(tuán)隊(duì)合作的目的是什么，答案是第二段的這么一句：'teams provide a dynamic meeting place where ideas can be shared and expertise more carefully targeted at important business issues 團(tuán)隊(duì)提供了一個(gè)動(dòng)態(tài)的會(huì)議場(chǎng)所，使得思想可以分享，技能可以更加仔細(xì)的對(duì)準(zhǔn)重要的商業(yè)問題。這句里的dynamic meeting place可以對(duì)應(yīng)于B段的changing work practice。
第十五題，問在第三段Dr Bandy暗示什么。答案是她的一句原話：Forming teams and having meetings has, she says, become an end in itself, almost regardless of purpose.形成團(tuán)隊(duì)然后開會(huì)成了它本身的終點(diǎn)，幾乎不管目的是什么。也就是說很多團(tuán)隊(duì)的建立是沒有意義的，多余的。選C，一些團(tuán)隊(duì)被不必要的創(chuàng)建了。
第十六題，問作者認(rèn)為團(tuán)隊(duì)合作在體育領(lǐng)域里更有效的原因是什么。第四段講當(dāng)一群正確的人被組合到一起時(shí)會(huì)產(chǎn)生一種高于這些人個(gè)人能力的力量，在體育比賽里就是如此。這一題的答案是第四段的最后一句：few business situations have as clear a set of objectives, or as clear criteria of success or failure, as winning a match.。很少有企業(yè)能像贏得一場(chǎng)比賽一樣有一系列清晰的目標(biāo)，或者是對(duì)成功或失敗有清晰的評(píng)判準(zhǔn)則。也就是A選項(xiàng)所說的：知道他們想要實(shí)現(xiàn)什么。what they want to achieve可以對(duì)應(yīng)于a set of objectives。
第十七題，問這兩個(gè)人同意當(dāng)一個(gè)商業(yè)團(tuán)隊(duì)被創(chuàng)立時(shí)人們沒有把注意力放在什么上面。這一題要理解第五段的意思。第一句說In business, everyone needs to be clear about what the challenge is and whether a team is the right way of approaching it。在企業(yè)，每個(gè)人都必須很清楚挑戰(zhàn)是什么以及團(tuán)隊(duì)是否是實(shí)現(xiàn)它的最好的辦法。考慮團(tuán)隊(duì)是不是最好的辦法，也就是說要考慮其他可能的途徑，即B選項(xiàng)所說的團(tuán)隊(duì)的替代品(alternatives to the team)，后面有句focus instead….人們卻把注意力放在了其他的地方。從這些可以看出答案是B。
第十八題，問關(guān)于運(yùn)作一個(gè)成功團(tuán)隊(duì)Steve Gardner的建議是什么。這題的答案是對(duì)最后一段的概括。答案是最后一段第三句recommend后面的一長(zhǎng)串there…who，要有不同的人勝任不同的角色。歸納起來，就是各司其職選C：選擇能夠自然融洽的勝任某個(gè)角色的人。其他幾個(gè)選項(xiàng)都沒提到。
第二段有個(gè)地方值得解釋下。Globalisation has added a further dimension to teamwork。
這里的dimension用法比較特別，表示方面，特征，并且是很地道常見的說法
牛津詞典的解釋：an aspect or feature of a situation, problem, or thing。
麥克米蘭的解釋：a part of a situation, especially when it influences the way you think about the situation。
e.g: Doing volunteer work has added a whole new dimension to my life.
暫無解析
Investingthousandsofpoundsintherecruitmentandtrainingofeachnewgraduaterecruitmaybejustthebeginning.Choosingthewrongcandidatemayleaveanorganisationpayingforyearstocome.
Fewcompanieswillhaveescapedallofthefollowingfailures:peoplewhopanicatthefirstsightofstress;thosewithlongimpressivequalificationswhoseemincapableoflearning;hypochondriacswhoseabsenteerecordbecomesastonishing;andtheunstablepersonlaterdiscoveredtobeathieforworse.
Lessdramatic,butjustasmuchaproblem,isthepersonwhosimplydoesnotcomeuptoexpectations,whodoesnotquitedeliver;whoneverbecomesahigh-flierorevenasteadyperformer;theemployeewithafinefuturebehindthem.
Thefirstpointtobearinmindattherecruitmentstageisthatpeopledon’tchange.Intelligencelevelsdeclinemodestly,butchangelittleovertheirworkinglife.Thesameistrueofabilities,suchaslearninglanguagesandhandlingnumbers.
Mostpeopleliketothinkthatpersonalitycanchange,particularlythemorenegativefeaturessuchasanxiety,lowesteem,impulsivenessoralackofemotionalwarmth.Butdatacollectedover50yearsgivesaclearmessage:stillstableafteralltheseyears.Extrovertsbecomeslightlylessextroverted;theacutelyshyappearalittlelessso,butthefundamentalsremainmuchthesame.Personalcrisescanaffectthewaywecopewiththings:wemighttakeupordropdrink,drugs,religionorrelaxationtechniques,whichcanbehaveprettydramaticeffects.Skillscanbeimproved,andnewonesintroduced,butatratherdifferentrates.Peoplecanbegroomedforajob.Justaspoliticiansarecarefullyrepackagedthroughdress,hairstyleandspeechspecialists,sopeoplecanbesentontrainingcourses,diplomasorexperimentalweekends.Butthereisacosttoallthiswhichmaybemorethanthepriceofthecourse.Bettertoselectforwhatyouactuallyseeratherthanattempttochangeit.
()1.Thepurposeofthispassageistogivemanagerstheadvicethat.
A.Employersshouldselectcandidatesfortheirpotential.
B.Employersshouldselectcandidatesforwhattheyareratherthanfortheirpotential.
C.Employersshouldselectthenewlygraduatedandsendthemontrainingcourses,diplomasorexperimentalweekends.
D.Employersshouldselectexperiencedcandidatestoavoidspendingthousandsofpoundsintraining.
()2.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingstatementsistrue?.
A.Absolutely,Peopledon’tchangeduringtheirworkinglives.
B.Generally,peoplechangetoalargeextentduringtheirworkinglives.
C.Fundamentally,peoplestaythesameduringtheirworkinglives.
D.Normally,peopledon’tchangeatallduringtheirworkinglives.
()3.Whatdoesafinefuturebehindthem(line3ofparagraph3)means?.
A.Somepeoplewillcertainlyhaveapromisingfuturethoughtheyarenotverycompetentintheirpresentwork.
B.Somepeopledon’thaveanypotentialfortheirworkthoughtheyareemployed.
C.Somepeoplecanhaveabrightfuturethoughtheycan’tdotheirworkwell.
D.Somepeoplehavepotentialwhentheyareemployed,butneverrealizethatpotential.
()4.Accordingtothepassage,people’sbasicabilitieslikelanguagelearningandnumeracy.
A.changelittleovertheirworkinglife.
B.neverchangeovertheirworkinglife.
C.changefundamentallyovertheirworkinglife.
D.changeprofoundlyovertheirworkinglife.
()5.Theworddeliver(line2ofparagraph3)means.
A.totakegoodstotheplacesorpeopletheyareaddressedto
B.togiveaspeech
C.todowhatyoupromisedtodo
D.tohelpawomantogivebirthtoababy.
TroublewithTeamwork
MaryOwenexaminestheroleandefficiencyofteams
Recruiterssaythatcandidateswhocangiveexamplesofworktheyhavedoneasmembersofasuccessfulteamareinasstrongapositionasthosewhocanpointtosignificantindividualachievement.Indeed,toomuchofthelattermaysuggestthatthepersonconcernedisnota'teamplayer'-oneofthemoreseriousfailingsinthebookofmanagement.
Theimportanceofbeingateamplayerisasideeffectoftheincreasinginteractionacrossdepartmentsandfunctionaldivides.Insteadofpushingreports,paperworkanddecisionsaroundtheorganisation,'teamsprovideadynamicmeetingplacewhereideascanbesharedandexpertisemorecarefullytargetedatimportantbusinessissues,'saysSteveGardner,inhisbookKeyManagementConcepts.Headds,'Globalisationhasaddedafurtherdimensiontoteamwork.Multinationalteamsnowstudypolicydecisionsinthelightoftheirimpactonthelocalmarket.'
Butisteamworkingbeingoverdone?'Somemanagersareonasmanyassevenoreightdifferentteams',saysDrCathyBandy,apsychologistwhorecentlyranaconferenceonthesubject.'Theytakeupsomuchtimethatmanagerscan'tgetonwithcoretasks.'Formingteamsandhavingmeetingshas,shesays,becomeanendinitself,almostregardlessofpurpose.Thereisalsothedangerofanunhealthydesiretokeeptheteamgoingaftertheworkhasbeendone.'Peoplefeeltheneedtobelong,andteammembershipcanprovideakindofpsychologicalsupport.'
Theideabehindteamworkingisthat,whentherightgroupofpeopleisbroughttogether,a'force'developswhichisgreaterthanthesumoftheirindividualtalents.Thisisoftentrueinsport,wheregoodplayerscanreachunexpectedheightsasmembersofaninternationalteam.However,fewbusinesssituationshaveasclearasetofobjectives,orasclearcriteriaofsuccessorfailure,aswinningamatch.
'Inbusiness,everyoneneedstobeclearaboutwhatthechallengeisandwhetherateamistherightwayofapproachingit',saysSteveGardner.'Unfortunately,peoplefocusinsteadonwhothemembersoftheteamshouldbeandwhatrolestheyaretoplay'DrBandyagrees.'Thereisalwaysadangerthatteamscanturnintocommittees,'shesays.'Inalotofsituations,oneortwoindividualswouldbemuchmoreeffective.'
Sowhatmakesasuccessfulteam?Therearesomegeneralqualitiesthathavebeenidentified.SteveGardnerrecommendsthatineveryteamthereshouldbesomeonewhoisgoodatresearchingideasandanotherwhoisgoodatshootingdownimpracticalones.Thereshouldbethosewhocanresolvethetensionsthatnaturallyoccurinateamandotherswhoarefocusedongettingthejobdone.Also,providingaclearandachievabletargetattheoutsetisthebestwayofensuringthattheteamwillmoveontogreaterthings.
13、Whatpointdoesthewritermakeaboutteamworkingatthebeginningofthearticle?
AItisthemostsuccessfulformofmanagement.
BIthaschangedtherecruitmentprocedureincompanies.
CWell-runteamsstillallowindividualstodemonstratetheirtalents.
DBeingateamplayerisnowconsideredanessentialmanagementskill.
14、Accordingtothearticle,teamworkdevelopedwithincompaniesasaresponseto
Amodernofficedesign.
Bchangingworkpractices.
Careductioninadministrativetasks.
Dtheexpansionofinternationalbusiness.
15、Inthethirdparagraph,DrBandysuggeststhat
Amanyemployeesdonotenjoyworkinginteams.
Bsomemanagersarenotveryeffectiveteamleaders.
Csometeamsarecreatedunnecessarily.
Dfewteamsarewellorganised.
16、Accordingtothewriter,teamworkismoreeffectiveinthefieldofsportbecausetheplayers
Aknowwhattheywanttoachieve.
Baremorecompetitivebynature.
Chavemoreindividualtalent.
Dcanbedrivenbynationalpride.
17、SteveGardnerandDrBandyagreethatwhenabusinessteamiscreatedpeopledonotpayenoughattentionto
Athestructureoftheteam.
Balternativestotheteam.
Cselectingtheteammembers.
Ddirectingtheteam'sactivities.
18、WhatisSteveGardner'sadviceonoperatingasuccessfulteam?
AMaintainaflexibleapproachtomembership.
BAllowpersonalitiestodevelopwithintheteam.
CSelectpeoplewhofitnaturallyintocertainroles.
DMakeeveryefforttoavoidconflictbetweenmembers.
Directions:Therearetenblanksinthefollowingpassage.YouarerequiredtochoosethebestonefromthegivenfourchoicesmarkedA,B,C,andD.Thenwritedownthecorrectanswerinthebrackets.Thissectiontotals10points,onepointforeachblank.
Beforemarketingyourselfglobally,itisimportantto1yourbusinessisreadytodealwithchallengespresentedbytheinternationalenvironment2
languageandculturalbarriers,foreignlaws,orderfulfillment,andpre/postsalessupport.
LanguageandCulture-Neithertechnicalaccuracy3perfecttranslationissufficientwhenconsideringthelanguageyouwillcommunicatethrough.Itisimportanttoreallyunderstandhowalanguageisusedbythepeopleinyour4market.
RegionalLaws-Allphasesofproduct5areaffectedbyregulations.Theproductitself,suchasitsphysicalandchemicalaspects,issubjecttolaws6
toprotectconsumerswithrespecttopurity,safetyorperformance.Productfeaturessuchaspackagingandwarranties,advertising,salespromotiontechniquesarealsosubjecttolocalregulations.
OrderFulfillment-Howwillyoudeliveryourproducts?Whatbusinesspartnerswillyouneedtoensuresmoothlogisticsofyourproduct?Canyouhandleyourshipmentcosts?Ifyoucannot7demandorensuresmoothdeliveryofyourproduct,youareatriskofnegativelyaffectingyourbusinessanditsimage.Itisimportanttofindandqualify8
distributors,andpayparticularattentiontocontractnegotiationanddistributionmanagement.
PreandPostSalesSupport-9withyourcustomersaswellasyourbusinesspartnersisanimportantconsiderationwhenmarketingandsellinginternationally.Manybusinessesareabletomeetcustomerexpectationsthroughstrategicalliancesorforeigndistributorswhodealwiththelocalcustomerbaseontheir10.
()1A.ensureB.assureC.reassureD.sure
()2A.excludingB.excludedC.includingD.included
()3A.soB.norC.andD.or
()4A.localB.ownC.targetD.home
()5A.salesB.exhibitionC.promotionD.development
()6A.plannedB.proposedC.supposedD.designed
()7A.meetB.runintoC.encounterD.face
()8A.potentB.politeC.ethicalD.potential
()9A.ConnectionB.CommunicationC.LinkD.Contact
()10A.accountB.partC.behalfD.market
MRKConsultingLtdhasbeenoperatingintheglobalmarketsince1988.WehavesuccessfullyplacedhundredsofIT&BankingprofessionalsinleadingcompaniesintheFinance,BankingandITindustries.
Thereisno( )betweenthenations.
