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.
《Trouble with Teamwork》，团队合作的麻烦。文章讲了团队的重要性和很多团队存在的问题，以及怎么样才能打造一个成功有效的团队。
第十三题，问文章开头作者针对团队合作做了什么论点。第一段是强调团队合作的重要性，太多的个人成果会显得这个人不是个合格的团队成员。选答案要理解第一句话的含义：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.招聘者说能够给出自己作为一个成功团队成员的例子的候选人同那些指出重要的个人成果的人具有同样重要的地位。言下之意，拥有团队成员的经历也很重要。所以选D，作为一个团队成员如今被视为必要的管理技巧。A、B、C都没有提到。
第十四题，问公司内部的团队合作是作为对什么的回应。也就是问团队合作的目的是什么，答案是第二段的这么一句：'teams provide a dynamic meeting place where ideas can be shared and expertise more carefully targeted at important business issues 团队提供了一个动态的会议场所，使得思想可以分享，技能可以更加仔细的对准重要的商业问题。这句里的dynamic meeting place可以对应于B段的changing work practice。
第十五题，问在第三段Dr Bandy暗示什么。答案是她的一句原话：Forming teams and having meetings has, she says, become an end in itself, almost regardless of purpose.形成团队然后开会成了它本身的终点，几乎不管目的是什么。也就是说很多团队的建立是没有意义的，多余的。选C，一些团队被不必要的创建了。
第十六题，问作者认为团队合作在体育领域里更有效的原因是什么。第四段讲当一群正确的人被组合到一起时会产生一种高于这些人个人能力的力量，在体育比赛里就是如此。这一题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.。很少有企业能像赢得一场比赛一样有一系列清晰的目标，或者是对成功或失败有清晰的评判准则。也就是A选项所说的：知道他们想要实现什么。what they want to achieve可以对应于a set of objectives。
第十七题，问这两个人同意当一个商业团队被创立时人们没有把注意力放在什么上面。这一题要理解第五段的意思。第一句说In business, everyone needs to be clear about what the challenge is and whether a team is the right way of approaching it。在企业，每个人都必须很清楚挑战是什么以及团队是否是实现它的最好的办法。考虑团队是不是最好的办法，也就是说要考虑其他可能的途径，即B选项所说的团队的替代品(alternatives to the team)，后面有句focus instead….人们却把注意力放在了其他的地方。从这些可以看出答案是B。
第十八题，问关于运作一个成功团队Steve Gardner的建议是什么。这题的答案是对最后一段的概括。答案是最后一段第三句recommend后面的一长串there…who，要有不同的人胜任不同的角色。归纳起来，就是各司其职选C：选择能够自然融洽的胜任某个角色的人。其他几个选项都没提到。
第二段有个地方值得解释下。Globalisation has added a further dimension to teamwork。
这里的dimension用法比较特别，表示方面，特征，并且是很地道常见的说法
牛津词典的解释：an aspect or feature of a situation, problem, or thing。
麦克米兰的解释：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.
暂无解析
SectionB
Directions:Therearetenblanksinthefollowingletter.YouarerequiredtochoosethebestonefromthegivenfourchoicesmarkedA,B,C,andD.Thenwritedownthecorrectanswerinthebrackets.Thissectiontotals10points,onepointforeachblank.
DearMr.Bush
Thankyouforyour1ofJanuary5forourBeautyBrandBlouses.
Wearenowexporting2ofvariousbrands,amongwhichBeautyBrandisthemostfamous.Theyareingreat3abroadandourstocksarerunning4quickly.Theyarepopularnotonlyfortheirnoveldesign,butalsoforthereasonableprices.Weareconfidentthatonceyouhavetriedourblouses,youwillplacerepeatorderswithus5largequantities.
Asyourequested,wearenow6asfollows:
Price:US$600perdozenCIFNewYork
TermsofPayment:BysightL/Ctobeopenedthroughabanktobe7bytheSellers.
Shipment:InMarch2007.
Pleasenotethatwedonotallowanycommission8ourblouses,butadiscountof5%maybe9ifthequantityismorethan1,000dozen.
Theaboveofferismadewithout10andissubjecttoourfinalconfirmation.
Wehopethatyouwillplaceanorderwithusatanearlydate.
Sincerelyyours
()1.A.requestB.enquiryC.acquisitionD.requirement
()2.A.blousesB.womanblousesC.womanshirtsD.ladyshirts
()3.A.needB.wantC.requireD.demand
()4.A.upB.offC.downD.away
()5.A.atB.forC.inD.with
()6.A.orderingB.offeringC.placingD.advising
()7.A.agreedB.approvedC.acceptableD.covered
()8.A.onB.inC.ofD.at
()9.A.providedB.suppliedC.furnishedD.granted
()10.A.promiseB.dutyC.engagementD.onus
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.
Readthetextaboutcareer-planningservices.
Choosethebestsentencefromtheoppositepagetofilleachofthegaps.
Foreachgap9–14,markoneletter(A-H)onyourAnswerSheet.
Donotuseanylettermorethanonce.
Thereisanexampleatthebeginning.(0)
YourCareerPathCanLeadYouAnywhere
Weusedtobeadvisedtoplanourcareers.Weweretoldtomakeaplanduringthelaterstagesofoureducationandcontinuewithitthroughourworkinglives.(0)_____somepeoplestillseecareersinthisway.However,topursueasingleoptionforlifehasalwaysbeenunrealistic.
Planningforasinglecareerassumesthatwesetoutwithafullunderstandingofourlikesanddislikesandtheemploymentopportunitiesopentous.(9)____Formostpeoplethisdegreeofcertaintyaboutthefuturedoesnotexist.
Ourinitialchoiceofcareerpathandemployerisoftenbasedoninadequateknowledgeandfalseperceptions.Butwithageandexperience,wedevelopnewinterestsandaptitudesandourprioritiesalter.Thestructureoftheemploymentmarketand,indeedofemploymentitself,issubjecttochangeasbothnewtechnologiesandnewworksystemsareintroduced(10)_____Wemustfacetheuncertaintiesofaportfoliocareer.
Itisclearfromtherecentpastthatwecannotforeseethechangeswhichwillaffectourworkinglives.Thepaceofchangeisaccelerating,asaresultofwhichtraditionalcareerplanswillbeofverylimiteduse.(11)_____Theywillneedupdatingtoreflectchangesinourowninterestsaswellasintheexternalworkenvironment.Flexibleworkersalreadyaccountforabouthalftheworkforce.(12)______Wearelikelytofaceperiodsascontractworkers,self-employedfreelances,consultants,tempsorpart-timers.
Manyemployersencouragestafftowriteapersonaldevelopmentdevelopment(PDP)(13)_____Althoughsomepeopleuseitonlytoreviewtheskillsneededfortheirjob,aPDPcouldbethenucleusofwidercareerplan–settingoutalternativelong-termlearningneedsandaplanofself-development.
AreportissuedbytheInstituteofEmploymentStudiesadvisespeopletoenhancetheiremployabilitybymovingfromtraditionaltechnicalskillstowardstheattainmentofarangeoftransferableskills.(14)_____Instead,specialschemesshouldbeestablishedtoencouragepeopletoexaminetheireffectivenessandtoconsiderawiderrangeofneeds.
0ABCDEFGH
AThisdualeffectmeansthattherelationshipbetweenemployersandworkershasevolvedtosuchandextentthatwecannolongerexpectalong-termrelationshipwithoneemployer.
B.Itcarriesanimplicitassumptionthatweourselves,andthejobsweenter,willchangelittleduringourworkinglives.
C.Thisgrowthsuggeststhatacareerplanshouldnotbeexpressedonlyintermsoffull-timeemploymentbutshouldmakeprovisionforthepossibilityofbecomingoneofthe.
Dthisisasummaryofone’spersonallearningneedsandanactionplantomeetthem.
EConsequently,theymustnowaccommodateanumberofobjectivesandenableustoprepareforeachonacontingencybasis.
FHowever,itwarnsthatemployersoftenidentifytrainingneedsthroughformalappraisals,whichtaketoonarrowaviewofdevelopment.
G.Suchafreelanceofconsultantwouldbeconstantlyindemand.
HWewereexpectedtoworktowardsthatonecleargoalandtoconsideracareerchangeasabadthing.