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》，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
Section C
What a lovely place Xerox is to work Kim Moloney, a client services executive, can’t say enough nice things about her employer. ‘It’s a very special environment,’ she says. ‘People describe Xerox as a family and I was amazed at the number of people who have worked here for so long.’ It’s tempting to take Moloney’s comments with a pinch of salt, especially considering that when you’ve been working somewhere for only two years, as she has at Xerox, everyone seems old and established. But there’s truth behind her enthusiasm.
Take Carole Palmer, the group resources director. She joined Xerox in 1978 as a temp and has been in her present role for seven years. ‘Xerox has been good to me over the years,’ she says. ‘It has supported me through qualifications … and last year I took part in the vice-president incumbent program.’ Human resources is taken seriously at Xerox, Palmer says, and the company has a policy of promoting from within (which would explain Moloney’s amazement at her colleagues’ longevity). The company takes on only fifteen to twenty graduates each year and Moloney was part of an intake who joined having already acquired a couple of years’ work experience. She started as a project manager for Xerox Global Services before moving into sales. Now her responsibility is to ‘grow and maintain customer relationships’.
Moloney is based at the head office in Uxbridge. ‘It’s great in terms of working environment,’ she says. ‘We’ve just got a new provider in the canteen and … we have brainstorming rooms and breakout areas.’ Much of Moloney’s role is visiting clients, so she doesn’t have a permanent desk at head office. ‘I’m a hot-desker, which is good because you get to sit with different people in the hot-desk areas. And you’re given a place to store your things.’ Head office staff numbers between 1,200 and 1,500 people, Palmer says. The company has four other main offices in the UK. The nature of the organization, which encompasses sales and marketing, global services (the biggest division), developing markets, research and development and manufacturing, means that the opportunities at the company vary from service engineers to sales roles and consultants.
Perks include a final-salary pension scheme and various discount schemes. The reward and recognition scheme is a little different, and rather nice: ‘Each manager has a budget every year to recognize and reward staff,’ Palmer says. ‘It can be in the form of a meal for two, or a bottle of wine. It can be up to £1,000. There’s the recognition, and then there’s putting money behind it.’ Moloney, however, likes the non-cash rewards. ‘Xerox takes care of all its staff but it also recognizes the people who put in the added effort,’ she says. ‘It offers once-in-a-lifetime incentive trips, and recently I organized a sailing trip for my team.’
The idea of working abroad with the company appeals to her, and she says that her career goal is to be part of the senior management team. Here’s another employee, it would seem, who is in it for the long haul.
( )1.The journalist of this article thinks that .
A. staff at Xerox are not telling the truth abut the company.
B. Xerox offers great benefits to staff.
C. Xerox is the best company in the world.
D. Xerox has the best working environment.
( )2.The company tends to find its new manager .
A. only form graduates B. on training courses
C. from existing staff D. from job markets
( )3.What does the phrase “to take on” in the sentence “The company takes on only fifteen to twenty graduates each year and …” of the second paragraph mean? .
A. To train B. To employ
C. To interview D. To maintain(A)
( )4.As well as recognizing its staff through promotion, Xerox .
A. gives cash bonuses
B. gives unpaid leave to take trips of a lifetime.
C. provides a number of perks.
D. provides huge end-of-year bonuses.
( )5.One common feature of Xerox staff is that they tend .
A. to work hard B. to get promoted
C. work longer hours each day D. not to change employer
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.
Section D
Even if you get work done and generally get along with co-workers, you could have habits that bug your boss (not to mention your officemates). While these quirks may not necessarily get you fired, they certainly can keep you from climbing the corporate ladder. We’ve uncovered a number of habits that bug your boss and offer tips on how to avoid them.
According to LaRhonda Edwards, a human resources manager with thirteen years of HR experience, tardiness is one of the biggest concerns for managers. “If the normal work day starts at 8 o’clock, then the expectation is that you’re in the office ready to start your day,” she explains. Her advice to the chronically late? “Plan ahead,” she urges. “If you live 50 minutes away, you don’t leave 50 minutes early. Tag on extra time and anticipate road blocks.” Some people even set their clocks a few minutes early to ensure that they’re on time. Different bosses prefer different modes of communication. Lindsey Pollak, a workplace expert and author of Getting from College to Career, says if you text your boss and she prefers in-person meetings, “either your information won’t get across or you’ll irritate [her].” Fortunately, there’s a simple fix: ask your boss how and when to send updates. If you’re too shy to ask outright, then Pollak suggests observing how they communicate with you. “If you have a boss who communicates once a day by email, that’s the boss’ preferred frequency and method of communication,” explains Pollak.
A cluttered, messy work space can give your boss the impression that you’re lazy or disorganized, so try to keep your desk neat. “Never put more on your desk than you’re going to work on for the day,” recommends Edwards. “At the end of the day, make sure you set up for the next day. I may be working on five things at once, but at the end of the day, they’re gone, and I set up for the next day.” Most managers would rather you ask a question than make a mistake, but many questions can be answered on your own. “Is this something you could Google or ask a colleague?” wonders Pollak. “The internet is so vast that a lot of information you can get yourself.” If you must approach your boss with a question or issue, then Pollak recommends brainstorming beforehand. “Rather than saying ‘This client is terrible. What should I do?’ think about potential solutions,” she says.
Cell phones are practically ubiquitous in the workplace these days, but it’s still disruptive and disrespectful when they go off during a meeting. Edwards says that you should, “put your cell phone on vibrate or leave it in your own office so it’s not a distraction.” That way you won’t be tempted to text either
( )6.According to the article, how many pieces of advice are offered here? .
A. Two B. Three C. Four D. Five(B)
( )7.What is this article about? .
A. How to be successful in the workplace.
B. How to communicate with your boss.
C. How to avoid quirks that annoy your boss.
D. How to utilize your mobile phones at work.
( )8.What does the phrase “to get across” in the sentence “…she prefers in-person meetings, “either your information won’t get across or you’ll irritate …” of the second paragraph mean? .
A. To be communicated B. To be passed
C. To be promoted D. To be anticipated(A)
( )9.According to the article, which of the following modes of communication is the best when communicating with your boss? .
A. Any ways you think are appropriate.
B. In-person meetings.
C. Correspondence.
D. The way your boss communicates with you.(D)
( )10.Which of the following statements is not mentioned?
A. Employees should pay respect to their bosses anytime.
B. Employees should plan beforehand so as to show up at work on time.
C. Employees should not let their mobile phones go off during meetings.
D. Employees should keep their desks neat and organized.