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如何平衡职场的竞争与合作？(上)
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竞争对手与同事：管理者应该如何平衡竞争与合作。
双语精读
Rivals and colleagues: How managers should balance competition and co-operation
竞争对手与同事：管理者应该如何平衡竞争与合作。
The modern company exalts both competition and co-operation. Competition is the defining feature of markets; inside organisations, too, employees compete for limited resources.
现代企业既推崇竞争，也推崇合作。竞争是市场的本质特征，在组织内部，员工也会为有限的资源而竞争。
Sometimes that contest is obvious, as when performance is openly ranked or there is a race for a specific job. Sometimes it is left unspoken: there is only so much money to go round and only so many promotion opportunities on offer. Either way, competition is always there.
有时，这种竞争是显性的，比如公开绩效排名，对某一份工作竞争上岗。有时，这种竞争是隐形的：可以分配的钱只有那么多，晋升机会也只有那么多。无论是哪种方式，竞争总是存在的。
Yet the reason firms exist is to co-ordinate the activities of many actors in pursuit of common goals. Departments and teams are expected to work together.
然而，公司存在的原因是协调多个行动主体的活动，以追求共同的目标。人们期待各部门和各团队能共同合作。
Collaborative behaviour is usually celebrated. Companies dole out awards for the most helpful co-workers, not the Macbeth prize for the colleague most likely to murder you in your sleep.
合作行为通常会受到赞扬。公司为最乐于助人的同事颁发奖项，而不是为最有可能在你睡着时谋杀你的同事颁发麦克白奖。
Rivalry and teamwork can go together nicely. A paper published in 2022 by Eric VanEpps of the University of Utah, Einav Hart of George Mason University and Maurice Schweitzer of the University of Pennsylvania looked at the best way to handle an old conundrum.
竞争和团队合作可以良好地结合在一起。犹他大学的埃里克·凡艾普斯、乔治梅森大学的艾纳夫·哈特和宾夕法尼亚大学的莫里斯·施维茨尔在2022年发表了一篇论文，研究了解决一个古老难题的最佳方法。
To make a good impression on the higher-ups, you need to highlight your own achievements. But bragging about how great you are is not a recipe for being liked. A strategy of taking the credit for some things and doling out praise to colleagues for others resolved this problem.
要给上级留下好印象，你需要凸显自己的成就。但吹嘘自己有多棒并不招人喜欢。对此，一个解决办法是将某些事情归功于自己，并为其他事情而表扬同事。
It is not easy for managers to strike the right balance between encouraging contests and collaboration. (You just need to hear the word "co-opetition" to know how ugly things can get.) Competition can spur more effort but it can also have unintended consequences.
对于管理者来说，要在鼓励竞争和促进合作之间取得适当的平衡并非易事。（听到“合作性竞争”这个词，你就知道这种平衡多难做到。）竞争可以刺激人们更加努力，但也可能产生意想不到的后果。
A recent study by Eddy Cardinaels of Tilburg University and Christoph Feichter of the Vienna University of Economics and Business asked supervisors to use a forced performance-ranking system to assess workers' creativity.
蒂尔堡大学的埃迪·卡迪纳尔斯和维也纳经济贸易大学的克里斯托弗·费克特最近的一项研究，要求主管使用强制绩效排名系统来评估员工的创造力。
Forced rankings require managers to assign employees to given places on a scale: if there are ten workers, say, then one must come top and one must come tenth. This approach just stressed everyone out-a bit like bellowing "relax" in someone's face. People tried harder but they also became less creative.
强制排名要求管理者将员工分配到指定的等级位置上：例如，如果有十个员工，那么必须有一个人排在第一位，也要有一个人排在第十位。这种方法让每个人都感到压力很大，有点像朝着某个人咆哮“你给我放松”。结果员工们更努力了，但他们也变得不那么有创造力了。
词汇预习
scale [高考]
美[skeɪl] | 英[skeɪl]
n. 等级，规模；刻度；音阶；量程；天枰 v. 攀登；到达…顶点；去鳞
assign [高考]
美[əˈsaɪn] | 英[əˈsaɪn]
vt. 分配；指定；指派；归因；确定 n. 受让人
highlight [高考]
美[ˈhaɪlaɪt] | 英[ˈhaɪlaɪt]
v. 突出，强调; （使）醒目; 挑染 n. 最好的部分; 挑染的头发; 强光部分
promotion [高考]
美[prəˈmoʊʃn] | 英[prəˈməʊʃn]
n. 提升；促进；晋升；促销
unspoken [高考]
美[ʌnˈspoʊkən] | 英[ʌnˈspəʊkən]
adj. 未说出口的；不言而喻的
openly [高考]
美[ˈoʊpənli] | 英[ˈəʊpənli]
adv. 公开地；公然地；直率地
nicely [高考]
美['naɪslɪ] | 英[ˈnaɪsli]
adv. 精确地；漂亮地；恰好地
pursuit [高考]
美[pərˈsuːt] | 英[pəˈsjuːt]
n. 追求；追赶；工作
approach [高考]
美[əˈproʊtʃ] | 英[əˈprəʊtʃ]
v. 接近；建议；接洽；着手处理 n. 方法；接近；路径；道路
colleague [高考]
美[ˈkɑːliːɡ] | 英[ˈkɒliːɡ]
n. 同事
handle [高考]
美[ˈhændl] | 英[ˈhændl]
v. 处理；对待；操作；触；买卖 n. 把手；柄
behaviour [高考]
美[bɪˈheɪvjər] | 英[bɪˈheɪvjə(r)]
n. 行为；举止；品行
obvious [高考]
美[ˈɑːbviəs] | 英[ˈɒbviəs]
adj.明显的;显著的;平淡无奇的;自明
assess [高考]
美[əˈses] | 英[əˈses]
v. 评定；评估；估算
limited [高考]
美[ˈlɪmɪtɪd] | 英[ˈlɪmɪtɪd]
adj. 有限的；被限制的
spur [四级]
美[spɜːr] | 英[spɜː(r)]
n. 支脉；刺激；马刺；鞭策 vt. 刺激；鞭策；促进
collaboration [四级]
美[kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃn] | 英[kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃn]
n. 合作；通敌
unintended [四级]
美[ˌʌnɪnˈtɛndɪd] | 英[ˌʌnɪnˈtendɪd]
adj. 非计划中的；非故意的
go together [四级]
美[ɡo təˈɡɛðɚ] | 英[ɡəu təˈɡeðə]
和谐； 相称； 协调
celebrated [专四]
美[ˈselɪbreɪtɪd] | 英[ˈselɪbreɪtɪd]
adj. 著名的；声誉卓著的
dole [专八]
美[doʊl] | 英[dəʊl]
vt. 发放救济 n. 施舍品；失业救济金 n. [古]悲伤
go round [考研]
美[ɡo raʊnd] | 英[ɡəu raund]
足够分配； 到处走动
ordinate [托福]
美[ˈɔrdɪnət] | 英[ˈɔ:dɪnət]
n. 纵线；纵坐标 adj. 按行排列的
重点讲解
Rivals and colleagues: How managers should balance competition and co-operation
竞争对手与同事：管理者应该如何平衡竞争与合作。
exalt v. 赞扬，歌颂
【例】He exalted engineering and looked down on those in business.
他十分崇尚工程学并且瞧不起那些从商的人。
The modern company exalts both competition and co-operation. Competition is the defining feature of markets; inside organisations, too, employees compete for limited resources.
现代企业既推崇竞争，也推崇合作。竞争是市场的本质特征，在组织内部，员工也会为有限的资源而竞争。
exalt v. 赞扬，歌颂
【例】He exalted engineering and looked down on those in business.
他十分崇尚工程学并且瞧不起那些从商的人。
Sometimes that contest is obvious, as when performance is openly ranked or there is a race for a specific job. Sometimes it is left unspoken: there is only so much money to go round and only so many promotion opportunities on offer. Either way, competition is always there.
有时，这种竞争是显性的，比如公开绩效排名，对某一份工作竞争上岗。有时，这种竞争是隐形的：可以分配的钱只有那么多，晋升机会也只有那么多。无论是哪种方式，竞争总是存在的。
contest n. & v.
1. 作名词
（1）比赛；竞赛
【例】a singing contest 歌唱比赛
（2）（控制权或权力的）争夺，竞争
【例】a contest for the leadership of the party 争夺政党的领导权
2. 作动词
（1）竞争，争夺
【例】His wife is contesting a seat on the council.
他妻子在角逐市政会的一个席位。
（2）就…提出质疑；争辩
【例】His brothers are contesting the will.
他的兄弟们对遗嘱提出质疑。
rank n. & v. & a.
1. 作名词
（1）等级，级别；社会阶层
【例】a painter of the first rank 一流的画家
（2）排；行；列
【例】Everyone lines up in ranks.
大家都一排排站好。
2. 作动词：把…分等级
【例】The tasks have been ranked in order of difficulty.
按照困难程度对工作进行了分类。
3. 作形容词
（1）难闻的；恶臭的
【例】The house was full of the rank smell of urine.
这屋子里到处有一股尿的臊味。
（2）极端的，糟糕的
【例】an example of rank stupidity 极端愚蠢的例子
go round/around
1. 旋转；转动
【例】to go round in a circle 转圈
2. 足够分给每个人；够每人一份
【例】There aren't enough chairs to go around.
椅子不够坐。
3. 习惯于（某种状态或行动方式）
【例】It's unprofessional to go round criticizing your colleagues.
总是指责同事，这不符合职业道德。
4. 流传；传播
【例】There's a rumour going around that they're having an affair.
谣传他们之间关系暧昧。
Yet the reason firms exist is to co-ordinate the activities of many actors in pursuit of common goals. Departments and teams are expected to work together.
然而，公司存在的原因是协调多个行动主体的活动，以追求共同的目标。人们期待各部门和各团队能共同合作。
celebrate v.
1. 庆祝；庆贺
【例】How do people celebrate New Year in your country?
你们国家的人怎样庆贺新年？
2. 赞美；赞扬
【例】poems that celebrate the joys of love 赞美爱之喜悦的诗歌
Collaborative behaviour is usually celebrated. Companies dole out awards for the most helpful co-workers, not the Macbeth prize for the colleague most likely to murder you in your sleep.
合作行为通常会受到赞扬。公司为最乐于助人的同事颁发奖项，而不是为最有可能在你睡着时谋杀你的同事颁发麦克白奖。
celebrate v.
1. 庆祝；庆贺
【例】How do people celebrate New Year in your country?
你们国家的人怎样庆贺新年？
2. 赞美；赞扬
【例】poems that celebrate the joys of love 赞美爱之喜悦的诗歌
Rivalry and teamwork**** can go**** together**** nicely****.**** A paper published in**** 2022**** by**** Eric**** VanEpps of**** the University**** of**** Utah****,**** Einav Hart**** of**** George**** Mason University**** and Maurice Schweitzer**** of**** the University**** of**** Pennsylvania**** looked**** at**** the best**** way to**** handle**** an**** old conundrum.****
竞争和团队合作可以良好地结合在一起。犹他大学的埃里克·凡艾普斯、乔治梅森大学的艾纳夫·哈特和宾夕法尼亚大学的莫里斯·施维茨尔在2022年发表了一篇论文，研究了解决一个古老难题的最佳方法。
look at
1. （仔细）察看，检查
【例】You should get the doctor to look at that cut.
你应该找医生检查一下那处伤口。
2.研究，仔细地考虑
【例】We need to look very carefully at ways of improving our efficiency.
我们需要仔细研究提高效率的方法。
3. （以某种方式）思考，看待
【例】I’d like to be friends again, but Richard doesn’t look at it that way.
我愿意重归于好，可是理查德不这么想。
To make a good impression on the higher-ups, you need to highlight your own achievements. But bragging about how great you are is not a recipe for being liked. A strategy of taking the credit for some things and doling out praise to colleagues for others resolved this problem.
要给上级留下好印象，你需要凸显自己的成就。但吹嘘自己有多棒并不招人喜欢。对此，一个解决办法是将某些事情归功于自己，并为其他事情而表扬同事。
highlight v. & n.
1. 作动词
（1）将（文本的某部分）用彩笔做标记
【例】I've highlighted the important passage in yellow.
我用黄色标出了重要段落。
（2）突出；强调
【例】The report highlights the major problems facing society today.
报告特别强调了当今社会所面临的主要问题。
2. 作名词：最好（或最精彩）的部分
【例】The highlights of the match will be shown later this evening.
比赛最精彩的片段将于今晚播出。
It is not easy for managers to strike the right balance between encouraging contests and collaboration. (You just need to hear the word “co-opetition” to know how ugly things can get.) Competition can spur more effort but it can also have unintended consequences.
对于管理者来说，要在鼓励竞争和促进合作之间取得适当的平衡并非易事。（听到“合作性竞争”这个词，你就知道这种平衡多难做到。）竞争可以刺激人们更加努力，但也可能产生意想不到的后果。
strike a balance (between A and B) 平衡（对立的双方）
【例】He was finding it difficult to strike a balance between his family and his work.
他觉得家庭和工作两者很难兼顾。
spur v. & n.
1. 作动词
（1）激励，刺激
【例】Her difficult childhood spurred her on to succeed.
她艰辛的童年激励她取得成功。
（2）促进，加速（某事发生）
【例】The agreement is essential to spurring economic growth around the world.
这项协议对于促进世界经济的增长是至关重要的。
2. 作名词：鞭策；激励；刺激
【例】His speech was a powerful spur to action.
他的讲话很有鼓动力。
A recent study by Eddy Cardinaels of Tilburg University and Christoph Feichter of the Vienna University of Economics and Business asked supervisors to use a forced performance-ranking system to assess workers’ creativity.
蒂尔堡大学的埃迪·卡迪纳尔斯和维也纳经济贸易大学的克里斯托弗·费克特最近的一项研究，要求主管使用强制绩效排名系统来评估员工的创造力。
given a. & prep.
1. 作形容词
（1）已经安排好的；规定的
【例】They were to meet at a given time and place.
他们要在规定的时间和地点会晤。
（2）特定的；指定的
【例】We can find out how much money is spent on food in any given period.
我们可以查明在特定时间内花在食物上的钱有多少。
2. 作介词：考虑到；鉴于
【例】Given her interest in children, teaching seems the right job for her.
考虑到她喜欢孩子，教书看来是很适合她的工作。
stress sb. out 使极度焦虑，使压力大
【例】Studying for exams always stresses me out.
复习迎考总是使我非常焦虑。
Forced rankings require managers to assign employees to given places on a scale: if there are ten workers, say, then one must come top and one must come tenth. This approach just stressed everyone out—a bit like bellowing “relax” in someone’s face. People tried harder but they also became less creative.
强制排名要求管理者将员工分配到指定的等级位置上：例如，如果有十个员工，那么必须有一个人排在第一位，也要有一个人排在第十位。这种方法让每个人都感到压力很大，有点像朝着某个人咆哮“你给我放松”。结果员工们更努力了，但他们也变得不那么有创造力了。
given a. & prep.
1. 作形容词
（1）已经安排好的；规定的
【例】They were to meet at a given time and place.
他们要在规定的时间和地点会晤。
（2）特定的；指定的
【例】We can find out how much money is spent on food in any given period.
我们可以查明在特定时间内花在食物上的钱有多少。
2. 作介词：考虑到；鉴于
【例】Given her interest in children, teaching seems the right job for her.
考虑到她喜欢孩子，教书看来是很适合她的工作。
stress sb. out 使极度焦虑，使压力大
【例】Studying for exams always stresses me out.
复习迎考总是使我非常焦虑。
课后练习
One of the characteristics of competition within corporations is that ____.
A. it is only seen during evaluations of performances.
B. it can be both obvious and implicit
C. it is rare due to the promotion of teamwork.
D. it is shaped by the corporate culture
How should firms handle competition among employees?
A. They should coordinate activities to achieve common goals.
B. They should foster competition to motivate employees.
C. They should reform organizational structures to increase productivity.
D. They should reward employees who outperform other people.
According to the 2022 paper, what is a good strategy to promote oneself without being detested?
A. Employees should only focus on highlighting their own achievements.
B. Employees should brag about their greatness to make a good impression.
C. Employees should avoid taking credit for everything and praise other people.
D. Employees should work with their colleagues to succeed as a team.
What was the impact of forced performance-ranking systems on workers' creativity?
A. It increased creativity due to the competitive environment.
B. It decreased creativity because it created stress among workers.
C. It had no impact on creativity as workers focused on their work.
D. It improved creativity as workers tried to bring out their best.