管理者应该离开座位多走动

你可能打算离开办公桌，但管理工作仍然把你留在办公桌前。

双语精读

Leaving the seat of power

离开权力宝座

The arc of management bends towards sitting on your arse. You may intend to get away from your desk, but it holds you there nonetheless. There are always more emails to clear; there is always more work to get done.

管理者倾向于坐在椅子上。你可能打算离开办公桌，但管理工作仍然把你留在办公桌前。总是有更多的电子邮件需要处理，总是有更多的工作需要完成。

Worse, the chair's magnetic pull is getting stronger. The pandemic normalised video calls with people in different locations: managers can see employees around the world without leaving their perch.

更糟糕的是，椅子的吸力变得更强了。疫情使与不同地点的人进行视频通话成为常态：管理者无需离开座位就能看到世界各地的员工。

Quantification is another excuse to remain sedentary. Dashboards and data can keep bosses informed about the state of the business in real time without ever having to stand up.

量化是另一个保持久坐的借口。仪表板和数据可以让老板无需起身就实时了解业务状况。

The antidote to this problem is obvious but sufficiently uncommon that it has a name: management by wandering-or walking-around (MBWA). Tom Peters, a management guru, popularised the idea in the 1980s in "In Search of Excellence", a book he co-wrote with Robert Waterman.

解决这个问题的方法显而易见，但却极少在工作场所中见到，以至于它有了一个名字：走动式管理。管理学大师汤姆·彼得斯在20世纪80年代与罗伯特·沃特曼合著了《追求卓越》一书，并在书中普及了这一理念。

He had first come across the term at Hewlett-Packard: bosses there had a habit of dropping by employees' workstations to have informal conversations about what they were up to. Mr Peters adopted it, arguing that managers should go to see the places and people where the real work gets done.

他第一次遇到这个术语是在惠普公司：那里的老板们有一个习惯，就是顺便走到员工的工作区，与他们进行随意的交谈，了解他们在做什么。彼得斯采纳了这一做法，认为管理人员应该去看一看实际工作开展的地方和做实际工作的人。

One reason to leave the seat of power is motivational: most employees like attention. A study published last year by Pablo Casas-Arce of Arizona State University and his co-authors looked at the impact of short, morale-boosting visits by the new divisional manager of a Latin American bank to the 79 branches under his control.

离开权力宝座的一个原因是激励作用：大多数员工喜欢被关注。去年，亚利桑那州立大学的巴勃罗·卡萨斯-阿塞和他的合著者发表了一项研究，考察了某拉丁美洲银行的一位新任部门经理对其手下79家支行进行的短暂、鼓舞士气的到访所产生的影响。

The researchers found that the visits were associated with a boost to sales productivity that started to show up prior to the day itself, and that were biggest in higher-performing branches. These improvements in branch performance were transitory, however, persisting for at least a few weeks before starting to fade.

研究人员发现，这些到访与销售生产率的提升有关，这种提升在到访日之前就开始显现，而且在业绩较好的支行中最为显著。然而，这些支行的业绩提高是短暂的，至少持续了几周后才开始消退。

The more substantial benefits of MBWA come not from managers descending like minor royals, but from regular visits to the front line to identify and solve problems. Toyota is well-known for its precept of genchi genbutsu (go and see for yourself), which encourages managers to investigate manufacturing problems in person.

走动式管理的更实质性的好处并非来自于管理者像小皇帝一样大驾光临，而是来自于定期到访工作一线去找出和解决问题。丰田以其“现地现物”理念（亲自去看）而闻名，该理念鼓励管理者亲自调查制造问题。

Toyota bigwigs routinely undertake gemba (the real place) walks to see assembly lines for themselves and to drive home the firm's philosophy of kaizen (continuous improvement).

丰田的高层管理人员会定期进行实地巡视，亲自查看装配线，并将公司的持续改进理念贯彻到底。

词汇预习

重点讲解

Leaving the seat of power

离开权力宝座

bend  v. 弯曲；弯腰

【例】He bent the wire into the shape of a square. 

他把铁丝折成正方形。

The road bends to the right. 

路向右拐弯。

The arc of management bends towards sitting on your arse. You may intend to get away from your desk, but it holds you there nonetheless. There are always more emails to clear; there is always more work to get done.

管理者倾向于坐在椅子上。你可能打算离开办公桌，但管理工作仍然把你留在办公桌前。总是有更多的电子邮件需要处理，总是有更多的工作需要完成。

bend  v. 弯曲；弯腰

【例】He bent the wire into the shape of a square. 

他把铁丝折成正方形。

The road bends to the right. 

路向右拐弯。

Worse, the chair’s magnetic pull is getting stronger. The pandemic normalised video calls with people in different locations: managers can see employees around the world without leaving their perch.

更糟糕的是，椅子的吸力变得更强了。疫情使与不同地点的人进行视频通话成为常态：管理者无需离开座位就能看到世界各地的员工。

perch  v. & n.

1. 作动词：（鸟）栖息；坐在高处

【例】A bird is perching on the branch.

一只鸟站在树枝上。

2. 作名词：栖木；高处

【例】The top of the shelf is my cat's favorite perch.

架子上面是我家猫最喜欢待的地方。

keep sb informed about/of sth 让某人持续了解

【例】Keep me informed of any developments. 

随时通知我进展情况。

【搭配】inform sb of/about sth 告知某人某事

be informed of/about sth 知道某事

Quantification is another excuse to remain sedentary. Dashboards and data can keep bosses informed about the state of the business in real time without ever having to stand up.

量化是另一个保持久坐的借口。仪表板和数据可以让老板无需起身就实时了解业务状况。

perch  v. & n.

1. 作动词：（鸟）栖息；坐在高处

【例】A bird is perching on the branch.

一只鸟站在树枝上。

2. 作名词：栖木；高处

【例】The top of the shelf is my cat's favorite perch.

架子上面是我家猫最喜欢待的地方。

keep sb informed about/of sth 让某人持续了解

【例】Keep me informed of any developments. 

随时通知我进展情况。

【搭配】inform sb of/about sth 告知某人某事

be informed of/about sth 知道某事

The antidote to this problem is obvious but sufficiently uncommon that it has a name: management by wandering—or walking—around (MBWA). Tom Peters, a management guru, popularised the idea in the 1980s in “In Search of Excellence”, a book he co-wrote with Robert Waterman.

解决这个问题的方法显而易见，但却极少在工作场所中见到，以至于它有了一个名字：走动式管理。管理学大师汤姆·彼得斯在20世纪80年代与罗伯特·沃特曼合著了《追求卓越》一书，并在书中普及了这一理念。

antidote  n. 解药；解决办法

【例】Regular exercise is the best antidote to tiredness and depression.

经常锻炼是消除疲惫和抑郁的最佳解药。

【近义词】solution to sth  解决办法

remedy for sth  补救措施

cure for sth  解决办法

【辨析】anecdote  n. 趣事；轶事

He had first come across the term at Hewlett-Packard: bosses there had a habit of dropping by employees’ workstations to have informal conversations about what they were up to. Mr Peters adopted it, arguing that managers should go to see the places and people where the real work gets done.

他第一次遇到这个术语是在惠普公司：那里的老板们有一个习惯，就是顺便走到员工的工作区，与他们进行随意的交谈，了解他们在做什么。彼得斯采纳了这一做法，认为管理人员应该去看一看实际工作开展的地方和做实际工作的人。

drop by/into sp  顺便去某地

【例】Drop by sometime. 

有空儿来坐坐。

I dropped into the bakery on my way home.

我在回家路上顺便去了面包店。

【拓展】drop-in  adj. 无需预约的；可随时来访的

【例】a drop-in museum 无需预约的博物馆

One reason to leave the seat of power is motivational: most employees like attention. A study published last year by Pablo Casas-Arce of Arizona State University and his co-authors looked at the impact of short, morale-boosting visits by the new divisional manager of a Latin American bank to the 79 branches under his control.

离开权力宝座的一个原因是激励作用：大多数员工喜欢被关注。去年，亚利桑那州立大学的巴勃罗·卡萨斯-阿塞和他的合著者发表了一项研究，考察了某拉丁美洲银行的一位新任部门经理对其手下79家支行进行的短暂、鼓舞士气的到访所产生的影响。

boost  v. 增强；提高

【例】to boost my confidence 增强我的自信

to boost her career  促进她的职业发展

to boost the profits  提高利润

to boost the economic growth  促进经济发展

The researchers found that the visits were associated with a boost to sales productivity that started to show up prior to the day itself, and that were biggest in higher-performing branches. These improvements in branch performance were transitory, however, persisting for at least a few weeks before starting to fade.

研究人员发现，这些到访与销售生产率的提升有关，这种提升在到访日之前就开始显现，而且在业绩较好的支行中最为显著。然而，这些支行的业绩提高是短暂的，至少持续了几周后才开始消退。

prior to  在……之前的

【例】Passengers may board the plane twenty minutes prior to departure.

乘客可在起飞前二十分钟登机。

【近义词】before  prep. 在……之前的

previous to  在……之前的

persist  v. 持续存在；执著地做

【例】If the symptoms persist, consult your doctor. 

如果症状持续不退，请咨询医生。

She persisted in blaming herself.

她一直不停地责怪自己。

【近义词】persevere  v. 坚持不懈地做（褒）

【例】Despite the failure of his early experiments, the scientist persevered in his research. 

尽管最初的试验多次失败，那位科学家仍然坚持研究。

The more substantial benefits of MBWA come not from managers descending like minor royals, but from regular visits to the front line to identify and solve problems. Toyota is well-known for its precept of genchi genbutsu (go and see for yourself), which encourages managers to investigate manufacturing problems in person.

走动式管理的更实质性的好处并非来自于管理者像小皇帝一样大驾光临，而是来自于定期到访工作一线去找出和解决问题。丰田以其“现地现物”理念（亲自去看）而闻名，该理念鼓励管理者亲自调查制造问题。

in person  亲自；亲身

【例】You need to collect the package in person.

你得亲自来取快递。

【拓展】in-person  adj. 线下的；亲自到场的

【例】an in-person interview 线下面试；本人亲自到场的面试

Toyota bigwigs routinely undertake gemba (the real place) walks to see assembly lines for themselves and to drive home the firm’s philosophy of kaizen (continuous improvement).

丰田的高层管理人员会定期进行实地巡视，亲自查看装配线，并将公司的持续改进理念贯彻到底。

drive sth home  使完全理解某事

【例】She really drove home her message to us.

她真的让我们彻底理解了她要表达的讯息。

【拓展】strike home  正中要害

【例】Her face went pale as his words struck home. 

他的话正中要害，她的脸色一下子变白了。

课后练习

• What do managers tend to do?

  A. Walk around to collect real data.
  B. Sit at their desks for long periods.
  C. Avoid video calls with employees.
  D. Leave the workplace to visit clients.

• What does MBWA refer to in the text?

  A. A management approach involving frequent workstation changes.
  B. A management method of enhancing communication with employees.
  C. A management practice of monitoring work progress by holding meetings often.
  D. A management style of managers wandering around to have informal talks with employees.

• What was the impact of the visits by the new divisional manager?

  A. They had no effect on the branches' performance.
  B. They boosted sales productivity in the short term.
  C. They led to a lasting increase in sales productivity.
  D. They only motivated the higher-performing branches.

• What is the key to the benefits of Toyota's genchi genbutsu?

  A. Managers showing up to boost morale.
  B. Improving efficiency through innovation.
  C. Visiting the front line to solve problems.
  D. Encouraging employees to work overtime.