与同事坐近一点有大作用

与人面对面交流很重要。信息从他们身上倾泻而出。

双语精读

The role of physical proximity in the workplace

工作场所中物理近距离的作用

Seeing people in person matters. Information pours off them: not just what they say but how they say it and whether they listen. Relationships form more naturally. It's much harder to look a person straight in the pixels.

与人面对面交流很重要。信息从他们身上倾泻而出：不仅是他们说的话，还有他们说话的方式以及他们是否在倾听。这时关系形成得更自然。要直视一个像素人脸则困难得多。

An array of studies have demonstrated how much proximity matters in the workplace. One paper published in 2020 by Diego Battiston of Stockholm University and his co-authors looked at how the police force in Manchester fields emergency calls.

一系列研究已经表明，在工作场所中彼此接近有多么重要。2020年，斯德哥尔摩大学的迪亚戈·巴蒂斯顿及其合著者发表了一篇论文，研究了曼彻斯特警察如何处理紧急呼叫电话。

Their process involves two people. A handler takes the call and writes up the incident. An operator then allocates police officers. Some operators happened to be in the same room as the handler who had taken down the call details.

处理过程涉及两个人。一名接线员接听电话并记录下事件。然后一名操作员分配警察。一些操作员碰巧与记录下通话细节的接线员在同一个房间。

Because they could talk face-to-face, these operators were able to extract salient details and allocate police officers to cases more quickly than those who were left to scan descriptions for themselves.

因为他们可以面对面交谈，所以相比那些只能自己查看书面记录的操作员，这些操作员能够更快地提取重要细节并将警察分配到案件中。

A subsequent reorganisation, permanently separating the two types of workers, resulted in an 8% increase in average response times to violent crimes.

后来进行了一次重组，将这两类人员永久地分开，导致警察对暴力犯罪的平均响应时间增加了8%。

This is not an argument for mandating that everyone comes into the office five days a week and sits in a single, jam-packed room. Proximity can exact costs as well as produce benefits.

这并不是说要强制所有人每周五天都到办公室，都坐在一个拥挤的房间里。彼此接近既会产生好处，也会必然带来成本。

One trade-off relates to output. In the Manchester police force, handlers who spent more time talking to operators had less time free to take new incoming calls.

其中一个利弊权衡涉及到产出。在曼彻斯特警察局，与操作员交谈时间更长的接线员，他们用于接听新来电的空闲时间会更少。

Employees should be capable of negotiating such trade-offs for themselves. But managers can help or hinder.

员工应该有能力自己处理这些利弊权衡。但管理者可能起到帮助或阻碍作用。

If handlers are being evaluated on how many calls they field, they have less reason to help operators; Mr Battiston and his colleagues duly found evidence suggesting that handlers helped less when they were coming up for their annual performance reviews.

如果根据接听电话的数量来评估接线员，那么他们就没有太多理由去帮助操作员；巴蒂斯顿及其同事也相应地发现了证据，表明接线员在即将进行年度绩效审查时提供的帮助更少。

Although proximity can bring members of teams together, it can also come at the expense of interactions with outsiders.

虽然近距离可以使团队成员聚集在一起，但也可能以牺牲与外界的互动为代价。

One more paper, by Sharique Hasan of Duke University and Rembrand Koning of Harvard Business School, looked at a boot camp for entrepreneurs in India, in which participants were randomly assigned to teams.

杜克大学的沙里克·哈桑和哈佛商学院的雷姆布兰德·科宁发表的另一篇论文研究了印度的一个创业者训练营，在这个训练营中，参与者被随机分配到不同的团队。

They found that teams with members who already knew each other were much less likely to interact with neighbouring teams, compared with those whose members had few prior connections.

他们发现，相比于成员之前不太相互认识的团队，成员已经相互认识的团队与邻近团队互动的可能性要小得多。

Proximity is more useful as a glue than a solvent.

看来近距离的黏合剂作用比溶剂作用更大。

词汇预习

response [高考]
美[rɪˈspɑːns] | 英[rɪˈspɒns]
n. 反应；回答；响应；答复
interact [高考]
美[ˌɪntərˈækt] | 英[ˌɪntərˈækt]
vi. 相互作用；相互联系；相互影响；互动
prior [高考]
美[ˈpraɪər] | 英[ˈpraɪə(r)]
adj. 优先的；在前的；更重要的 adv. 居先；在前
permanently [高考]
美['pɜːmənəntli] | 英[ˈpɜːmənəntli]
adv. 永久地，长期不变地
evidence [高考]
美[ˈevɪdəns] | 英[ˈevɪdəns]
n. 证据；证词；根据；迹象 v. 证明；证实
annual [高考]
美[ˈænjuəl] | 英[ˈænjuəl]
adj. 每年的；年度的；一年生的 n. 年刊；一年生植物
emergency [高考]
美[iˈmɜːrdʒənsi] | 英[iˈmɜːdʒənsi]
n. 突发事件；紧急状态 adj. 应急的；紧急的；备用的
boot [高考]
美[buːt] | 英[buːt]
n. 靴子；猛踢；解雇；[英]汽车行李箱 vt. 踢；穿靴子；逐出；启动(计算机)
output [高考]
美[ˈaʊtpʊt] | 英[ˈaʊtpʊt]
n. 产量；输出功率；输出 vt. 输出(信息等)
scan [高考]
美[skæn] | 英[skæn]
v. 扫描；审视；浏览；细看 n. 浏览；扫描检查；胎儿扫描检查；快速查阅
violent [高考]
美[ˈvaɪələnt] | 英[ˈvaɪələnt]
adj. 猛烈的；强烈的；暴力的；极端的
operator [高考]
美[ˈɑːpəreɪtər] | 英[ˈɒpəreɪtə(r)]
n. 操作员；技工；管理者；报务员；【计】运算符
expense [高考]
美[ɪkˈspens] | 英[ɪkˈspens]
n. 费用；花费；代价
incident [高考]
美[ˈɪnsɪdənt] | 英[ˈɪnsɪdənt]
n. 事变；事件；插曲 adj. 难免的；附带的
allocate [高考]
美[ˈæləkeɪt] | 英[ˈæləkeɪt]
vt. 分派；分配；分配额
increase in [高考]
美[ɪnˈkris ɪn] | 英[inˈkri:s in]
增加；增大
in person [高考]
美[ɪn 'pɜːrsn] | 英[ɪn 'pɜːsn]
亲自
capable [高考]
美[ˈkeɪpəbl] | 英[ˈkeɪpəbl]
adj. 有能力的；能干的；有...的可能性
subsequent [高考]
美[ˈsʌbsɪkwənt] | 英[ˈsʌbsɪkwənt]
adj. 随后的；后来的
workplace [高考]
美[ˈwɜːrkpleɪs] | 英[ˈwɜːkpleɪs]
n. 工作场所
randomly [四级]
美['rændəmlɪ] | 英['rændəmlɪ]
adv. 任意地；随便地；胡乱地
face-to-face [四级]
美[ˈfestəˈfes] | 英[ˈfeɪstəˈfeɪs]
adj. 当面的；面对面的 adv. 面对面地
array [四级]
美[əˈreɪ] | 英[əˈreɪ]
n. 一系列；大批；数组；陈列，列队；盛装 vt. 排列；部署；打扮
much less [四级]
美[mʌtʃ lɛs] | 英[mʌtʃ les]
更不必说；何况；更少
be capable of [四级]
美[bi ˈkepəbəl ʌv] | 英[bi: ˈkeipəbl ɔv]
有能力, 能够
come at [四级]
美[kʌm æt] | 英[kʌm æt]
v. 达到；袭击；弄清
at the expense of [四级]
美[æt ði ɪkˈspɛns ʌv] | 英[æt ðə iksˈpens ɔv]
以 ... 作为代价
hinder [四级]
美[ˈhɪndər] | 英[ˈhɪndə(r)]
v. 阻碍；打扰 adj. 后面的
extract [六级]
美[ˈekstrækt , ɪkˈstrækt] | 英[ˈekstrækt , ɪkˈstrækt]
vt. 摘录；提取；拔出；榨出；选取 n. 摘录；精华；榨出物
capable of [六级]
美[ˈkepəbəl ʌv] | 英[ˈkeipəbl ɔv]
有…能力（或技能）的，能…的
neighbouring [专八]
美[ˈneɪbərɪŋ] | 英[ˈneɪbərɪŋ]
adj. 接壤的；邻近的
salient [专八]
美[ˈseɪliənt] | 英[ˈseɪliənt]
adj. 突出的；显著的；跳跃的 n. 突出部分
solvent [专八]
美[ˈsɑːlvənt] | 英[ˈsɒlvənt]
n. 溶剂；解决者 adj. 有偿付能力的；有溶解力的
incoming [专八]
美[ˈɪnkʌmɪŋ] | 英[ˈɪnkʌmɪŋ]
adj. 正来临的；新任的 n. 进来；收入(通常复数)
duly [考研]
美[ˈduli] | 英[ˈdju:li]
adv. 的确；当然地；适当地
packed [托福]
美[pækt] | 英[pækt]
adj. 塞满的；收拾好行李的；紧压的

重点讲解

The role of physical proximity in the workplace

工作场所中物理近距离的作用

proximity n. （时间或空间）接近，邻近

【例】Despite its proximity to the town, the village feels world's away.

虽然村庄与小镇毗邻，但村庄仍像是与世隔绝。

【拓展】approximate adj. 接近的

in person

1. 亲自；本人

【例】Come in person; don't write or phone.

请本人来，不用写信或打电话。

2. 当面地

【例】to talk over the phone or in person

电话里谈还是当面谈

【近义词】face to face with sb 与某人面对面

Seeing people in person matters. Information pours off them: not just what they say but how they say it and whether they listen. Relationships form more naturally. It's much harder to look a person straight in the pixels.

与人面对面交流很重要。信息从他们身上倾泻而出：不仅是他们说的话，还有他们说话的方式以及他们是否在倾听。这时关系形成得更自然。要直视一个像素人脸则困难得多。

proximity n. （时间或空间）接近，邻近

【例】Despite its proximity to the town, the village feels world's away.

虽然村庄与小镇毗邻，但村庄仍像是与世隔绝。

【拓展】approximate adj. 接近的

in person

1. 亲自；本人

【例】Come in person; don't write or phone.

请本人来，不用写信或打电话。

2. 当面地

【例】to talk over the phone or in person

电话里谈还是当面谈

【近义词】face to face with sb 与某人面对面

一系列研究已经表明，在工作场所中彼此接近有多么重要。2020年，斯德哥尔摩大学的迪亚戈·巴蒂斯顿及其合著者发表了一篇论文，研究了曼彻斯特警察如何处理紧急呼叫电话。

field n. & v.

1. 作名词：田地；实地

【例】field investigation 田野调查；实地调查

field work 外勤；实地工作

2. 作动词：处理；回复

【例】to field phone calls 接听来电

to field press-conference questions 回复新闻发布会上的问题

Their process involves two people. A handler takes the call and writes up the incident. An operator then allocates police officers. Some operators happened to be in the same room as the handler who had taken down the call details.

处理过程涉及两个人。一名接线员接听电话并记录下事件。然后一名操作员分配警察。一些操作员碰巧与记录下通话细节的接线员在同一个房间。

allocate v. 分配；划拨

【例】to allocate resources to the teams

给团队分配资源

to allocate funds to the projects

给项目划拨资金

【近义词】assign v. 分配

【辨析】distribute v. 分发（给很多人或事物）

salient adj. 最重要的；显著的

【例】the salient points of the speech

讲话的要点

the salient features of the device

设备的主要特点

【近义词】prominent/noticeable adj. 显著的

Because they could talk face-to-face, these operators were able to extract salient details and allocate police officers to cases more quickly than those who were left to scan descriptions for themselves.

因为他们可以面对面交谈，所以相比那些只能自己查看书面记录的操作员，这些操作员能够更快地提取重要细节并将警察分配到案件中。

allocate v. 分配；划拨

【例】to allocate resources to the teams

给团队分配资源

to allocate funds to the projects

给项目划拨资金

【近义词】assign v. 分配

【辨析】distribute v. 分发（给很多人或事物）

salient adj. 最重要的；显著的

【例】the salient points of the speech

讲话的要点

the salient features of the device

设备的主要特点

【近义词】prominent/noticeable adj. 显著的

A subsequent reorganisation, permanently separating the two types of workers, resulted in an 8% increase in average response times to violent crimes.

后来进行了一次重组，将这两类人员永久地分开，导致警察对暴力犯罪的平均响应时间增加了8%。

subsequent adj. 随后的；后来的

【例】the subsequent events 后来发生的事

【搭配】be subsequent to sth 在某事之后

【反义词】previous/prior adj. 之前的

mandate v. 强制要求

【例】The school has mandated that all students must wear uniforms.

学校强制要求所有学生都必须穿校服。

【拓展】mandatory adj. 强制的；必须履行的

【例】The course is mandatory/required for English majors.

这门课是英专生必修的。

exact adj. & v.

1. 作形容词：精准的；精确的

【例】the exact time/words

确切时间/原话

2. 作动词：因必要而要求

【例】Heart surgery exacts tremendous skill and concentration.

做心脏手术必须要有精湛的技术和极大的专注。

This is not an argument for mandating that everyone comes into the office five days a week and sits in a single, jam-packed room. Proximity can exact costs as well as produce benefits.

这并不是说要强制所有人每周五天都到办公室，都坐在一个拥挤的房间里。彼此接近既会产生好处，也会必然带来成本。

subsequent adj. 随后的；后来的

【例】the subsequent events 后来发生的事

【搭配】be subsequent to sth 在某事之后

【反义词】previous/prior adj. 之前的

mandate v. 强制要求

【例】The school has mandated that all students must wear uniforms.

学校强制要求所有学生都必须穿校服。

【拓展】mandatory adj. 强制的；必须履行的

【例】The course is mandatory/required for English majors.

这门课是英专生必修的。

exact adj. & v.

1. 作形容词：精准的；精确的

【例】the exact time/words

确切时间/原话

2. 作动词：因必要而要求

【例】Heart surgery exacts tremendous skill and concentration.

做心脏手术必须要有精湛的技术和极大的专注。

One trade-off relates to output. In the Manchester police force, handlers who spent more time talking to operators had less time free to take new incoming calls.

其中一个利弊权衡涉及到产出。在曼彻斯特警察局，与操作员交谈时间更长的接线员，他们用于接听新来电的空闲时间会更少。

trade-off n. （在相互对立的两者间的）权衡

【例】a trade-off between increased production and a reduction in quality

对产量增加和质量下降的权衡

【拓展】trade A off against B 权衡A和B

【例】to trade off inflation against unemployment

在通货膨胀和失业之间达到平衡

negotiate v. 处理；办妥

【例】to negotiate tricky problems 解决棘手的问题

【近义词】navigate v. 导航；对付（困难的情况）

【例】to navigate the challenging life in a foreign country

应对在异国他乡的充满挑战的生活

Employees should be capable of negotiating such trade-offs for themselves. But managers can help or hinder.

员工应该有能力自己处理这些利弊权衡。但管理者可能起到帮助或阻碍作用。

trade-off n. （在相互对立的两者间的）权衡

【例】a trade-off between increased production and a reduction in quality

对产量增加和质量下降的权衡

【拓展】trade A off against B 权衡A和B

【例】to trade off inflation against unemployment

在通货膨胀和失业之间达到平衡

negotiate v. 处理；办妥

【例】to negotiate tricky problems 解决棘手的问题

【近义词】navigate v. 导航；对付（困难的情况）

【例】to navigate the challenging life in a foreign country

应对在异国他乡的充满挑战的生活

If handlers are being evaluated on how many calls they field, they have less reason to help operators; Mr Battiston and his colleagues duly found evidence suggesting that handlers helped less when they were coming up for their annual performance reviews.

如果根据接听电话的数量来评估接线员，那么他们就没有太多理由去帮助操作员；巴蒂斯顿及其同事也相应地发现了证据，表明接线员在即将进行年度绩效审查时提供的帮助更少。

duly adv. 恰当地；如预期地

【例】to duly pay the rent 按时交租金

to duly sign the document 按要求在文件上签字

assign sth/sb to 把某物/某人分配到

【例】assign the homework to the students

把作业布置给学生

【拓展】assignment n. 作业；任务

Although proximity can bring members of teams together, it can also come at the expense of interactions with outsiders.

虽然近距离可以使团队成员聚集在一起，但也可能以牺牲与外界的互动为代价。

duly adv. 恰当地；如预期地

【例】to duly pay the rent 按时交租金

to duly sign the document 按要求在文件上签字

assign sth/sb to 把某物/某人分配到

【例】assign the homework to the students

把作业布置给学生

【拓展】assignment n. 作业；任务

杜克大学的沙里克·哈桑和哈佛商学院的雷姆布兰德·科宁发表的另一篇论文研究了印度的一个创业者训练营，在这个训练营中，参与者被随机分配到不同的团队。

duly adv. 恰当地；如预期地

【例】to duly pay the rent 按时交租金

to duly sign the document 按要求在文件上签字

assign sth/sb to 把某物/某人分配到

【例】assign the homework to the students

把作业布置给学生

【拓展】assignment n. 作业；任务

They found that teams with members who already knew each other were much less likely to interact with neighbouring teams, compared with those whose members had few prior connections.

他们发现，相比于成员之前不太相互认识的团队，成员已经相互认识的团队与邻近团队互动的可能性要小得多。

solvent n. & adj.

1. 作名词：溶剂

【例】Water is the most common solvent.

水是最常见的溶剂。

【拓展】dissolve v. 溶解

solution n. 解决办法；溶液

2. 作形容词：有偿债能力的；能化债的

【例】to keep the company solvent

让公司保持不借债的状态

【反义词】insolvent adj. 无力还债的；破产的

Proximity is more useful as a glue than a solvent.

看来近距离的黏合剂作用比溶剂作用更大。

solvent n. & adj.

1. 作名词：溶剂

【例】Water is the most common solvent.

水是最常见的溶剂。

【拓展】dissolve v. 溶解

solution n. 解决办法；溶液

2. 作形容词：有偿债能力的；能化债的

【例】to keep the company solvent

让公司保持不借债的状态

【反义词】insolvent adj. 无力还债的；破产的

课后练习

How did proximity help increase the operators' efficiency?
A. By enabling them to obtain information more quickly.
B. By facilitating more natural and meaningful relationships.
C. By allowing them to share their responsibilities with the handlers.
D. By simplifying the process and neglecting the written descriptions.
What was the downside of proximity in the case of Manchester police force?
A. Operators were assigned a heavier work load.
B. Handlers suffered a decrease in productivity.
C. Managers failed to evaluate their performances accurately.
D. Proximity led to a jam-packed room and less job satisfaction.
When may proximity harm the teams' interaction with outsiders?
A. When team members have few prior connections
B. When team members already know each other.
C. When the team is randomly gathered together.
D. When the team needs to handle challenging tasks.
What is the main idea of the text?
A. The challenges of managing teams in a digital age.
B. The impact of prior connections on team interactions.
C. The importance of face-to-face interaction in the workplace.
D. The benefits and drawbacks of proximity in work environments.