经济学人263:蒙特梭利管理

　　Business
商业报道
Schumpeter
熊彼特
Montessori management
蒙特梭利管理
The backlash against running firms like progressive schools has begun
反对公司管理像学校改革的运动已经开始
THE INTERNSHIP¹, a film about two middle-aged² no-hopers who land work experience at Google, is a dire³ offering even by the standards of Hollywood summer comedies.
挨踢实习生》是一部关于两个有工作经验没有希望转正的中年人在谷歌的故事，即使是按好莱坞夏天喜剧的标准，这也是一部顶级作品。
But it does get one thing right: that it is rather absurd for a technology firm to provide slides for staff to play on, and to let them wear silly propeller-hats.
但有一件事情是对的：一家科技公司为员工提供幻灯片演讲是相当荒谬的，而且让他们戴上傻螺旋桨一样的帽子。
Google is not alone in its juvenile⁴ tastes.
在对青年人的口味上谷歌不是唯一一家。
Box, a Silicon⁵ Valley company, has installed swings in its headquarters.
硅谷的Box公司在其总部安装秋千。
222222222222_副本.jpgRed Bull, an energy-drinks firm, has a reception desk in the shape of a giant skateboard in its London office.
能量饮料公司红牛在其伦敦办公室内有一个巨大的滑板样的接待桌。
Businesses of all types have moved towards sitting workers in groups in open-plan rooms, just like at nursery school.
各类企业都在逐渐为员工提供开放式办公室，就像托儿所。
Time was when firms modelled themselves on the armed forces, with officers and chains of command.
企业在模仿军队的指挥官和指挥链。
Now many model themselves on learning-through-play Montessori schools.
现在有很多通过在实践中学习蒙台梭利学校的模式。
Montessori management has plenty of supporters in the higher reaches of business.
蒙台梭利的管理拥有很多公司高层的支持。
The bosses of Google, Amazon and Wikipedia were all educated in Montessori schools.
谷歌，亚马逊和维基百科的老板都在蒙特梭利学校接受过教育。
So was Will Wright, a video-game pioneer.
视频游戏先锋威尔·赖特也是这样。
Messrs Page and Brin credit their Montessori education with their enthusiasm for thinking differently.
佩奇和布林把他们对不同思维方式的热情归于他们在蒙台梭利接受的教育。
Mr Bezos thanks it for his enthusiasm for experimentation⁶—for planting seeds and going down blind alleys⁷ as he puts it.
Bezos先生感谢蒙台梭利是因为他对实验的热情，正如他所说的播种和减少弯路。
Mr Wright says SimCity comes right out of Montessori.
赖特先生说模拟城市正是出自蒙特梭利。
The nostrums⁸ of some management gurus sound remarkably⁹ like those of the progressive educationalists of the 1960s.
一些管理大师的秘方听起来非常像那些20世纪60年代的教育改革者。
For example Gary Hamel, of London Business School, and Jeffrey Pfeffer, of Stanford Business School, praise companies that dismantle¹⁰ hierarchies¹¹ and encourage experimentation.
例如伦敦商学院的加里·哈默尔和斯坦福大学商学院的杰弗里·普费弗，称赞公司消除等级和鼓励试验。
It is not just rich-world businesses that are buying into this philosophy:
不只是富有的世界级企业相信这一理念：
HCL Technologies, an Indian software company, invites workers to write assessments¹² of their bosses—and publishes them.
印度软件公司HCL邀请工人对老板进行评价并进行公开。
But it would be wrong to conclude that the success of Google and Amazon vindicates¹³ Montessori management.
但是仅用谷歌和亚马逊的成功就支持蒙特梭利管理的推断或许是错误的。
Both companies have pragmatically mixed progressive ideas with more traditional ones such as encouraging internal competition and measuring performance.
这两家公司都追求实用主义，混合了务实进取的理念，如传统的鼓励内部竞争和绩效量化。
Mr Bezos is also an enthusiastic employer of ex-military personnel.
贝索斯先生也是一位喜欢雇佣前军事人员的雇主。
As in education, where traditionalists have staged a counter-revolution against the progressives, some academics are now questioning Montessori management's basic assumptions—particularly its faith in free-flowing creativity, endless collaboration¹⁴ and all things open-plan.
在教育界，保守者上演了一场反改革的运动，现在一些学者质疑蒙特梭利管理的基本假设，特别是其对自由流动的创造力，无限的协作和完全开放的信念。
For example, Morten Hansen of the University of California, Berkeley studied 182 teams who were trying to win a contract on behalf of a professional-services firm.
例如，加州大学伯克利分校的莫滕·汉森研究了试图赢得代表一个专业服务公司的合同的182个团队。
He found that the more time they spent consulting others, the less likely they were to win a deal.
他发现，他们越是花更多的时间咨询别人就越不太可能赢得这笔交易。
This shows, he says, that collaboration has costs as well as benefits.
他说这说明合作有效益也有成本。
These need to be weighed against each other, instead of simply assuming that the more teamwork the better.
这些都需要对各方面进行权衡，而不是简单地假设团队合作越多结果就越好。
Mark de Rond, a Cambridge academic who once rowed for the university, argues that the most successful teams are marked by internal competition and clashing egos¹⁵ as well as Kum Bay Yah-style togetherness.
曾为剑桥大学赛艇的学者马克·德·ROND认为最成功的球队是存住内部竞争和冲突以及自我风格的统一性。
A focus on interpersonal harmony can actually hurt team performance, he suggests.
他说把重点放在人际和谐上会对球队的表现不利。
Jake Breeden, a management thinker at Duke Corporate¹⁶ Education, worries that too much reliance on teamwork can create a culture of learned helplessness in which managers are terrified to take decisions without yet another round of consultations¹⁷.
杜克大学企业教育管理思想家杰克·布里登担心在管理者害怕在征求他人意见之前做出决定的团队里过于依赖团队合作会创造一种后天性无助的文化。
Excessive collaboration can lead to the very opposite of creativity:
过多的合作可能会走向创造力的反面：
groupthink, conformity¹⁸ and mediocrity.
群体思维，整合和平庸。
It is especially damaging at the top of an organisation¹⁹. BlackBerry, a smartphone-maker, believed that having two CEOs with complementary skills would produce the best of both worlds:
这对组织的顶部害处特别大。智能手机制造商黑莓相信两位具有互补技能的CEOs 会有最好的产出：
Jim Balsillie was a professional manager and Mike Lazaridis was a technician.
吉姆·贝尔斯利是一名职业经理人，迈克·拉扎里迪斯是技术员。
The company soon discovered the truth of Napoleon's dictum that one bad general is worth two good ones.
该公司很快就发现了拿破仑的名言：一个不好的将军好于两个好将军的真理。
According to one survey around 70% of all offices in America have gone open-plan.
据一项调查显示，美国约70％的办公室已经是开放式的。
Yet evidence is mounting that this is a bad idea.
然而越来越多的证据显示这是一个坏主意。
Over the past five years Gensler, a design firm, has asked more than 90,000 people in 155 companies in ten industries what they think of this way of working.
设计公司 Gensler，在过去的五年里调查十大行业155家公司的90,000人怎么评价这种工作方式。
It has found an astonishing amount of antipathy²⁰.
发现绝大多数人对此反感。
Workers say that open-plan offices make it more difficult to concentrate, because the hubbub²¹ of human and electronic noise is so distracting.
他们说开放式办公室使他们更难以集中精神，因为其他人的喧闹和电子噪音是如此令人分心。
What they really value is the ability to focus on their jobs with as few distractions²² as possible.
他们看重的是尽可能少分心把注意力放在工作上。
Ironically, going open-plan defeats another of Montessori management's main objectives:
具有讽刺意味的是，开放式的方式击败了另一个对蒙特梭利管理的主要目标：
workers say it prevents them from collaborating²³, because they cannot talk without disturbing others or inviting²⁴ an audience.
工作人员说这会阻碍他们合作，因为他们不邀请别人或者想不打扰别人时就没法进行讨论。
Other studies show that people who work in open-plan offices are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, stress and airborne infections such as flu.
其他研究表明，在开放式办公室工作的人更容易患高血压，压力更大大，更易被传染，如流感。
Time for some discipline—and separate offices
是时候进行惩罚了-和单独的办公室
It was the unthinking and indiscriminate application of child-centred education techniques, with little attention paid to outcomes, that eventually brought about a backlash.
以儿童为中心的教育技术没头没脑的和不分青红皂白的应用，而且很少重视结果，最终带来了反弹。
The more thoughtful critics did not wish to turn the clock back entirely²⁵ and return to rote²⁶ learning and tyrannical teachers; they simply said that structure and order have their place too.
深思熟虑的批评不希望时光完全倒流到死记硬背和教师强横的时代，他们只是说结构和顺序也有自己的位置。
The same seems to be happening now in business.
现在在商业领域似乎也有同样的情况。
Mr Breeden argues, sensibly, that managers should treat collaboration and creativity as techniques rather than dogmas.
布里登辩解说，很明显管理者应该把协作和创造力当做技巧而非教条。
Diane Hoskins of Gensler speculates that her company's findings about open-plan offices are so striking that they may mark the beginning of a new era in workplace organisation.
公司Gensler的黛安·霍斯金斯推测，她们公司的开放办公室表现是如此引人注目，标志着办公室组织方式的一个新时代。
When workers start being moved back into separate booths, and the office slide is replaced with a noticeboard bearing a list of staff instructions, you will know that the counter-revolution is well under way.
当工人开始被搬回到单独的办公间，办公室不知不觉替换的一个列着员工说明的布告板，你就会知道，反改革的工作正在顺利进行。
1.provide for 为…提供生活费；为…作准备
There are no known laws that provide for public access to government information.
没有发现哪部法律规定了对政府信息的公开制度。
Even if egypt's islamists refrain from scrapping²⁷ the peace treaty, israel fears they will seek to amend²⁸ the clauses that provide for sinai's demilitarisation.
就算埃及的伊斯兰当政者没有废除戴维营和平协议，以色列依然害怕埃及将修改那些规定西奈半岛非军事化的条款。
2.in the shape of 以…形式
We put some post-its on the wall in the shape of space invaders²⁹.
我们用即时贴在墙上贴成了太空入侵者（space invaders）的形状。
It had hit an immovable object in the shape of germany's chancellor³⁰, angela merkel.
这个计划在德国总理安格拉默克尔这面铜墙铁壁前，碰了一鼻子灰。
3.nursery school n.幼儿园；托儿所
Rioting youths injured 17 police officers and burned a nursery school to the ground.
暴动的年轻人造成17名警员受伤，放火将一所幼儿园夷为平地。
A study that has much to teach was carried out by merei who observed children at a hungarian nursery school.
观察匈牙利一个幼儿园的梅雷，就进行了一个有很多东西要教授的研究。
4.credit with 相信
This will happen should you get credit with a co-signer.
会出现这种情况你应该得到信贷的共同签字。
One of the major government privileges granted to gses is a line of credit with the united states treasury³¹.
企业Gses得到的一个主要特权是由财政部给予的信用额度

1 internship   

n.实习医师，实习医师期

参考例句：

• an internship at a television station 在电视台的实习期
• a summer internship with a small stipend 薪水微薄的暑期实习

2 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

3 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

4 juvenile   

n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的

参考例句：

• For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
• Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。

5 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

6 experimentation   

n.实验，试验，实验法

参考例句：

• Many people object to experimentation on animals.许多人反对用动物做实验。
• Study and analysis are likely to be far cheaper than experimentation.研究和分析的费用可能要比实验少得多。

7 alleys   

胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径

参考例句：

• I followed him through a maze of narrow alleys. 我紧随他穿过一条条迂迴曲折的窄巷。
• The children lead me through the maze of alleys to the edge of the city. 孩子们领我穿过迷宫一般的街巷，来到城边。

8 nostrums   

n.骗人的疗法，有专利权的药品( nostrum的名词复数 )；妙策

参考例句：

• It is likely that these \"enlightened\" nostrums would have speeded up the catastrophe. 这些“开明的”药方本身就可能加快灾难的到来。 来自辞典例句

9 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

10 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

11 hierarchies   

等级制度( hierarchy的名词复数 )； 统治集团； 领导层； 层次体系

参考例句：

• That's a trip of two hierarchies. 那是两个领导层之间的互访。
• Hierarchies of authority, spans of control, long-range plans, and budgets. 等级森严的权力机构，控制范围，长期计划，预算。 来自英汉文学 - 廊桥遗梦

12 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

13 vindicates   

n.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的名词复数 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护v.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的第三人称单数 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护

参考例句：

• The success of the operation completely vindicates my faith in the doctor. 手术的成功完全证明我对这大夫的信任是正确的。 来自辞典例句
• In one sense the verdict vindicates the Bush administration. 在某种意义上，有罪宣判证明了布什当局是正确的。 来自互联网

14 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

15 egos   

自我，自尊，自负( ego的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Their egos are so easily bruised. 他们的自尊心很容易受到伤害。
• The belief in it issues from the puerile egos of inferior men. 这种信仰是下等人幼稚的自私意识中产生的。

16 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

17 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 conformity   

n.一致，遵从，顺从

参考例句：

• Was his action in conformity with the law?他的行动是否合法？
• The plan was made in conformity with his views.计划仍按他的意见制定。

19 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

20 antipathy   

n.憎恶；反感，引起反感的人或事物

参考例句：

• I feel an antipathy against their behaviour.我对他们的行为很反感。
• Some people have an antipathy to cats.有的人讨厌猫。

21 hubbub   

n.嘈杂；骚乱

参考例句：

• The hubbub of voices drowned out the host's voice.嘈杂的声音淹没了主人的声音。
• He concentrated on the work in hand,and the hubbub outside the room simply flowed over him.他埋头于手头的工作，室外的吵闹声他简直象没有听见一般。

22 distractions   

n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱

参考例句：

• I find it hard to work at home because there are too many distractions. 我发觉在家里工作很难，因为使人分心的事太多。
• There are too many distractions here to work properly. 这里叫人分心的事太多，使人无法好好工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 collaborating   

合作( collaborate的现在分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• Joe is collaborating on the work with a friend. 乔正与一位朋友合作做那件工作。
• He was not only learning from but also collaborating with Joseph Thomson. 他不仅是在跟约瑟福？汤姆逊学习，而且也是在和他合作。

24 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

25 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

26 rote   

n.死记硬背，生搬硬套

参考例句：

• Learning by rote is discouraged in this school.这所学校不鼓励死记硬背的学习方式。
• He recited the poem by rote.他强记背诵了这首诗。

27 scrapping   

刮，切除坯体余泥

参考例句：

• He was always scrapping at school. 他在学校总打架。
• These two dogs are always scrapping. 这两条狗总是打架。

28 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。

29 invaders   

入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They prepared to repel the invaders. 他们准备赶走侵略军。
• The family has traced its ancestry to the Norman invaders. 这个家族将自己的世系追溯到诺曼征服者。

30 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

31 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。