【B2-Reading】07 Cultural expectations and leadership-文化期望和领导力

【B2-Reading】07 Millennials in the workplace-工作场所的千禧一代

Read a report on millennials in the workplace to practise and improve your reading skills.阅读有关工作场所中千禧一代的报告，以练习并提高阅读能力。

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.首先执行准备任务。然后阅读文本并进行练习。

Preparation准备

Cultural expectations and leadership – preparation

Match the words with the definitions.

• Question

Vocabulary
1.vague
2.to carry out a task
3.democratic
4.a hierarchy
5.to come up with
6.resentment
7.to be perceived
8.to have initiative

Definition
a. to perform or complete a job or activity
b. unclear, not specific or definite
c. a system where members are ranked according to status or authority
d. based on the idea that everyone is equal and should be involved in making decisions
e. to think of something such as an idea or plan
f. to be seen or understood in a certain way
g. to have the ability to take action without someone telling you what to do next
h. dissatisfaction and bad feelings from being treated unfairly

• Answer

1. to perform or complete a job or activity
   to carry out a task
2. unclear, not specific or definite
   vague
3. a system where members are ranked according to status or authority
   a hierarchy
4. based on the idea that everyone is equal and should be involved in making decisions
   democratic
5. to think of something such as an idea or plan
   to come up with
6. to be seen or understood in a certain way
   to be perceived
7. to have the ability to take action without someone telling you what to do next
   to have initiative
8. dissatisfaction and bad feelings from being treated unfairly
   resentment

1.a threat / 威胁
2.turnover rate / 员工流动率
3.employee retention / 员工留存
4.large-scale / 大规模的
5.ethics / 伦理
6.to give up / 放弃
7.to strive to / 努力去
8.to monitor / 监控
9.excessive / 过度的
10.a sacrifice / 牺牲
a.the percentage of employees leaving the company / 离开公司的员工百分比
b.a company’s ability to keep its staff from leaving / 公司留住员工的能力
c.extensive; involving large numbers or a large area / 广泛的；涉及大量人员或大面积的
d.to try hard to / 努力去做
e.something that can cause damage or danger / 可能造成损害或危险的东西
f.more than necessary or normal / 超过必要或正常的
g.something of value that you give up so that you can have something else / 为了得到其他东西而放弃的有价值的东西
h.moral principles defining what’s good for society and its individuals / 界定对社会及其个人有益的道德原则
i.to watch and observe over a period of time / 在一段时间内观察和监视
j.to stop having something you want / 放弃你想要的东西

Reading text阅读文字

English

Gabriela worked for a multinational company as a successful project manager in Brazil and was transferred to manage a team in Sweden. She was excited about her new role but soon realised that managing her new team would be a challenge.

Despite their friendliness, Gabriela didn’t feel respected as a leader. Her new staff would question her proposals openly in meetings, and when she gave them instructions on how to carry out a task, they would often go about it in their own way without checking with her. When she announced her decisions on the project, they would continue giving their opinions as if it was still up for discussion.

After weeks of frustration, Gabriela emailed her Swedish manager about the issues she was facing with her team. Her manager simply asked her if she felt her team was still performing, and what she thought would help her better collaborate with her team members. Gabriela found her manager vague and didn’t feel as if he was managing the situation satisfactorily.

What Gabriela was experiencing was a cultural clash in expectations. She was used to a more hierarchical framework where the team leader and manager took control and gave specific instructions on how things were to be done. This more directive management style worked well for her and her team in Brazil but did not transfer well to her new team in Sweden, who were more used to a flatter hierarchy where decision making was more democratic. When Gabriela took the issue to her Swedish manager, rather than stepping in with directions about what to do, her manager took on the role of coach and focused on getting her to come up with her own solutions instead.

Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede uses the concept of ‘power distance’ to describe how power is distributed and how hierarchy is perceived in different cultures. In her previous work environment, Gabriela was used to a high power distance culture where power and authority are respected and everyone has their rightful place. In such a culture, leaders make the big decisions and are not often challenged. Her Swedish team, however, were used to working in a low power distance culture where subordinates often work together with their bosses to find solutions and make decisions. Here, leaders act as coaches or mentors who encourage independent thought and expect to be challenged.

When Gabriela became aware of the cultural differences between her and her team, she took the initiative to have an open conversation with them about their feelings about her leadership. Pleased to be asked for their thoughts, Gabriela’s team openly expressed that they were not used to being told what to do. They enjoyed having more room for initiative and creative freedom. When she told her team exactly what she needed them to do, they felt that she didn’t trust them to do their job well. They realised that Gabriela was taking it personally when they tried to challenge or make changes to her decisions, and were able to explain that it was how they’d always worked.

With a better understanding of the underlying reasons behind each other’s behaviour, Gabriela and her team were able to adapt their way of working. Gabriela was then able to make adjustments to her management style so as to better fit the expectations of her team and more effectively motivate her team to achieve their goals.

English-Chinese

Millennials in the workplace工作场所的千禧一代

Background背景

Millennials (those born between the early 1980s and the early 1990s) make up a huge part of our workforce but they seem to lack loyalty to the companies and the leaders they work for. Multinational companies are noticing larger turnover rates of millennials as employee retention rates fall. This report looks at the findings of two large-scale surveys on the mindset of the millennial generation and explores how organisations can strive to address these needs, increase employee engagement and encourage retention. 千禧一代（1980年代初期至1990年代初期出生的人）构成了我们劳动力的重要组成部分，但他们似乎缺乏对公司和他们工作的领导者的忠诚。跨国公司注意到，随着员工保留率下降，千禧一代的离职率更高。该报告着眼于两项大规模调查的发现，对千禧一代的心态，并探讨了组织如何努力解决这些需求，增加员工的敬业度并鼓励保留。

Research研究

In a global survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), more than 40,000 millennial (born between 1983 and 1993) and non-millennial responses were collected on the topics of workplace culture, communication and working styles, pay structure, career development, work–life balance, etc.在PriceWaterhouseCoopers（PWC）进行的全球调查中，收集了40,000多个千禧一代（出生于1983年至1993年之间）和非千禧一代的回应，并在工作场所文化，沟通和工作风格，薪酬结构，职业发展，职业发展，工作与生活的主题上收集平衡，等等

In a separate global survey conducted by Deloitte, more than 10,000 millennials participated in a study about their perceptions of the threats and opportunities in the complex world of work.在德勤（Deloitte）进行的另一项全球调查中，有10,000多名千禧一代参与了他们对复杂工作世界中威胁和机遇的看法的研究。

Key findings关键发现

• Millennials are as committed to their work as their more senior colleagues.千禧一代与更多的高级同事一样致力于他们的工作。
• Millennials value interesting work and a good work–life balance. They do not believe that excessive work demands are worth sacrifices in their personal lives.千禧一代重视有趣的工作和良好的工作 - 生活平衡。他们认为，过度的工作要求在他们的个人生活中值得牺牲。
• Millennials want flexibility in their working hours and are willing to give up pay increases and promotions for a flexible working schedule. They believe that success should be measured by productivity and not by the number of hours they are seen in an office.千禧一代想要灵活的工作时间，并愿意放弃薪酬增加和促销，以制定灵活的工作时间表。他们认为，成功应以生产力来衡量，而不是通过在办公室看到的小时数来衡量。
• Millennials want to feel supported and appreciated by their company and their superiors.千禧一代希望感到他们的公司和他们的上级支持和赞赏。
• Millennials want more opportunities to develop their skills. These include technological skills, teamwork and interpersonal skills.千禧一代希望更多机会发展自己的技能。这些包括技术技能，团队合作和人际交往能力。
• Millennials believe that businesses and business leaders should contribute to the improvement of society and they are more likely to be loyal to a company with strong ethics.千禧一代认为，企业和企业领袖应该为社会的改善做出贡献，他们更有可能忠于具有强大道德的公司。

Recommendations建议

Organisations and managers wanting to retain millennials should consider:想要保留千禧一代的组织和经理应考虑：

• monitoring their workload and satisfaction levels with their work–life balance通过他们的工作和生活平衡来监视他们的工作量和满意度
• creating a flexible work culture where employees have more control over their working hours and their work location创建一种灵活的工作文化，员工对工作时间和工作地点有更多的控制权
• providing meaningful work and interesting opportunities提供有意义的工作和有趣的机会
• offering help and support in continuing professional development为继续专业发展提供帮助和支持
• changing the organisation’s goals from being mainly about profit-making to motives that address social concerns and solve wider societal problems.将组织的目标从主要是利润赚钱转变为解决社会问题并解决更广泛的社会问题的动机。

Task 1任务1

Cultural expectations and leadership – 1

Are the sentences true or false?

• Question

1. Gabriela’s management style worked well with her team in Brazil but not with her team in Sweden.
   True False
2. Gabriela’s team questioned her proposals and her decisions because they didn’t trust or respect her.
   True False
3. Gabriela was satisfied with her Swedish manager’s way of dealing with her problem.
   True False
4. Gabriela found it helpful to talk openly with her team about the differences in their expectations.
   True False
5. Gabriela faced a problem with her Swedish team because her management style was old-fashioned and wrong for the modern world.
   True False
6. The author believes that people from high power distance cultures and low power distance cultures should never work together.
   True False

• Answer

1. Gabriela’s management style worked well with her team in Brazil but not with her team in Sweden.
   ✔True False
2. Gabriela’s team questioned her proposals and her decisions because they didn’t trust or respect her.
   True ✔False
3. Gabriela was satisfied with her Swedish manager’s way of dealing with her problem.
   True ✔False
4. Gabriela found it helpful to talk openly with her team about the differences in their expectations.
   ✔True False
5. Gabriela faced a problem with her Swedish team because her management style was old-fashioned and wrong for the modern world.
   True ✔False
6. The author believes that people from high power distance cultures and low power distance cultures should never work together.
   True ✔False

Task 2任务2

Cultural expectations and leadership – 2

Put the sentences in the correct group.

• Question

1. The manager gives the team detailed instructions on what to do.
2. The manager makes the big decisions.
3. Team members do not usually challenge the manager.
4. The manager acts as a guide but encourages input from the team.
5. The manager gives specific advice to help solve problems.
6. The manager involves the team in making decisions together.
7. The manager has a lot of control over what happens.
8. Team members can take the initiative to do things their way.
9. The manager encourages the team to find their own solutions.
10. Team members can often challenge the manager.

• Answer

Expectations in a high power distance culture

1. The manager makes the big decisions.
2. The manager gives the team detailed instructions on what to do.
3. The manager has a lot of control over what happens.
4. Team members do not usually challenge the manager.
5. The manager gives specific advice to help solve problems.

Expectations in a low power distance culture

1. The manager involves the team in making decisions together.
2. Team members can take the initiative to do things their way.
3. The manager acts as a guide but encourages input from the team.
4. Team members can often challenge the manager.
5. The manager encourages the team to find their own solutions.

Discussion讨论

What’s most important for you to be happy at work?
在工作中快乐对您来说最重要的是什么？

Vocabulary

vague模糊的

• 简易

  vague英/veɪɡ/美/veɪɡ/
  adj.不明确的，不清楚的；（形状）模糊的；（感情、记忆等）不完整的，不清晰的；含糊其词的，闪烁其词的；茫然的，心不在焉的

  【名】 （Vague）韦格（人名）

  高中 | CET4 | CET6 | 考研 | IELTS | TOEFL | GRE | GMAT | SAT | 商务英语
  比较级vaguer或more vague最高级vaguest或most vague

• 《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

  vague/veɪɡ/|CET4 TEM4
  vaguer vaguest

  1. ADJ If something written or spoken is vague, it does not explain or express things clearly. 含糊的

     • A lot of the talk was apparently vague and general.
     这次会谈的许多内容显然是含糊而笼统的。

     • The description was pretty vague.
     这项描述是相当含糊的。

2. ADV 含糊地

   • “I’m not sure,” Liz said vaguely.
   “我不能肯定，” 莉兹含糊地说。

3. ADJ If you have a vague memory or idea of something, the memory or idea is not clear. 模糊的

   • They have only a vague idea of the amount of water available.
   他们对于可用水量只有一点模糊的了解。

4. ADV 模糊地

   • Judith could vaguely remember her mother lying on the sofa.
   朱迪斯能够模糊地记得她母亲当时正躺在沙发上。

5. ADJ If you are vague about something, you deliberately do not tell people much about it. 含糊其辞的

   • He was vague, however, about just what U.S. forces might actually do.
   然而，他对于美国军队真正可能做什么却含糊其辞。

6. ADJ If something such as a feeling is vague, you experience it only slightly. (感觉等) 轻微的

   • He was conscious of that vague feeling of irritation again.
   他又一次感到微微有些恼火。

7. ADJ A vague shape or outline is not clear and is therefore not easy to see. 模糊不清的

   • The bus was a vague shape in the distance.
   远处的那辆公共汽车只是一个模糊不清的轮廓。

resentment愤恨

• 简易

英/rɪˈzentmənt/美/rɪˈzentmənt/
n.愤恨，怨恨

CET4 | CET6 | GRE
复数resentments

• 《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

resentment/rɪˈzɛntmənt/|CET6 TEM4
N-UNCOUNT Resentment is bitterness and anger that someone feels about something. 怨恨

• She expressed resentment at being interviewed by a social worker.
她对于被一个社会工作者面试表示了怨恨。

democratic平等的

• 简易

英/ˌdeməˈkrætɪk/美/ˌdeməˈkrætɪk/
adj.平等的，有民主精神的；民主政体的；（美国）民主党的

CET4 | CET6 | 考研 | IELTS

• 《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

democratic/ˌdɛməˈkrætɪk/|CET4 TEM4

1. ADJ A democratic country, government, or political system is governed by representatives who are elected by the people. 民主的

   • Bolivia returned to democratic rule in 1982, after a series of military governments.
   玻利维亚经历了一系列军事政府统治后于1982年恢复了民主统治。

2. ADV 民主地

   • That June, Yeltsin became Russia’s first democratically elected president.
   那年6月，叶利钦成为俄罗斯第一位通过民主选举产生的总统。

3. ADJ Something that is democratic is based on the idea that everyone should have equal rights and should be involved in making important decisions. 民主精神的

   • Education is the basis of a democratic society.
   教育是民主社会的基础。

4. ADV 民主精神地

   • This committee will enable decisions to be made democratically.
   这个委员会将保证决策是民主地产生的。

hierarchy等级制度

• 简易

英/ˈhaɪərɑːki/美/ˈhaɪərɑːrki/
n.等级制度；统治集团；等级体系

CET6 | 考研 | IELTS | TOEFL | GRE | GMAT | SAT | 商务英语
复数hierarchies

• 《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

hierarchy/ˈhaɪəˌrɑːkɪ/|CET6 TEM8

1. N-VAR A hierarchy is a system of organizing people into different ranks or levels of importance, for example in society or in a company. 等级制度

   • Like most other American companies with a rigid hierarchy, workers and managers had strictly defined duties.
   像大多数其他等级制度森严的美国公司一样，工人和管理人员都有严格界定的职责。

2. N-COUNT-COLL The hierarchy of an organization is the group of people who manage and control it. 统治集团

   • The church hierarchy today feels the church should reflect the social and political realities of the country.
   教会统治集团如今感到教会应该反映国家的社会现实和政治现实。

perceive理解

• 简易

英/pəˈsiːv/美/pərˈsiːv/
vt.认为，理解；察觉，注意到；意识到

高中 | CET4 | CET6 | 考研 | IELTS | TOEFL | GRE | GMAT | SAT | 商务英语
第三人称单数perceives现在分词perceiving过去式perceived过去分词perceived

• 《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

perceive/pəˈsiːv/|CET4 TEM4
perceiving perceived perceives

1. V-T If you perceive something, you see, notice, or realize it, especially when it is not obvious. 感知到

   • Students must perceive for themselves the relationship between success and effort.
   学生们必须自己去认识到成功与努力之间的关系。

2. V-T If you perceive someone or something as doing or being a particular thing, it is your opinion that they do this thing or that they are that thing. 认为

   • Stress is widely perceived as contributing to coronary heart disease.
   压力普遍被认为能造成冠心病。

initiative主动性

• 简易

英/ɪˈnɪʃətɪv/美/ɪˈnɪʃətɪv/
n.措施，倡议；主动性，积极性；主动权；（美国某些州的）公民立法提案程序

高中 | CET4 | CET6 | 考研 | IELTS | GRE | 商务英语
复数initiatives

• 《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

initiative/ɪˈnɪʃɪətɪv, -ʃətɪv/|CET4 TEM4

1. N-COUNT An initiative is an important act or statement that is intended to solve a problem. (重要的) 法案; 倡议

   • Local initiatives to help young people have been inadequate.
   当地对年轻人的扶助法案一直不够完善。

2. N-SING In a fight or contest, if you have the initiative, you are in a better position than your opponents to decide what to do next. 主动权

   • We have the initiative; we intend to keep it.
   我们拥有主动权；我们想要保持主动权。

3. N-UNCOUNT If you have initiative, you have the ability to decide what to do next and to do it, without needing other people to tell you what to do. 主动性

   • She was disappointed by his lack of initiative.
   她对他缺乏主动性感到失望。

4. N-COUNT An initiative is a political procedure in which a group of citizens propose a new law or a change to the law, which all voters can then vote on. 公民立法提案程序

   • If they reject or ignore the initiative, the public will vote on it in November.
   如果他们拒绝或无视公民立法提案程序，公众将于11月对它进行投票表决。

5. PHRASE If you take the initiative in a situation, you are the first person to act, and are therefore able to control the situation. 采取主动

   • We are the only power willing to take the initiative in the long struggle to end the war.
   在旨在结束战争的长期斗争中，我们是惟一愿意首先采取行动的国家。

frustration

• 简易

英/frʌˈstreɪʃ(ə)n/美/frʌˈstreɪʃ(ə)n/
n.懊恼，沮丧；受阻，挫败；令人懊丧（或懊恼、沮丧）的事物

高中 | CET4 | CET6 | IELTS | GRE
复数frustrations

• 《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

1. He cried with anger and frustration.
   他愤怒而失望地哭了。

2. She telephoned her best friend to vent her frustration.
   她打电话给自己最好的朋友来发泄她的沮丧。

3. Frustration, anger and desperation have led to a series of wildcat strikes.
   挫败感、愤怒和绝望引发了一系列自发性罢工。

4. Sometimes frustration and anger can boil over into direct and violent action.
   有时无奈和愤怒会失去控制，变成直接的暴力行为。

clash

• 简易

英/klæʃ/美/klæʃ/
n.冲突，交战；争论，争执；交锋，比赛；分歧，差异；（金属的）撞击声；（时间上的）冲突，撞期；（颜色、图案等的）不相配

v.迥然不同，抵触；冲突，交战；争论，争执；（时间上）相冲突，同时发生；（颜色、图案等）不协调，不相配；（体育）交锋，对阵；（使）撞击发出铿锵声

CET4 | CET6 | 考研 | IELTS | GRE | 商务英语
复数clashes第三人称单数clashes现在分词clashing过去式clashed过去分词clashed

• 《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

1. V-RECIP When people clash, they fight, argue, or disagree with each other. 发生冲突; 产生矛盾

   • A group of 400 demonstrators ripped down the front gate and clashed with police.
   400名示威者推倒前面的大前门，与警察发生了冲突。

   • Behind the scenes, Parsons clashed with almost everyone on the show.
   幕后，帕森斯几乎跟每个参与演出的人都产生过矛盾。

2. N-COUNT Clash is also a noun. 冲突

   • There have been a number of clashes between police in riot gear and demonstrators.
   穿防暴服的警察和示威者之间发生过多次冲突。

3. V-RECIP Beliefs, ideas, or qualities that clash with each other are very different from each other and therefore are opposed. (因信仰、观点或质量不同而) 产生分歧

   • Don’t make any policy decisions which clash with official company thinking.
   不要做与公司官方理念有分歧的任何政策性决定。

4. N-COUNT Clash is also a noun. 分歧

   • Inside government, there was a clash of views.
   政府内部有意见分歧。

5. V-RECIP If one colour or style clashes with another, the colours or styles look ugly together. You can also say that two colours or styles clash. (颜色、风格等) 不协调

   • The red door clashed with the soft, natural tones of the stone walls.
   这红色的门与柔和自然色调的石墙不协调。

6. V-I If one event clashes with another, the two events happen at the same time so that you cannot attend both of them. (两件事因发生的时间相同而) 产生冲突

perform

• 简易

英/pəˈfɔːm/美/pərˈfɔːrm/
v.演出，表演；执行，履行（尤指复杂的任务或行动）；运行，表现；起……作用，有……功能

初中 | 高中 | CET4 | CET6 | 考研 | IELTS | TOEFL | SAT | 商务英语
第三人称单数performs现在分词performing过去式performed过去分词performed

• 《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

perform/pəˈfɔːm/|CET4 TEM4
performing performed performs

1. V-T When you perform a task or action, especially a complicated one, you do it. 做; 执行 (尤指复杂的任务或行动)

   • We’re looking for people of all ages who have performed outstanding acts of bravery, kindness, or courage.
   我们正在寻找各个年龄的、曾有过无畏、善良或英勇之举的杰出人士。

   • His council had had to perform miracles on a tiny budget.
   他的委员会不得不靠一笔微薄的预算来创造奇迹。

2. V-T If something performs a particular function, it has that function. 行使 (某种功能)

   • An engine has many parts, each performing a different function.
   一部发动机有很多部件，各自行使不同的功能。

3. V-T If you perform a play, a piece of music, or a dance, you do it in front of an audience. 演出; 演奏

   • Gardiner has pursued relentlessly high standards in performing classical music.
   加德纳在演奏古典音乐方面始终不懈地追求高标准。

   • This play was first performed in 411 BC.
   该剧于公元前411年首次上演。

4. V-I If someone or something performs well, they work well or achieve a good result. If they perform badly, they work badly or achieve a poor result. 表现 (好/不好)

   • He had not performed well in his exams.
   过去考试他都考得不好。

   • State-owned industries will always perform poorly.
   国有工业将始终经营不善。

expectation

• 简易

英/ˌekspekˈteɪʃ(ə)n/美/ˌekspekˈteɪʃn/
n.期待，预期；期望，指望

高中 | CET4 | CET6 | 考研 | IELTS | 商务英语
复数expectations

• 《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

expectation/ˌɛkspɛkˈteɪʃən/|CET4 TEM4

1. N-UNCOUNT Your expectations are your strong hopes or beliefs that something will happen or that you will get something that you want. 期盼

   • Their hope, and their expectation, was that she was going to be found safe and that she would be returned to her family.
   他们的希望和期盼是她被找到时安全无恙并被送回她家。

2. N-COUNT A person’s expectations are strong beliefs they have about the proper way someone should behave or something should happen. 期望

   • Stephen Chase had determined to live up to the expectations of the company.
   斯蒂芬·蔡斯已决心不辜负公司的期望。