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Make Change Work for Your Business 企业转型起飞的关键

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It’s been said that the only reliable constant in business is change, and that saying has even greater validity when applied to the area of organizational development. The latest contribution to the ever-evolving body of writing surrounding change management comes from two authors, John McGuire and Gary Rhodes, and is titled Transforming Your Leadership Culture. Both McGuire and Rhodes have decades of corporate experience that they draw on while currently working with the prestigious Center for Creative Leadership.

俗话说，商业界唯一真实可信的常数（译注：常数即不变的数），就是改变；而这句话如果套用在企业发展的领域。更是非常贴切。有关变革管理的著作大量问世，而其中的一本新作，是出自约翰．麦浍尔和盖瑞．罗德斯两位作者之手，书名是《转化领导文化》。麦浍尔和罗德斯有数十年的企业咨询经验可以汲取，而目前则和备受推崇的创意领导中心合作。

The Failure of Organizational Change  企业转化的败笔

Their latest collaboration readily lays out the sobering results from a variety of studies showing that organizations fail between 66 percent and 75 percent of the time when trying to implement a new initiative or transformational program.

两人最新合作的成果，是迅速提出了各式各样令人警醒的研究结果，而这些结果显示，各家企业试图执行新方案或改革方案的失败率，高达六成六至七成五之间。

Such alarming stats make you wonder if the consultancy-driven discipline of organizational development is little more than an elaborate Ponzi scheme. Fortunately, McGuire and Rhodes think organizational development is more than a confidence game. They believe the critical breakpoint between a thoughtful change strategy and its execution occurs within the organization’s existing leadership culture.

宛如警钟般的数据（译注：stats是statistics的简写）令人不禁纳闷，坊间以咨询顾问为导向的企业发展专业机构，可能比精心策划的庞兹骗局高明不了多少。所幸，麦浍尔和罗德斯认为，企业发展并非只是赢得他人信任后再加以诈骗的伎俩。他们坚信，从深思熟虑的改革策略的成形，乃至于执行策略的期间，真正能诱发改变的那个关键点（译注：breakpoint指开始改变的那一个点），其实是发生在企业目前的领导文化上。

That point is driven home in a novel thought progression presented in the book that all organizational systems are first and foremost human systems. These are embodied and carried forward through an organization’s leadership culture. According to the authors, the only way to effectively harness this leadership culture is to transform it into an interdependent-collaborative model.

书中所提的一个相当创新的思路，正阐明了这一点，那就是所有企业体系仍然以人的体系为主，而企业的领导文化则体现、履行出这些人的体系。根据作者的说法，能有效控制这种领导文化的唯一方式，就是把这种文化转化成一种相互依存－相互合作的模式。

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constant [ˋkɑnstənt] n.【数】【物】常数

validity [vəˋlɪdətɪ] n. 正当；正确；确实

evolve [ɪˋvɑlv] v. 发展；进化；成长

draw on 汲取, 利用 to use or exploit

prestigious [prɛsˋtɪdʒɪəs] adj. 享有声望的, 声望很高的

lay out 阐述；讲解；说明 to display

sobering [ˋsobərɪŋ] adj. 重大的；严重的

consultancy [kənˋsʌltənsɪ] n. 咨询公司，顾问服务公司

little more than 和…无差别[一样] used for emphasizing that someone or something is not at all important or impressive

elaborate [ɪˋlæbə͵ret] adj. 精心制作的

Ponzi scheme 庞兹骗局(一种以高收益率为诱饵，用后来投资者付的部分款项充当利润支付初期的投资者，诱骗更多人上当，义裔美人Charles Ponzi 虽非发明者，但却是操作此法而举世哗然的人) an investment scheme in which early investors are paid supposed profits from money actually invested by latter participants

confidence game（获得对方信任而后的）欺骗

confidence [ˋkɑnfədəns] n. 信赖，信任

breakpoint 转效点

thoughtful [ˋθɔtfəl] adj. 经缜密思考的

drive home 把……讲透彻  make clear by special emphasis and try to convince somebody of something

progression [prəˋgrɛʃən] n. 发展; 进步

first and foremost 比什么都重要; 首要的 first to be dealt with and most important

carry forward 推进, 使前进 transfer from one time period to the next

interdependent-collaborative model 相互依存－相互合作的模式  a system where people rely on one another in order to work together for a special purpose

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The Unique Perspective  独特的观点

The authors offer robust examples, case studies and research to chart a preliminary path that’s supposed to hasten this migration of the entire organization over to a more collaboratively interdependent structure, but the whole thing hinges on the embedded leadership culture. In their recognition of that fact, McGuire and Rhodes make some seemingly inconsequential observations that are startling, true and as powerful as anything else in the book.

作者提出了强有力的例证、个案研究和研究结果，来谱出初步的可行之道，据信能加速整个企业的转型，使公司能更趋近于相互合作、相互依存的组织结构；不过，这一切仍要取决于企业内部根深蒂固的领导文化。一眼看穿这个事实的麦浍尔和罗德斯，也发表了一些观察结果，虽然表面上看似无足轻重，但其实这些观察的惊人程度、真实性和震撼性，绝不亚于书中其他内容。

One example is their statement that executives need to be the first in the organization to do the heavy lifting that the desired change requires by engagement and example. This is a soft bit of discipline in this new age of government bailouts in the aftermath of poor corporate stewardship.

举例来说，他们建议，企业高层应身先士卒，去执行难度最高的任务，才能藉由亲自投入和亲身示范来促成企业所期盼的转变。如今我们处在企业舵手治理无方，导致政府不得不出手相救的新时局里（译注：指近来的经济不景气，部份肇因于企业高层治理失当，导致公司亏损，而政府有鉴于企业规模极大而不能让它们倒闭，而被迫出手注资挽救），作者所提出的解决之道，倒堪称是相当柔性的训练法则。

Next, the authors champion the idea that everybody needs to “get bigger brains,” beginning with the organizational brass. While this may include formal course work and an advanced degree, McGuire and Rhodes suggest it’s more of a self awakening that needs to occur. This expanded thinking requires the collective and individual leaders to shake off the trappings of personal performance and position – moving into the accountability arena. These would be stunningly stark remarks from consultant-for-hire to boldly convey to its corporate benefactors. However, the message is valid.

接下来，作者极力鼓吹，每个人的「脑袋瓜都必须变得更灵光」才行，而且该从企业高层做起。虽然这种方式可能意味着必须研修正式的课程，甚至是拿更高的学位，但麦浍尔和罗德斯建议，重点其实在于，企业人必须要能自我觉醒；而这种扩大的思惟方式，要求企业集体的领导阶层和各个领袖本身，都能共同努力以摆脱强调个人表现和地位的传统导向──并大步迈向当责之路（译注：或译课责，强调当责者应肩挑应负的责任，并负责地执行任务，且为结果负完全的责任，不找借口推诿责任）。这两位靠企业雇请来谋生的咨询顾问，居然会对企业界花钱的大老板，大胆直言不讳，着实令人惊讶的，不过，这番话说得一点不假。

But this type of the tact seems necessary to counter the corporate inertia of inactivity and reverse the unacceptable three-quarters failure rate of organizational development stated earlier. The central question after reading this book is whether or not the jaded leaders and organizational executives who’ve witnessed or experienced one of these transformational flops are willing to risk it again – only this time doing it the correct way by becoming the desired change themselves, thereby transforming the leadership culture.

话说回来，若真想扭转毫无活动力的企业惰性；以及先前提到过，企业发展企图改革的失败率高达四分之三，如果想扭转高得令人无法接受的失败率，那么作者所提到的手段诚属必要。读完本书之后，会浮现的一个重要问题就是，那些早已见识过或体验过改革失败、而感到疲惫失望的领袖和企业高层，是否愿意挺身再次冒险──只不过，他们这回采用的是正确之道，也就是从自身开始做起，亲自履行所期望的改变，因为只有这样才能进而改变企业的领导文化。

−by Stephanie Patterson

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robust [rəˋbʌst] adj. (观点等) 强烈的，坚定的，坚决的

chart [tʃɑrt] v. 记录，跟踪(进展)

preliminary [prɪˋlɪmə͵nɛrɪ] adj. 初步的; 开端的

hasten [ˋhesn] v. 催促；加速

hinge [hɪndʒ] on 取决于,视…而定 to depend on

startling [ˋstɑrt!ɪŋ] adj. 令人吃惊的

heavy lifting 困难或甚吃力的工作 serious or difficult activities or work

engagement [ɪnˋgedʒmənt] n. 投入（工作），参加（行动）

example [ɪgˋzæmp!] n. 范例; 样本; 代表

soft [sɔft] adj. 温柔的；宽厚的；和蔼的

government bailout 政府出手纾困 the act of a government helping a company out of financial difficulties by giving or lending them money

bailout [ˋbel͵aʊt] n. 紧急（财政）援助

stewardship [ˋstjuwɚd͵ʃɪp] n. 管理; 管理工作

champion [ˋtʃæmpɪən] v. 拥护，支持

organizational brass  企业高层   high-raking, important officials within a company

brass [bræs] n.【口】高级军官（或官员，职员）

more of  更大程度上；更多地是…to a greater extent or degree

trappings [ˋtræpɪŋz] n. 虚饰

accountability [ə͵kaʊntəˋbɪlətɪ] n. 负有责任; 负有责任

arena [əˋrinə] n.【喻】竞争场所，活动场所

stunningly [ˋstʌnɪŋlɪ] adv. 绝妙地; 极其; 令人震惊地；使人目瞪口呆地

stark [stɑrk] adj. 赤裸裸的; 严酷的

benefactor [ˋbɛnə͵fæktɚ] n. 捐助人；施主；恩人

valid [ˋvælɪd] adj. 有根据的；确凿的；令人信服的

corporate inertia 企业惰性 the tendency within an organization not to change what is happening

inertia [ɪnˋɝʃə] n.【物】惯性；惯量；惰性; 不活动；迟钝；懒惰

reverse [rɪˋvɝs] v. 翻转

transformational flop 改革失败 a failure that occurs during the process of changing and trying to improve something

flop [flɑp] n.（作品、演出等的）失败

单词发音

Vocabulary Focus

novel [ˋnɑv!] adj. 新的，新颖的，新奇的 new and original, not like anything seen before

embody [ɪmˋbɑdɪ] v. 体现，使具体化 to include as part of something

harness [ˋhɑrnɪs] v. 利用；控制 to control something, usually in order to use its power

embedded [ɪmˋbɛdɪd] adj. 植入的；嵌入的；埋入的 existing within something or under the surface

inconsequential [ɪn͵kɑnsəˋkwɛnʃəl] adj. 不重要的 not important; able to be ignored

shake off the trappings 摆脱外部的虚饰…  to get rid of the things that are typical or symbolic of a position or situation

jaded [ˋdʒedɪd] adj. 疲倦不堪的, 厌倦的  not having interest or losing interest because something has been experienced too many times