IELTS Listening · Cam 12

Test 1 Part 4

In public discussion of business, we take certain values for granted. Today I'm going to talk about four of them.

Level: C1 · 103 sentences

Transcript

  1. In public discussion of business, we take certain values for granted.
  2. Today I'm going to talk about four of them.
  3. Collaboration, hard work, creativity and excellence.
  4. Most people would say they're all good things.
  5. I'm going to suggest that's an over-simple view.
  6. The trouble with these values is that they're theoretical concepts,
  7. Removed from the reality of day-to-day business.
  8. Pursue values by all means,
  9. But be prepared for what may happen as a result.
  10. They can actually cause damage, which is not at all the intention.
  11. Business leaders generally try to do the right thing,
  12. But all too often the right thing backfires.
  13. If those leaders adopt values without understanding
  14. And managing the side effects that arise.
  15. The values can easily get in the way of what's actually intended.
  16. OK, so the first value I'm going to discuss is collaboration.
  17. Let me give you an example.
  18. On a management training course I once attended,
  19. We were put into groups
  20. And had to construct a bridge across a stream.
  21. Using building blocks that we were given.
  22. The rule was that everyone in the team
  23. Had to move at least one building block during the construction.
  24. This was intended to encourage teamwork.
  25. But it was really a job best done by one person.
  26. The other teams tried to collaborate
  27. On building the structure and descended into confusion,
  28. With everyone getting in each other's way.
  29. Our team leader solved the challenge brilliantly.
  30. She simply asked everyone in the team to move a piece
  31. A few centimetres to comply with the rule,
  32. And then let the person in the team
  33. With an aptitude for puzzles like this build it alone.
  34. We finished before any other team.
  35. My point is that the task wasn't really suited to team working,
  36. So why make it one?
  37. Teamwork can also lead to inconsistency, a common cause of poor sales.
  38. In the case of a smartphone that a certain company launched,
  39. One director wanted to target the business market
  40. And another demanded it was aimed at consumers.
  41. The company wanted both directors to be involved,
  42. So gave the product a consumer-friendly name but marketed it to companies.
  43. The result was that it met the needs of neither group.
  44. It would have been better to let
  45. One director or the other have his way.
  46. Not both. Now,
  47. Industriousness or hard work.
  48. It's easy to mock people who say they work hard.
  49. After all, a hamster running around in a wheel
  50. Is working hard and getting nowhere.
  51. Of course, hard work is valuable, but only when properly targeted.
  52. Otherwise, it wastes the resources that companies value most,
  53. Time and energy, and that's bad for the organisation.
  54. There's a management model that groups people according to four criteria.
  55. Clever, hardworking, stupid and lazy.
  56. Here, lazy means having a rational
  57. Determination not to carry out unnecessary tasks.
  58. It doesn't mean trying to avoid work altogether.
  59. Most people display two of these characteristics,
  60. And the most valuable people are those
  61. Who are both clever and lazy.
  62. They possess intellectual clarity and they don't rush into making decisions.
  63. They come up with solutions to save the time
  64. And energy spent by the stupid and hard-working group.
  65. Instead of throwing more man-hours at a problem,
  66. The clever and lazy group looks for a more effective solution.
  67. Next, we come to creativity.
  68. This often works well.
  69. Creating an attention-grabbing TV commercial,
  70. For example, might lead to increased sales.
  71. But it isn't always a good thing.
  72. Some advertising campaigns are remembered for their creativity
  73. Without having any effect on sales.
  74. This happened a few years ago
  75. With the launch of a chocolate bar.
  76. Subsequent research showed that plenty of consumers remembered the adverts
  77. But had no idea what was being advertised.
  78. The trouble is that the creator
  79. Derives pleasure from coming up with the idea
  80. And wrongly assumes the audience for the campaign will share that feeling.
  81. A company that brings out thousands of new products
  82. May seem more creative than a company that only has a few,
  83. But it may be too creative.
  84. And make smaller profits creativity needs to be targeted
  85. To solve a problem that the company has identified
  86. Just coming up with more and more novel products
  87. Isn't necessarily a good thing and finally
  88. Excellence we all know companies that claim they strive for excellence
  89. But it takes a long time to achieve excellence
  90. In business Being first with a product
  91. Is more profitable than having the best product.
  92. A major study of company performance compared pioneers, that is,
  93. Companies bringing out the first version of a particular product,
  94. With followers, the companies that copied and improved on that product.
  95. The study found that the pioneers
  96. Commanded an average market share of 29%.
  97. While the followers achieved less than half that,
  98. Only 13%, even though their product might have been better.
  99. Insisting on excellence in everything we do is time-consuming,
  100. Wastes energy and leads to losing out on opportunities.
  101. Sometimes second-rate work is more worthwhile than excellence.
  102. Make sure it's excellent sounds like a good approach to business.
  103. But the just-get-started approach is likely to be more successful.