商务英语09

（文章来源于网络，侵删，个人翻译水平不好，如有不当之处，欢迎指正）

原文

Trouble with Teamwork

Mary Owen examines the role and efficiency of teams
Mary Owen考察了团队的作用和效率

Recruiters say that candidates who can give examples of work they have done as members of a successful team are in as strong a position as those who can point to significant individual achievement. Indeed, too much of the latter may suggest that the person concerned is not a 'team player' - one of the more serious failings in the book of management.
招聘人员说，那些能够举出他们作为一个成功团队成员所做工作的例子的候选人，与那些能够指出个人重大成就的人一样，处于一个强有力的地位。事实上，后者中有太多可能暗示相关人员不是“团队合作者”，这是《管理学》中较严重的失误之一。

The importance of being a team player is a side effect of the increasing interaction across departments and functional divides. Instead of pushing reports, paperwork and decisions around the organisation, 'teams provide a dynamic meeting place where ideas can be shared and expertise more carefully targeted at important business issues,' says Steve Gardner, in his book Key Management Concepts. He adds, 'Globalisation has added a further dimension to teamwork. Multinational teams now study policy decisions in the light of their impact on the local market.'
作为一个团队成员的重要性是跨部门和职能划分的交互作用日益增强的副作用。Steve Gardner在《关键管理概念》一书中说，团队提供了一个动态的会议场所，可以在那里分享想法，更仔细地针对重要的业务问题提供专业知识，而不是在整个组织内推动报告、文书工作和决策。他补充道，“全球化为团队合作增加了一个更大的维度。跨国团队现在根据对当地市场的影响来研究政策决策。

But is teamworking being overdone? 'Some managers are on as many as seven or eight different teams', says Dr Cathy Bandy, a psychologist who recently ran a conference on the subject. 'They take up so much time that managers can't get on with core tasks.' Forming teams and having meetings has, she says, become an end in itself, almost regardless of purpose. There is also the danger of an unhealthy desire to keep the team going after the work has been done. 'People feel the need to belong, and team membership can provide a kind of psychological support.'
但团队合作是否过度？心理学家卡西班迪博士最近参加了一个关于这个问题的会议，他说：“有些管理人员可能会有七到八个不同的团队。” “如此多的团队占用了很多时间，经理们无法继续完成核心任务。”她说，组建团队和举行会议本身就是一种目的，几乎无视初心为何。在工作完成后，还有一种不合理的意愿是让这种团队继续运行下去，这很危险。 “人们觉得需要有归属感，而团队成员可以给彼此提供一种心理支持。”

The idea behind teamworking is that, when the right group of people is brought together, a 'force' develops which is greater than the sum of their individual talents. This is often true in sport, where good players can reach unexpected heights as members of an international team. However,few business situations have as clear a set of objectives, or as clear criteria of success or failure, as winning a match.
团队合作背后的理念是，当契合的群体聚集在一起时，一股“力量”就会发展起来，这比他们个人才能的总和还要大。这在体育运动中经常得到验证，国际顶尖团队的运动员通常会达到超乎想象的高度。然而，很少有业务情况能像赢得一场比赛那样有一个明确的目标，或成败的明确标准。

'In business, everyone needs to be clear about what the challenge is and whether a team is the right way of approaching it', says Steve Gardner. 'Unfortunately, people focus instead on who the members of the team should be and what roles they are to play' Dr Bandy agrees. 'There is always a danger that teams can turn into committees,' she says. 'In a lot of situations, one or two individuals would be much more effective.'
史蒂夫·加德纳说：“在商界，每个人都需要清楚挑战是什么，以及团队的应对方式是否正确是否是正确的应对方式。”不幸的是，人们把注意力集中团队成员应该怎样以及拓本莹在团队中扮演什么角色。她说，团队变成委员会的危险总是存在的。在很多情况下，一到两个人会更有效。

So what makes a successful team? There are some general qualities that have been identified. Steve Gardner recommends that in every team there should be someone who is good at researching ideas and another who is good at shooting down impractical ones. There should be those who can resolve the tensions that naturally occur in a team and others who are focused on getting the job done. Also, providing a clear and achievable target at the outset is the best way of ensuring that the team will move on to greater things.
那么，是什么造就了一个成功的团队呢？人们已经确定了一些基本的品性要求。史蒂夫·加德纳建议，在每一个团队中，都应该有一个善于研究想法的人，再有一个善于打倒不切实际的想法的人。还应该有能够解决团队中紧张关系的人，以及那些专注于完成工作的人。同时，在一开始就提供一个明确和可实现的目标，这些是确保团队能够继续朝着更大的目标前进的最好方法。

生词

1. Recruiters n. 招聘人员，征兵人员

   • f you, as a recruiter, could identify potential high-performers, how much more respect would you get?
     如果您作为一个招聘者，可以发现潜在的高表演，如何更尊重你？

2. latter adj. 后者的;末了的;较后的

   • He is getting into the latter years of his care.
     他正步入职业生涯的后半程。

3. expertise n. 专门知识或技能;专家的意见;专家评价，鉴定

   • To grow the business, he needs to develop management expertise and innovation across his team.
     为了拓展业务，他需要提高整个团队的管理技能和创新能力。

4. dimension n. 尺寸;[复]面积，范围;[物]量纲;[数]次元，度，维 adj. （石料，木材）切成特定尺寸的 vt. 把…刨成（或削成）所需尺寸;标出尺寸

   • There is a political dimension to the accusations.
     这些指控含有政治方面的因素。

5. criteria n. （批评、判断等的）标准，准则( criterion的名词复数 );(criterion的复数)

   • It is hard to make out what criteria are used.
     很难弄清楚使用的是什么样的标准。

6. outset n. 开始，开端

   • Decide at the outset what kind of learning programme you want to follow.
     开始时就选定自己的学习方案。