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| 2010/07/23 20:38:26瀏覽645｜回應0｜推薦5 | |
西方有句古諺說得好 “一滴蜂蜜比一加侖的膽汁可以捕獲更多的蒼蠅”(a drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall.” 的確, 美言一句三冬暖, 惡話半句已嫌多。曾任美國 Ford 公司總裁及董事長的 Donald E. Petersen, 在他那本 “更好的點子”(A Better Idea)一書中, 寫道 “ 人只要自覺重要, 對工作有自豪之理由, 都能完成了不起的事情”(If given a sense of importance, a reason to take pride in their work, people will accomplish marvelous things.” 作者那些“更好的點子” 絕非憑空產生, 而是累積四十年之經驗的產物(These ideas didn’t come to me overnight. They are the product of forty years’ experience.” 他指出在Ford工作的1980年代那十年, “That was a very refreshing experience.” 令他振奮, 耳目一新, 當然收穫良多, “The gains Ford made over those ten years were extremely exhilarating and rewarding, and they got a lot of attention. 但是他個人覺得最大的滿足, 是觀察人們如何改變對工作本身, 以及與工作夥伴間的互動關係。“But personally, my great satisfaction came from watching people change the way they thought about their jobs and how they related to their coworkers.” 這本書究竟想寫出什麼 “好點子”呢？下面這長句子讀者一定要朗誦出來 “ This book identifies the philosophies and methods that can help any company or organization transform itself from a place where everybody hates to come to work to a place where people trust one another and enjoy working together.” 是什麼方針與方法, 可以使員工產生如此大的轉變？從討厭去上班轉變成和樂融融, 互信共事？作者更強調“What matters most in a service firm is not what you do with your hands but what you do with your head.” 他認為對一家以服務掛帥的公司而言, 最重要的不是手的服務, 而是腦的服務。而許多美國公司所以經營出問題, 大部份均是輕忽人的問題較多。(an important contributing factor has been neglect of the human element in business) 因為傳統經營法均以官大學問大方式(top-down approach), 使得下屬發揮的空間十分狹窄(leaves little room for the average individual to think) 而且只有領導者與少數的親信才能夠參與策略與行動計畫的制定, 完全是領導者訂定方向; 部署服從的情形。(Only the leader and a few intimates and staff people are involved in developing a strategy and a plan of action. The leader gives direction; the subordinates obey.) 當然, 這種經營公司的方式, 容易使公司陷入相當危險的境地(Companies that are run this way are in serious jeopardy.) 而且, 絕大部份的狀況, 領導者永遠是意見的最後定奪者(It’s quite clear that most of the time, the leader’s opinions are the only ones that really count.) 員工呢？經常成為主管的出氣筒, 想想看你的工作環境, “Does anyone ever ask you how things could be improved? Does your supervisor say he’s listening to your ideas, but he really isn’t? Are you encouraged one day, then criticized the next? 你直屬上司的行為是否情緒常受環境或他當日感覺所影響？有時好好的, 突然間完全變另一個人, 衝著你來, 批評你, 讓你信心全無(Then he suddenly turns on you, criticizing you and undermining your confidence.) 在此情境下, 大部份的員工都是退縮的, “they quickly learned to quit sticking their neck out and retreat back into their shells.” 這種作風往往造成員工心理上諾大的斲傷, 腐蝕其自尊心, 自覺一無是處“Operating like this caused enormous psychological damage. Basically, it erodes people’s sense of self-esteem, making them feel that they’re not worth much.” 這真是非常糟糕的狀況, 尤其國內甚至國外競爭者(competitors) 均視其員工為最大資源之際(recognize that their workers are their greatest resource), 這將使公司面臨被淘汰的命運(Companies that don’t do so are in danger of being put out of business.) 所以, “人”才是成功的關鍵, 不是科技, 也不是利潤(You should also adopt the philosophy that people--- not technology, not profit--- are the key to your success.) 品管圈(Quality Circle)的提倡者是戴明博士(Dr. Deming), 然而讓這觀念開花結果的卻是日本。作者指出 “ Dr. Deming helped me see why continuously improving is so important.) 品質的改進必需是持續的, 年復一年的, 如逆水行舟, 不進則退。 “The common wisdom is that American cars deteriorated badly in the 1970s. 業界共同認為美國車在1970年代, 品質不斷式微。其實不是如此, “In fact they didn’t; the quality was about the same at the end of the decade as it was at the beginning. 原來品質並未降低, 仍然一樣, 而是 “But Japanese cars steadily improved year after year.” 日本車年年都在進步！ 讀者一定還記得, 美國開始向日本取經, 像日本第一(Japan as No 1)諸類的書如雨後春筍, Ford 公司亦組團赴日本參觀, 讓他們大開眼界的是, “Many of the people at Ford believed that the Japanese were succeeding because they used highly sophisticated machinery. Others thought their industry was orchestrated by Japan’s government.” 他們原以為日本厲害是因為機器精良, 日本政府大規模有秩序地協助產業, 他們訪查所發現的真相是： “The value of our visits, however, lay in Ford people’s discovery that the real real secret was how the people worked together--- how the Japanese companies organized their people into teams, trained their workers with the skills they needed, and gave them the power to do their jobs properly.” 真正的祕訣在於人們如何共事, --- 公司如何組織員工成為團隊, 訓練員工所需之技能, 賦予員工權力, 使其工作順暢。 作者特別提到賦權(empowerment), 他指出 “If an engineer has the knowledge to make a decision, then let him make it; if a department chief knows the correct equipment for the job, she should be able to buy it. In most companies, too many upper-level managers make all the decisions.” 有些公司連授權(delegation)都做不到, 更遑論賦權了。Petersen 認為最能表現信任部屬的方式, 便是讓他們花更多的錢(The best way to show them that you trust them is to let them spend more money.) 上司用 “ Before you do that, check with me.” 乃是對屬下缺乏信任(lack of trust)的用語, 至於如何增強信心, 他除了推薦Carnegie 演說課程, 並大力推薦員工盡量接受指派的公開演講(take public speaking assignment), 更鼓勵員工代表公司與記者談話(talk with journalists on behalf of the company) 。
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