SECTION 4

Good morning everyone.

大家早上好。

Now whether you're going to university to study business or some other subject, many of you will eventually end up working for a company of some kind.

现在，无论你是去大学学习商业还是其他的一些科目，很多人最终都是为某个公司工作。

Now, when you first start working somewhere you will realise that the organisation you've joined has certain characteristics.

现在，当你在某处第一次开始工作的时候，你会意识到，你所加入的组织有一定的特点。

And we often refer to these social characteristics as the culture of the organisation - this includes its unwritten ideas, beliefs, values and things like that.

我们经常称这些社会特性为组织文化，包括它的不成文的思想、信仰、价值观和类似的东西。

One well known writer has classified company cultures by identifying four major types.

一个著名的作家将公司文化分为四种主要类型。

The first type is called the Power Culture, and it's usually found in small organisations.

第一种被称为权力文化，这通常都被发现在小型组织内。

It's the type of culture that needs a central source of power to be effective, and because control is in the hands of just one or two people, there aren't many rules or procedures.

它是一种需要中央权力来源有效的文化，因为控制权在一两个人的手中，也没有很多的规则或程序。

Another characteristic is that communication usually takes the form of conversations rather than, say, formal meetings or written memos.

另一个特点是交流通常采用对话的形式，而不是像正式会议或书面备忘录。

Now one of the benefits of this culture is that the organisation has the ability to act quickly, so it responds well to threat or danger, on the one hand, and opportunity on the other.

这种文化的好处之一就是，该组织有能力迅速行动，所以它可以一方面很好地应对危机和危险，另一方面很好地面对机会。

But on the negative side, this type of organisation doesn't always act effectively, because it depends too much on one or two people at the top, and when these people make poor decisions there's no-one else who can influence them.

但消极方面，这类组织不能总是有效应对，因为它过于依赖顶层的一两个人，而当这些人做出错误决定，没人能影响他们。

And the kind of person who does well in this type of business culture is one who is happy to take risks, and for whom job security is a low priority.

并且可以在这类组织做的很好的人都是喜欢冒险的，对他们，职业安全感优先级很低。

The next type is known as Role Culture - that's R-O-L-E, not R-O-double L, by the way, and this type is usually found in large companies, which have lots of different levels in them.

下一个类型被称为角色文化，顺便说一下，是R-O-L-E，不是R-O-两个L。这种类型通常是在大型公司，他们有很多不同的层级。

These organisations usually have separate departments that specialise in things like finance, or sales, or maintenance, or whatever.

这些组织通常有单独的部门专门从事像金融，或销售，或维修，或其它什么的。

Each one is co-ordinated at the top by a small group of senior managers, and typically everyone's job is controlled by sets of rules and procedures - for example, there are specific job descriptions, rules for discipline, and so on.

每一个部门由顶层的一小部分高级经理来协调，通常经理每个人的工作都是由规则和工作流程来管控的，例如，有特定的职位工作说明、纪律条例等等。

What are the benefits of this kind of culture?

这种文化的好处是什么？

Well firstly, because it's found in large organisations, its fixed costs, or overheads as they're known, are low in relation to its output, or what it produces.

首先，因为它在大型组织中，它的固定成本或已知的管理费用，相对它的产出或产生，是很低的。

In other words it can achieve economies of scale.

换句话说，它可以实现规模经济。

And secondly, it is particularly successful in business markets where technical expertise is important.

其次，在技术专长很重要的商业市场中，它尤其是成功的。

On the other hand, this culture is often very slow to recognise the need for change, and even slower to react. What kind of person does this type of culture suit?

另一方面，这种文化往往非常缓慢才能认识到改变的需要，甚至更慢才应对。这种文化类型适合什么样的人？

Well it suits employees who value security, and who don't particularly want to have responsibility.

它很适合那些看重职业安全感、且不太愿意承担责任的员工。

Moving on now to Task Cultures - this type is found in organisations that are project-oriented.

现在到任务文化，这个类型通常存在于项目导向的组织内。

You usually find it where the market for the company's product is extremely competitive or where the products themselves have a short life-span.

公司产品的市场竞争非常激烈或产品本身的生命周期短暂的地方，通常会有这一类。

Usually top management delegates the projects, the people and other resources.

高层管理者通常授权项目，人和其他资源。

And once these have been allocated, little day-to-day control is exercised from the top, because this would seem like 'breaking the rules'.

一旦这些被分配， 就甚少有从上级的日常管控，因为这似乎是“打破规则”。

Now one of the major benefits of this culture is that it's flexible.

现在，这种文化的主要优点之一是它的灵活性。

But it does have some major disadvantages too.

但它也有一些主要缺点。

For instance, it can't produce economies of scale or great depth of expertise.

例如，它不能产生规模经济或深度的专业知识。

People who like working in groups or teams prefer this type of culture.

喜欢在团队中工作的人更喜欢这种类型的文化。

And finally, the fourth category is called the Person Culture ...

最后，第四种类型被称为个人文化……