5月11日
The New International Style of Management
Today’s transnational road warriors and businesses are forging an international style of business. Do you speak their language?
Andy Klump was excelling at his job in China when the company’s performance-review process underwent a change. As part of the new approach, Klump was expected to make an assessment of his boss and deliver it to him in person. Recalls Klump, “I had achieved success, was enjoying rapid promotions, and worked well with my manager.”
Says Klump, “I understood enough of Chinese culture to know that you rarely, if ever, confront someone in a group setting, so I waited to have a one-on-one session with my boss. I structured my feedback logically and ‘toned down’ my comments to show respect, while still providing constructive ideas. Initially, he seemed to take the feedback well. But then I gradually noticed a distancing in our relationship. Eventually, I realized that he did not support my further career progression as he had before.”
When Klump discussed the matter with a fellow team member, she laughed and told him, “You are too American! No matter how toned down your comments might be, it’s still too direct.”
Business across cultures
Klump’s experience is a reminder of just how complicated, on a personal level, globalization and managing across cultures can be. On the one hand, the world seems small and interconnected, thanks to high-speed technology, travel and communications. On the other hand, beneath a deceptive veneer of familiarity, cultural gulfs often remain hidden.
Amid these conflicting realities, however, a youthful and growing cosmopolitan business class is bring these different worlds closer together. Despite national differences, these transnational road warriors frequently have a common grounding in education, professional background, and global popular and business culture. In the arena of international commerce, they share an expectation that differences will be set aside n order to advance with common purpose toward a larger goal-getting the task at hand done right.
Specialized Terms
Road warrior (n) 经常从事商务旅游的人 a person working in business who travels a lot
Vocabulary Focus
Forge (v) to make or produce, especially with some difficulty 建立
Transnational (adj) reaching beyond national boundaries
Assessment (n) a judgment regarding the amount, value, quality or importance of something
Deceptive (adj) making you believe something that is not true
Veneer (n) a thin covering which hides something unpleasant or unwanted 虚伪的外表
Gulf (n) an important difference between the ideas, opinions or situations of two groups of people
Cosmopolitan (adj) containing or having experience of people and things from many different parts of the world 无民族偏见的
Discussion Question
If you had been Andy Klump, how would you have handled your one-on-one assessment of your boss?
Extra Exercise
1. Translate the following sentence into Chinese, ‘On the other hand, beneath a deceptive veneer of familiarity, cultural gulfs often remain hidden.’
2. According the audio, what’s Doris’ definition of ‘road warrior’?
说明：
1.文本摘自《Advanced 彭蒙惠英语》，由chandler30亲自录入。
2.回帖内容为大家讨论类话题，如非个人隐私，请不要选中“只有楼主可见”，以便大家交流。
3.参考答案在二楼，回复可见。
4.参与讨论问题奖励50沪元，回答问题奖励50沪元，本栏目谢绝灌水!