2011年ESL之商务英语 22 Preferring Different Work Styles

22 Preferring Different Work Styles

GLOSSARY 1

to work out – to be successful; to be effective; to be the way people hope orexpected it would be

* Ahmed tried to become a rock musician, but when that didn’t work out, he wentback to school.

work style – the way one completes projects, working alone or with others,accepting or rejecting feedback, finishing work early or waiting until the lastminute, and more

* The interviewers asked Hilda a lot of questions about her work style, becausethey wanted to know whether she would be able to work with the rest of theteam.

to clash 2 – for two things to not match or not go well together; for two things to bevery different so that their combination is bad or ineffective

* The heavy metal music in his headphones clashed 3 with the peaceful, naturalsetting of the garden.

to butt 4 heads at every turn – to often disagree; to fight frequently

* Antonio and his roommate have been butting 5 heads at every turn, so he’s finallylooking for his own apartment.

to partner up – to put people in groups of two for a particular purpose; to pair up

* Have you ever thought about partnering up with Kyoko to start a new business?

to complement 6 – to be a good match for someone or something; to go well withsomeone or something else

* This lamp would complement the décor in your living room.

strength – something that one does very well; something that one is especiallygood at; a strong skill or ability

* Shawn’s greatest strength is his creativity.

collaborative – doing things as part of a team; working well with other people

* Are most inventions the result of a collaborative process, or the work of a singleinventor?

to talk things out – to explore one’s ideas by talking about them with anotherperson, usually so that things become clearer and one can decide what to do

* When Charlotte has trouble making a decision, she usually talks things out withher brother.

to go solo 7 – to do something by oneself, without involving other people

* - Do you want help shopping for a new suit?

* - No, thanks. I’m going to go solo this time.

to consult (someone) – to ask for someone’s opinion before doing something ormaking a decision

* I can’t believe you bought a new car without consulting your wife first!

autonomy 8 – independence; the ability to do things without involving other peopleor asking for their opinion or permission

* This company is known for giving its employees the autonomy they need tosolve customers’ problems as quickly as possible.

the sum is greater than the parts – a phrase used to mean that people whowork together are able to accomplish much more than those people couldaccomplish by working alone

* Our company relies on teamwork, because we all know that the sum is greaterthan the parts.

to pool – to share or combine; to use two or more things together or at the sametime

* If we pool our money, we’ll be able to rent a nice home on the beach.

to team up – to pair up; to begin working with another person when only twopeople will be involved

* Do you want to team up and work on this report together?

overrated – valued higher than the actual value of something; not as good orimpressive as something is generally thought to be

* Jim believes that honesty is overrated and that telling the truth brings nothingbut trouble.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Who isn’t very good at working as part of a team?

a) Hugo.

b) Melissa.

c) Leo.

2. What does Hugo mean when he says, “Two people pooling ideas will makethe product better”?

a) The product would be better if it could be used in a swimming pool.

b) Two people working together will come up with a better product.

c) Betting the on the product will make it better.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to clash

The verb “to clash,” in this podcast, means for two things to be very different sothat their combination is bad or ineffective: “Her outgoing personality at workclashes with the traditional stereotype 9 of how a librarian is supposed to act.” Theverb “to clash” also means for two colors or patterns to not look good together,especially for clothing: “Does this red blouse clash with these purple pants?” Theverb “to clash” can mean to fight or to begin fighting: “Do you think the police willclash with the demonstrators, or will everything remain peaceful?” Finally, thephrase “to clash over (something)” means to disagree on something and argueabout it: “Most of our family reunions end with a clash over politics or religion.”

to pool

In this podcast, the verb “to pool” means to share or combine, or to use two ormore things together or at the same time: “If all countries could just pool theirresources, we could put an end to world hunger.” A “carpool” is an arrangementwhere a group of people travel to and from work in a single car, usually to savemoney on gas and parking: “Why don’t you and Jan start a carpool, since youlive in the same neighborhood?” Finally, a “tide pool” is a shallow rocky area thatis below the surface of the ocean only part of the day, so that people can see seacreatures when it is not covered by water: “Look at the colorful starfish we foundin that tide pool!”

CULTURE NOTE

Collaboration 10 Between Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan and theVanderbiltsMany people know that Thomas Edison “invented” (created something for thefirst time) the first “practical” (able to be used in real life) “light bulb” (the round,glass ball that produces light when screwed into the base of a lamp). But that isonly part of the story. Edison had a lot of creative ideas, but he didn’t haveenough money to “realize” (make something happen) them on his own.

Edison needed “financial backing” (money that makes something possible), so hehad to collaborate 11 with “wealthy” (rich) people or businesses. Many “investors 12”

(people who give their money to a project because they believe it will besuccessful and will make them money) gave Edison “funding” (money to be usedfor a particular purpose) in the 1870s and 1880s. These investors included J.P.

Morgan and the Vanderbilts.

J.P. Morgan was a wealthy banker and an art collector. The Vanderbilts madetheir money in the “railroads” (companies related to transportation by train) and“shipping” (sending goods across large distances). Their funding led to thecreation of the Edison Electric Light Company, which later “merged” (joinedanother company) with the Thomson-Houston Electric Company to createGeneral Electric, which is still “in operation” (in business) today.

Edison’s funders supported him in other ways, too. For example, J.P. Morgan’shome in New York City became the first “private residence” (a home owned byan individual or family, not a business or government building) to have electriclighting in New York.

Edison’s success would not have been possible without collaborating 13 with J.P.

Morgan, the Vanderbilts, and other investors.

______________

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – b

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT 14

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast episode 15 732: PreferringDifferent Work Styles.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 732. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is eslpod.com. Join us now on Facebook; our Facebook address isFacebook.com/eslpod – makes sense! You can get a Learning Guide for thisepisode on our website by becoming a member of ESL Podcast. When youbecome a member, you get all the cool, secret stuff that only members get likeour Learning Guide.

This episode is a dialogue between Hugo and Melissa. They’re going to talkabout the way that people work – the style, the manner that different peoplework, describing those different work styles that you might find at a job or in lifegenerally. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Hugo: How do you like working with Leo? Is it working out?

Melissa: No, it’s not. Our work styles completely clash and we butt heads atevery turn.

Hugo: Really? I thought you were partnered up because you complementedeach other’s strengths.

Melissa: Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we can work well together. I’mcollaborative and like to talk things out. Leo likes to go solo. He goes off on hisown and comes back with a finished product, without consulting with me at all.

Hugo: Yeah, I’ve worked with Leo before and he likes having autonomy, but hehas to realize that the point of collaboration is that the sum is greater than theparts. Two people pooling ideas will make the product better.

Melissa: That’s the idea, anyway. Hey, I have a better idea. What do you thinkof you and me teaming up? We’re both collaborative. We’d make a great team.

Hugo: Yeah, but we also have the same skills. That’s why you’re working withLeo and I’m working with Lamar, remember?

Melissa: Yeah, I remember. I’m starting to think that collaboration is overrated.

[end of dialogue]

Hugo begins by saying, “How do you like working with Leo?” He’s askingMelissa, “Is it working out?” “To work out” is a two-word phrasal verb meaning, inthis case, to be successful, to be effective, to be the way that you hope or expectsomething to be. “I hope this relationship works out with my girlfriend; I really likeher.” Or, “I hope my new job works out,” I hope things go well. “To work out” canalso mean to exercise at a gym, for example.

Melissa says, “No, it’s not (it is not working out). Our work styles completelyclash and we butt heads at every turn.” Oh dear, sadness here in our story.

Melissa says that her work style and Leo’s work style completely clash. “Workstyle” is the way that you work. Some people like to work with other people,some people like to work alone, some people like to do everything early, somepeople like to do everything at the very end, and so forth 17. When we saysomething “clashes” (clash), in this case it means the two things don’t go welltogether, they don’t match; they’re very different, so it is a very bad combinationof elements or of things. “Clash” can have several other meanings, and you canfind those in the Learning Guide.

Melissa says that she and Leo butt heads at every turn. The phrase “to butt(butt) heads at every turn” means that you are always fighting, you’re oftendisagreeing about things, you’re constantly having arguments. Hugo says,“Really? I thought you were partnered up because you complemented 16 eachother’s strengths.” “To partner up” is a phrasal verb meaning to put people ingroups of two for some purpose. We might also say, “to pair up.” A teacher in aclassroom might partner up the students to work on an activity: “Johnny, youwork with Julie; and Bobby, you work with Billy,” and so forth. Melissa and Leo inour story were partnered up because they complemented each other’s strengths.

“To complement” (complement) means to be a good match or combination forsomeone or something. If you like to draw and I like to write, and we have tomake a children’s book, our talents – our abilities complement each other. Theycomplete each other, you might think of it as. “Compliment 18” can also be spelledwith an “i” in the middle (compliment). That “compliment” is when you saysomething nice to someone: “You have beautiful red shoes on today my dear, mybeautiful wife.” I always compliment my wife on her shoes and her hair, andthat’s what a good husband does. And if you want to be a good husband, and you don’t compliment your wife, well, you just need to go back and study thebook on how to become a good husband. Unfortunately, they no longer makethat book I think!

Anyway, our story talks about Melissa and Leo complementing 19 each other’sstrengths. Your “strengths” are things that you do well. Melissa says, “Yeah, butthat doesn’t mean we can work well together. I’m collaborative and like to talkthings out.” “To be collaborative” means to do things as part of a team, to workwell with other people. “To talk things out” means to talk about your ideas withanother person so that you can get better ideas, or perhaps you can becomeclearer in your thinking. Someone who likes to talk things out likes to have longconversations about something because they think that will help them do a betterjob, and that’s what Melissa likes to do. Leo is completely different; “Leo likes togo solo.” “To go solo” means to work by yourself. “Solo” is one, or by yourself.

Melissa says that Leo goes off on his own (meaning he goes somewhere elseand works by himself) and comes back with a finished product (a completedproject), without consulting with me at all. “To consult (someone)” means to asksomeone’s opinion before you do something or before you make a decision. Leodoesn’t consult with Melissa, he just does his project without asking her opinion.

Hugo says, “Yeah, I’ve worked with Leo before and he likes having autonomy.”

“Autonomy” (autonomy) means independence, the ability to do things withouthaving to ask other people for their opinion or for their permission. This word isoften used in politics. In certain countries there are groups that want autonomy,or different parts of the country that want autonomy; they don’t want to becontrolled by the national government. Here in the United States, each of our 50states has a certain autonomy, things it can do by itself. Hugo says that Leo hasto realize that the point (or the purpose) of collaboration (of working with eachother) is that the sum is greater than the parts. This phrase, “the sum (sum) isgreater than the parts,” while in some ways a logical impossibility, is used tomean that people who work together are often able to accomplish more thanthose people working by themselves. It can also be used, this phrase, to meanthat a situation is very complicated and can’t be described by individual elementsor factors, or that when you put all those things together you get somethinggreater than what you would expect by just looking at the individual elements orparts. So Hugo says that the point of collaboration is that the sum is greater thanthe parts. “Two people pooling ideas will make the product better.” “To pool”

(pool), used here as a verb, means to share or combine, to use two or morethings together at the same time. There are other meanings of the word “pool.”

You can find out what they are by looking at the Learning Guide for this episode.

Melissa says, “That’s the idea, anyway. Hey, I have a better idea. What do youthink of you and me teaming up?” “To team up” is a phrasal verb meaning thesame as to pair up, to partner up, to work with someone else as a team. Melissasays, “We’re both collaborative. We’d make a great team.” Now, I’m not sure ifMelissa actually wants to work with Hugo because he’s a good worker. PerhapsMelissa is interested in Hugo, and doesn’t like Leo. You never know. In anoffice, there are always these romantic attractions or connections.

Melissa wants to work with Hugo. Hugo says, “Yeah, but we also have the sameskills (we know how to do the same things; they don’t complement each other).

That’s why you’re working with Leo and I’m working with Lamar, remember?”

Lamar is, I guess, another worker – a male worker. Melissa says, “Yeah, Iremember. I’m starting to think that collaboration is overrated.” When we saysomething is “overrated” (one word), we mean that we think of it more highly thanit deserves to be, or we value it more highly than it deserves to be, than theactual or real value of something. When people say someone or something is“overrated,” they’re saying that people say it’s good, they say it’s great, but it’snot as good as people say. So for example: “That movie I saw last week wasoverrated. Everyone said it was great, eh, it wasn’t that great.” Or, “Thisrestaurant is overrated. The food is good, but it’s not great.”

Now let’s listen to the dialogue at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Hugo: How do you like working with Leo? Is it working out?

Melissa: No, it’s not. Our work styles completely clash and we butt heads atevery turn.

Hugo: Really? I thought you were partnered up because you complementedeach other’s strengths.

Melissa: Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we can work well together. I’mcollaborative and I like to talk things out. Leo likes to go solo. He goes off on hisown and comes back with a finished product, without consulting with me at all.

Hugo: Yeah, I’ve worked with Leo before and he like to have autonomy, but hehas to realize that the point of collaboration is that the sum is greater than theparts. Two people pooling ideas will make the product better.

Melissa: That’s the idea, anyway. Hey, I have a better idea. What do you thinkof you and me teaming up? We’re both collaborative. We’d make a great team.

Hugo: Yeah, but we also have the same skills. That’s why you’re working withLeo and I’m working with Lamar, remember?

Melissa: Yeah, I remember. I’m starting to think that collaboration is overrated.

[end of dialogue]

There’s nothing overrated about our scriptwriter; she’s the best in the world ofpodcasting, Dr. Lucy Tse.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us again here on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2011 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.