Curso de Inglés de Negocios
Unit 03 – Advanced Business Course – Change
"Exploring cultural differences in business relationships and communication"
- Juan Carlos Martinez
- Advanced Business Course
- More Lessons
Audios Unidad 3
Audio 3.1
Interviewer OK. Can you tell me a little bit about the company?
Iñaki Yes, well, our consultancy, BICG, was set up in 1999. Principally, we do research in the field of new ways of working, which is a fusion of several different disciplines related to the organizational aspects of a company. So we focus on the infrastructure – the information and communication technologies applied to the workplace. We look at the physical environment, architecture and the use of space, the way an office should be built and laid out. And more generally, we deal with the cultural aspects of a company, like working practices.
Interviewer Why does the professional world need new office and workplace concepts?
Iñaki Well, I think it’s more like the end of a process, you know. Basically, we help companies to move with the times. I mean, the business world has been evolving rapidly over the last few decades, due to new technologies. Things have changed and it’s time for physical spaces to accommodate the new needs and requirements of the world of work.
Interviewer OK. What kind of advantages are there from a management point of view? Is this purely a money-saving exercise?
Iñaki No, not exclusively. I mean, costsaving is certainly one of the results you can achieve, but it’s not the most important. What is essential is being more productive and having more efficient and effective processes, and teams and working practices. Then, also, having more motivated people.
Interviewer Mm. So, I imagine you make quite a few changes to the working environment. How do the people who are actually working there react to that? What problems do you have to anticipate?
Iñaki Well, actually one of the core focuses of our work is to facilitate cultural change within companies. People react differently. Normally the people at the bottom are quite happy to get something new; a more open and creative environment. Those at the top of companies, senior management, they are the champions or sponsors of these new concepts. But middle management tends to be very resistant to this kind of change, so we have to explain the benefits for them as well – it’s important to generate enthusiasm for these changes.
Interviewer Yeah. How do you see this situation developing in the future? Are there going to be any more major changes? Or is it more of an ongoing process?
Iñaki I think it’s been more or less an ongoing process for a couple of decades. We’re getting more mobile and technology is getting smaller and smarter, and this is a trend that is making us more flexible, more and more independent of space. So the office won’t be the place where you have to go every day and work eight hours. Work will be something that you can do wherever you are and, really, you’ll come to the office to meet people and exchange information and knowledge. So that will probably be the trend in the near future.
Interviewer But if people aren’t coming into the office, won’t there be a problem with communication? Iñaki Mm! Definitely, definitely! I mean, this is something you have to take account of, to ensure that people will communicate in the right way and will still have this ‘we’ feeling – being part of a team. You have to distinguish between the work you can do individually wherever you are, and the kind of work where you need to exchange information, ideas with your colleagues, and therefore you go to the office.
Interviewer Mm. And how do you assess your progress? How do you know whether or not the work you’ve done has been successful?
Iñaki Since we deal very often with so-called ‘soft’ factors, it’s not that easy to measure the success of these kinds of projects. Nevertheless, there are other ways to measure success. Obviously, you can check the motivation of the people in a company. You can also check measurable aspects, like, for example, the time needed to solve a problem. If you reduce the normal time needed for solving a problem, then you are more productive.
Audio 3.2
All right, just to fill you in on some of the background; research from Henley Management College in the UK has shown that middle managers are under increasing pressure and it’s going to get tougher. Why? Because the flexible working revolution means that management will become more about resourcing and measuring results than about following day-to-day procedures. People are expected to be working more flexibly in the future. In fact, it’s estimated that by 2050 most people will have been working flexibly for more than a decade. That’s something to think about, and I’ll return to this point later … … So, I´ve divided my talk up into three sections. First of all, I’ll consider the current research. After that, I´ll go on to talk about the impact on the workforce as a whole, and I´ll conclude with some comments about how this will affect employers.
Audio 3.3
I’d like to start by saying a few words about some of the changes predicted in a recent report. One significant change will be the rise in ‘demuting’. By ‘demuting’ I mean working remotely from wherever you are, and not needing to travel to an office. So, the opposite of commuting really. It’s anticipated that as many as 12 million people in the UK will be working from home by 2025. If the 20th century was about the 47.6-hour week for British workers, the 21st century is going to be about a new generation of ‘career nomads’. Now, I don’t know if you’re familiar with this term? Well, ‘career nomads’ refers to employees who are changing the rules of time management in ways that suit their new approaches to work and leisure time. To put it another way, employees who no longer think in terms of a job for life, but move around, changing jobs, and even careers. We need to ask ourselves – is this a good thing, and for whom?
Audio 3.4
OK, moving on now to look at how this all affects the workforce. One possible consequence of the home becoming the focus of most people’s working lives will be a rise in ‘binge-time careerism’ – this is where employees work non-stop for an agreed period and then take the equivalent amount of time off. Personal development could also benefit as new ways of working give rise to ‘shadow careers’ – and perhaps here I should just explain what I mean by ‘shadow careers’ – that’s when amateur activities are pursued to professional standards. So for example, … … Turning to the next point, research commissioned by British Telecom points out that 24-7 access to company emails and information via phones and BlackBerries could simply translate into staff working harder and longer, unless organizations devise formal policies to deal with their new working practices. And as I said earlier, it’s predicted that there will be tension between employers and employees over some new ways of working. I’ll say more about the effects on employers in a moment. Just to digress for a second – the report suggests that the trend towards home working could have other positive social side effects. It points to the fact that three-quarters of people questioned believe that flexible work patterns and the rise of home-based businesses are likely to revive local communities. And six out of ten people believe the shift will make larger communities and cities more personal and people-friendly
Audio 3.5
For employers, however, the flip side to all this will be the sheer number of alternatives available to individuals. And this brings me to the last point. Whenever I hear employers discussing how they are going to compete for talent, the focus always seems to be on competition with other employers. But today’s technology-aware workers already have more opportunities than ever before to make a distinct choice between corporate life and working, in whatever capacity, for themselves – and we anticipate that this trend will only increase. And this is my key point – by the mid-21st century a major cultural change will have taken place. The workforce will have acquired the power to make choices, and employers need to recognize this and start planning for it now. To sum up, forwardthinking employers would be wise to view this element of choice as just as serious a competitor as other employers are considered to be. And solving this dilemma must surely become a key priority. So, that brings me to the end of my talk. Thank you very much for listening. And I’ll be happy to take any questions now.
Audio 3.6
1 Yes, I can’t see any alternative. I think it’s bound to happen sooner or later.
2 It may happen, but it’s not very likely.
3 I think it’s possible that we’ll see new innovations in this area, yes.
4 It may well be that things change in the next few years. We’ll have to wait and see.
5 Definitely, yes – there’s certain to be a major change at some point in the future.
6 I think it’s very unlikely that will happen, to be honest.
7 Oh, most certainly, yes. And it’s highly likely to impact on all our lives.
8 It’s quite probable that we’ll see some big changes in the near future.
9 It’s certain that there will be significant changes, yes.
10 Oh, definitely, and there’s a good chance most of us will benefit from these changes.
Audio 3.7
A Hello?
B Hi, Sophia. It’s Manjit. Have you got a few minutes?
A Er, actually I’m quite snowed under at the moment, with the exhibition only two days away!
B I know what you mean. It’s quite hectic over here, too. I’ll only be a few minutes, though.
A OK. What can I do for you?
A How was the presentation? Did it go according to plan?
B No, not quite. It wasn’t so great, actually.
A Oh?
B Well, there just wasn’t enough time to cover everything. And there were quite a few technical problems along the way. I don’t think the organization here has been particularly good, actually.
A No, it hasn’t, has it?
B I mean, they should have stuck with the original 45 minutes per presentation.
A Yeah. It might be worth sending an email to everyone who came, to cover the parts you missed out.
A … It’s just that I’m finding it’s quite a task to manage my work now that the team has been split up. I spend way too much time passing messages on and not nearly enough time doing my actual job.
B I hear what you’re saying. I mean, I know this is a tricky time for a lot of you, but I really think that in the long run, it’ll work better as a system.
A I don’t know. I feel like I’m just treading water.
B Believe me, I can see where you’re coming from. I had a similar problem at my last company, but it did work out in the end.
A This is so annoying. Why won’t people reply when I ask them to? It’s been three days now.
B I know. I still think you should send the request again, though.
A But I don’t want it to look like I’m badgering them.
B Quite. Well, you might want to word it so it’s not too aggressive, in that case.
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