2014年1月30日 星期四

Philosophy of Life 生活哲學:How Teams Really Work? 從球隊一窺團隊哲學


一個好的團體,究竟需要什麼元素呢?
頂尖的成員?經歷豐富的老鳥領導?還是..其實有更簡單的帶領哲學呢?
這是一篇經濟學人雜誌報導的摘要,從帶領球隊一窺團體的真諦。

What is the most important must-have to lead a team? 
A group of a-list players? An experienced coach? 
Or maybe there's a much more simple philosophy in leading a team? 

How Teams Really Work

By Ed Smith. From INTELLIGENT LIFE magazine, January/February 2014
One of the misconceptions(誤解) about elite sport is that great athletes have nothing in common with normal human beings. Instead they are seen as supermen who have risen above the flaws and anxieties that define the lives of others. The superman delusion(認為他們都是超人的幻覺) also distorts(扭曲) how we think about teams. When a team establishes a dynastic supremacy(締造輝煌), instead of recognising that it is always in a state of flux(總是在變,state是狀態、flux是變遷), we pretend it has a stable collective personality(穩定的集合體). We turn the team into a superman.

這段大意講人們常常誤把菁英球員當超人看待,忘記他們其實也是一般人。同樣的邏輯,當球隊在場上締造佳績時,人們也會是這些明星球隊的輝煌成就為理所當然,神化他們,「沒什麼大不了的,他們就是能表現的這麼好!」,卻忘了球隊的表現起起落落乃是常態。

A winning team does not, in fact, require everyone to play well all the time—or even any of the time. Sir Alex Ferguson struck a deep truth(一語道破)when he said that in football you only need eight players to perform well to win......
其實,常勝軍隊伍裡的每個球員並非都是頂尖好手。知名足球教練Sir Alex Ferguson 認為,一支隊伍其實只需要八位打的好的球員。(言下之意:一支好的隊伍絕對不只是需要好的球員這麼簡單而以!) 



The reality of team dynamics(團體動力學,一種關於團隊、研究團體運作、形式、使用場合、對象、形式等等的學說) is much more subtle and interesting than superman theory(超人說,源自尼采 ,認為人能克服人性上等困難) allows. All teams, even the greatest, include a range of characters, not all of them psychologically bulletproof(並非所有人都能有完美人格及最正向的心理,bulletproof原指防彈的). There are those who surf the wave(有些人順從性較高、遵從指揮) as well as those who turn the tide(有些人較有自己想法、不守規範)...

作者認為團體動力學比起超人說,更為細膩、有趣。因為所有的團隊,就算是最頂尖的團隊,都有著性格、背景、等特質相異的成員,有人較為溫順,願意聽從領導指揮,也會有人標新立異,有自己想法。因此,一個團隊的成員個性五花八門,並非人人都有最好的心理素質。(所以如何結合這些成員的特質,善加運用,領導的方法很重要。)


It is another myth, however, that good coaches and captains have the capacity, or even the inclination, to get everyone on board(get to work for the organization). Instead of dreaming of perfect loyalty(忠誠) from everyone, effective leaders(優秀的領導者,effective形容人這裡指有能力達成目標的) often make the opposite calculation(反向操作). Given that there will always be one or two intransigent skeptics(不配合的球員。intransigent是不願妥協的、skeptic是指持懷疑態度的人), it’s better to focus on players who you can bring into your camp(能加入你陣營的人)

"You never have everyone," the best coach I played under told me, "but instead of wasting your time on the one or two determinedly difficult characters(超級難搞的人), turn your attention to the two or three waverers they take with them." It's very hard to lead a team with only half the players on side, but it's possible with eight or nine, and a couple yet to be convinced. Forget unanimity(一致性,這裡指所有球員的忠誠度), seek a quorum(最低總數,這裡指專注在球隊總體的忠誠、服從、和平,而非鑽牛角尖於那一兩個人).

球場上另一個常見的迷思:認為優秀的教練,有本事讓「每一個」成員都能為球隊效力。真正厲害的教練並不會指望每一個球員都死忠於球隊,聰明的反向操作才是帶領球隊的關鍵。說穿了,其實每支球隊都會有那一兩個難搞的成員,可能是自滿自大、可能身在楚營心在漢,但那都不是最重要的!厲害的教練把心力放在能真正加入陣營的球員,多一個、算一個。「如果一支球隊有一半的球員不能服從你,那根本帶不下去,但如果有個八、九個願意好好聽從指會球員,一切就事半功倍了,你只需要再花一點點力氣稍微訓訓那一兩個調皮傢伙。」



團隊成員的素質固然重要,但更重要的似乎是整體的「向心力」。有些球隊集明星球員於一體時反而使不出力、屢戰屢敗。但當教練策略靈活自如、且球員的心齊力賣命、默契絕佳時,似乎勝利也不再只是遙望的美夢了。
球隊的團隊哲學,也可以運用到校園、職場、等任何大大小小的團隊。


除夕即將來到,順便向讀者們拜年~


心懷感恩辭舊歲

萬馬奔騰迎新年



文章來源/ Resource for article: http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/ideas/anonymous/sports-golden-mean
圖片來源:http://www.toonpool.com/user/173/files/teamwork_417525.jpg

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