The Management of Change Today, change is a permanent characteristic of business activity. In some cases it is expected and

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问题                      The Management of Change
    Today, change is a permanent characteristic of business activity. In some cases it is expected and planned for. In others it is not. Some changes may be impossible to forecast and therefore pose the greatest danger. The effect will be heightened when the factors driving change fall beyond the control of the business. New consumer tastes, the rise of competitors, new legislation and economic fluctuations are all examples of this.
    People bring about change,  but they are also the most important barrier to its success. Individuals may resist change to protect pay, for example. It often takes time for workers to adapt. and if payment is based on output, they may, to begin with, earn less. They may also, since change can endanger a person’s authority,  regard change as a threat to their status. In addition, the wish to maintain group membership can be strong, and workers may resist change because they are worried about what others may think if they do not.
    There are two key ways in which managers can help individuals overcome their natural resistance to change. The first is to involve those affected at every stage of the process so they understand why a new approach is necessary and have an interest in its success. To achieve this, when a decision is to be made, a proposal should pass between all employees who have an interest in the outcome. They are then asked to comment on the idea: in this way agreement about the best way forward gradually emerges and a final plan can be developed.
    Of course, this is much less useful if rapid change is needed in response to a crisis. An alternative is to keep all those people affected by a change informed of what is happening at each stage of the process. Make sure everyone is aware of the options available. Many of the difficulties caused by a new situation are the result of fear of the unknown, but by informing those involved, some of the uncertainty can be removed.
    When change is actually introduced, the process must be controlled. The final outcome of the programme should be the situation that was identified as ’where we want to be’ in the initial planning phase. Targets should be set for each stage to ensure that progress is focused and does not slow down. It is essential that each target is measurable and that people recognise what is involved. If the outcome of each stage is well defined, action can be taken if the process shows any sign of moving out of control.
    One individual experienced at managing change is Martin Chambers, CEO of a North American computer firm. He says,  "The secret is to build an organisation that isn’t afraid to make changes while it’s still on top, when it’s not a matter of survival, " He also encourages his management team to learn  from competitors. "It’s important to understand how the market works, to know what products are available, and to always be thinking ahead." His approach signals that failure to constantly adapt to market conditions is why companies fall from positions of market dominance.  
What reason is given for staff not always being involved in decisions about change?

选项 A、A high level of resistance to the changes is expected.
B、The different stages add up to a highly complex process.
C、Far too many staff may be affected for this to be practical.
D、The urgency of a situation does not allow for lengthy consultation.

答案D

解析 题目意为:“为什么员工不一定总是可以参与有关变革的决策?”文中第三段阐述了员工参与变革决策的原因和方式。在第四段的第一句,作为承上启下的一句话,指出“Of course, this is much less useful if rapid change is needed in response to a crisis.”即:当然,当紧急情况出现,需要快速做出变革时,这(相关员工参与决策)就不是那么可行了。由此可见,D项“情况紧急,不允许长时间的商讨”与文意相符。其中选项中的“urgency of the situation”与文中的“crisis”对应。
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