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Have you ever watched a flock of birds work together?
你看过成群飞行的鸟吗？
Thousands of animals, flying in perfect synchrony: Isn't it fascinating?
上千只的动物，以完美的协调性成群飞行，这是不是很迷人呢？
What I find remarkable is that these birds would not be able to do that if they all would have to follow one leader.
我觉得值得注意的是：若这些鸟只能跟着一位领袖，那它们便无法如此成群飞行了。
Their reaction speed would simply be too low.
因为它们的反应速度会太慢。
Instead, scientists believe that these birds are relying on a few simple rules,
相反地，科学家相信这些鸟依循着几个简单的原则，
allowing every single bird to make autonomous decisions while still flying in perfect synchrony.
这些原则让每一只鸟都可以自主决策，同时以完美的协调性成群飞行。
Their alignment enables their autonomy, and their autonomy makes them fast and flexible.
它们的共识让它们能够具自主性，而它们的自主性让团队飞行更快速、灵活。
Now, what does this have to do with any one of us?
那这跟我们有什么关系呢？
Well, it's one way of illustrating what I believe to be the most important change that is needed in ways of working today.
这是诠释我相信现今的工作方式需做重大改变的一种方法。
The world is getting faster and more complex,
世界变得越来越快、越错综复杂，
so we need a new way of working, a way that creates alignment around purpose,
所以我们需要新的工作方式，以目的为核心达成共识，
that takes out bureaucracy and that truly empowers people to make decisions faster.
摒弃繁文缛节，授权人们使其能更快速地做出决策。
But the question is: In order to get there, what are we willing to give up?
但问题是：为了达成目标，我们愿意放弃什么？
A few years ago, I was working with a bank that wanted to embark on a digital transformation.
几年前，我与一家银行合作，他们想进行数字化的改革。
They wanted their offering to be simpler, more intuitive, more relevant.
银行希望提供更简单、直觉式和适切的服务。
Now, I'm not sure how many of you have seen a bank from the inside,
我不确定多少人知道银行的内部作业，
so let me try to illustrate what many traditional banks look like.
让我试着形容一下传统的银行。
You see lots of people in suits taking elevators to go to their department,
你看到许多人穿着西装，搭着电梯抵达他们的部门，
marketers sitting with marketers, engineers with engineers, etc.
营销人员坐一起，工程师们坐一起，依此类推。
You see meetings with 20 people where nothing gets decided.
你看到二十个人的会议，没有作出任何决定。
Great ideas? They end up in PowerPoint parking lots.
若有好主意，最终也埋没在PowerPoint堆里。
And there are endless handovers between departments. Getting anything done can take forever.
还有数不尽部门间的会签。把事情搞定似乎是遥遥无期。
So this bank knew that in order to transform,
这间银行知道为了变革，
they would have to improve their time to market by drastically changing their ways of working as well. But how?
他们必须大幅地改变工作的方式，以加速产品的上市时间。但该怎么做呢？
To get some inspiration, we decided to go and have a look at companies that seem to be more innovative, like Google, Netflix, Spotify, Zappos.
为了汲取一些灵感，我们去拜访那些看起来很有创意的公司，像Google、Netflix、Spotify、Zappos。
And I remember how we were walking the halls at one of these companies in December 2014,
我记得当我们走进其中一间公司的大厅，在2014年的十二月，
a management consultant and a team of bankers.
一个管理顾问跟一群银行家。
We felt like strangers in a strange land, surrounded by beanbags and hoodies and lots of smart, creative employees.
我们自觉像是造访异地的异乡客，被豆袋懒人沙发、连帽运动衫、许多聪明有创意的员工给包围。
So then we asked, "How is your company organized?" And we expected to get an org chart.
我们请教：“你们的公司是如何组织运作的？”我们预期会拿到一张组织表。
But instead, they used strange drawings with funny names like "squads" and "chapters" and "tribes" to explain how they were organized.
但是，他们画了些标着有趣名称的奇怪图案，像是“小队”、“地方分会”或是“部落”，来解释他们是如何运作的。
So then we tried to translate that to our own world.
我们试着把这些转译成自己的语言。
We asked, "How many people are working for you?" "It depends."
我们接着问：“有多少人为你工作呢？”“看状况。”
"Who do you report to?" "It depends."
“你向谁报告呢？”“看状况。”
"Who decides on your priorities?" "It depends."
“谁决定你工作的优先级呢？”“看状况。”
You can imagine our surprise.
你可以想象我们有多讶异。
We were asking for what we thought were some of the basic principles of organizations, and their answer was, "It depends."
我们自认请教的是一些关于组织的基本原则，而他们的回答却是“看状况”。
Now, over the course of that day, we gained a better understanding of their model.
经过了那天的拜访，我们更了解他们的模式。
They believed in the power of small, autonomous teams. Their teams were like mini-start-ups.
他们相信精简自主的工作团队所拥有的力量。他们的团队就像小型的创业团队。
They had product people and IT engineers in the same team so they could design,
他们让产品部和工程师在同一个团队，因此他们能与顾客一起设计、
build and test ideas with customers independently of others in the company.
建立、测试想法，而无须仰赖公司其他人。
They did not need handovers between departments. They had all the skills needed right there in the team.
他们不需要做部门间的会签。他们所需要的人才都在团队中。
Now, at the end of that day, we had a session to reflect on what we had learned.
那天的尾声，我们有一个会议来回顾我们今天的所见所学。
And we had started to like their model, so we were already thinking of how to apply some of these ideas to a bank.
我们开始欣赏他们的模式，我们已经在思考如何将某些点子应用在银行业上。
But then, one of the hosts, a guy who had not said a word all day, he suddenly said,
随后，其中一位主人，那天全程保持缄默，他突然开口问道：
"So I see you like our model. But I have one question for you: What are you willing to give up?"
“你们喜欢我们的模式。但我有一个问题想问你们，你们愿意放弃什么呢？”
What were we willing to give up? We did not have an answer immediately, but we knew he was right.
我们愿意放弃什么？我们当下没有答案，但我们知道他是对的。
Change is not only about embracing the new; it's about giving up on some of the old as well.
改变不只是拥抱新的方法，同时也要放弃一些旧的作法。
Now, over the past five years, I have worked with companies all over the world to change their ways of working.
现在过了五年之后，我协助世界各地的公司改变他们工作的方式。
And clearly, every company has their own skeptics about why this is not going to work for them.
显然每家公司都有他们自己觉得新方式对他们而言是行不通的质疑：
"Our product is more complex," or "They don't have the legacy IT like we do,"
“我们的产品更复杂。”“他们不像我们有这么多老旧系统，”
or "Regulators just won't allow this in our industry."
或是“主管机关不会允许我们的产业这么做。”
But for this bank and also for the other companies that I have worked with afterwards, change was possible.
但对这家银行与其他和我合作过的公司而言，改变是可能的。
Within a year, we completely blew up the old silos between marketing, product, channels and IT.
一年之内，我们完全打破了以往营销、产品、通路和信息部门间各自为政的状况。
Three thousand employees were reorganized into 350 multidisciplinary teams.
三千多名的员工被重新组织成三百五十个多专业合作团队。
So instead of product people sitting just with product people and engineers with engineers,
取代以往：产品部门坐在一起、工程师们坐在一起，
a product person and an engineer were now members of the same team.
现在产品经理跟工程师隶属于同一个团队。
You could be a member of a team responsible for account opening or for the mobile banking app, etc.
你可能是任务团队一员：负责开立账户或行动银行手机应用软件等。
At the go-live date of that new organization, some people were shaking hands for the very first time,
新组织架构正式运作的那天，有些同事第一次握手，
only to find out that they had been sitting two minutes away from each other
才发现彼此的座位走路仅两分钟的距离，
but they were sending each other emails and status reports for the last 10 years.
而他们可能彼此互寄电子信件和进度报告已有十年之久的时间。
You would hear someone saying, "Ah, so you're the guy that I was always chasing for answers."
你可能听到有人说：“原来你就是那位我一直追着要答案的人。”
But now, they're having coffee together every day.
但现在他们每天都一起喝咖啡。
If the product guy has an idea, he can just raise it to get input from the engineer who is sitting right next to him.
如果产品经理有个想法，他直接提出后就可获得邻座工程师的意见回馈。
They can decide to test with customers immediately -- no handovers, no PowerPoints, no red tape, just getting stuff done.
他们可以决定立刻进行顾客测试，不用会签、PowerPoint或耗时的繁琐手续，直接把事情搞定。
Now, getting there is not easy.
要达到这样并不容易。
And as it turns out, "What are you willing to give up?" is exactly the right question to ask.
我们发现，“你们愿意放弃什么？”就是最核心的问题。
Autonomous decision-making requires multidisciplinary teams.
自主决策需要多专业合作团队。
Instead of decisions going up and down the organization, we want the team to decide.
不再是由上而下的决策过程，我们希望让团队决定。
But to do so, we need all the skills and expertise for that decision in the team.
但要能这么做，团队之中就必须拥有做该决策所需的技巧与专业。
And this brings difficult trade-offs.
随之而来的是困难的取舍。
Can we physically co-locate our people who are working in different buildings, different cities or even different countries today?
我们能将不同大楼、城市甚至国家的工作同仁共置在一起吗？
Or should we invest in better videoconferencing?
或我们要投资更好的视频会议设备？
And how do we ensure consistency in the way we do things across these teams?
我们如何确保不同团队行事的一致性？
We still need some kind of management matrix.
我们仍然需要一些管理矩阵工具。
Now, all these changes to structure and process and procedure -- they are not easy.
这些组织架构、过程、步骤的改变并不容易。
But in the end, I found that the most difficult thing to change is our own behavior. Let me try to illustrate.
但最终，我发现最难改变的是我们自己的行为。让我试着更具体的描述。
If we want these teams to be fast, flexible, creative, like a mini-start-up, they have to be empowered and autonomous.
如果我们希望团队可以更快、更弹性、更有创意，就像是小型的创业团队，那他们必须被授权并具自主性。
But this means we cannot have leaders commanding their people what to do, when to do, how to do.
但这代表我们不能有主管下指令告诉别人该：做什么、何时做、怎么做。
No micromanagers. But it also means that each employee needs to become a leader, regardless of their formal title.
无需微观经理人。这也代表每个员工都必须是领导者，不管他们工作的职称为何。
It's about all of us stepping up to take initiative.
每个人都须积极、主动地处理应对各种状况。
Now obviously, we also cannot afford to have all these teams running in different directions,
当然我们无法承受多头马车的团队，
because that would certainly lead to chaos.
那一定会带来混乱。
So we need alignment and autonomy at the same time, just like a flock of birds.
所以我们必须同时拥有共识且自主，就像一群飞鸟一样。
In an organizational setting, this requires new behaviors,
在一个组织环境里这需要一些新的行为，
and with each new behavior, there is giving up on something old as well.
每一个新行为也都代表了要舍弃一些旧作法。
Leaders have to make sure that everyone in the organization is aligned around the overall purpose
领导者必须确认组织里的每一个人有一致的整体目标，
the why -- and the overall priorities -- the what.
为什么--有一致的整体顺序--做什么。
But then they have to let go and trust their teams to make the right decisions on how to get there.
然后他们必须放手，相信他们的团队将做出对的决策以达成目标。
Now, creating alignment requires open and transparent communication.
达成共识需要公开且透明的沟通。
But you know how they say that information is a source of power?
但是你知道他们是怎么说信息是力量的源泉的吗？
Well, for some managers, sharing information may feel as if they're giving up that source of power.
对一些经理人而言，分享信息如同放弃权力。
And it's not just managers. The teams need to communicate openly and transparently as well.
不只是经理人。团队也必须公开且透明的沟通。
In these companies, the teams typically work in short sprints, and at the end of every sprint,
在这些公司，团队常采取短时间密集工作的方式，每一次项目的尾声，
they organize a demo session to share the output of what they've done, transparently.
他们都会有一场成果展示，公开透明地分享他们产出的成果。
And every day, each member of the team gives an update of what they are working on individually.
每天、每位团队成员，都会更新他们目前各自的工作状况。
Now, all this transparency can be uncomfortable for people, because suddenly, there is no place to hide anymore.
这样的透明程度可能会让有些人觉得不自在，因为突然没有任何隐藏的空间。
Everything we do is transparent for everyone.
大家做的每件事都是公开、透明的。
So, alignment is not easy, and providing autonomy is not so obvious, either.
所以达成共识并不容易，提供自主权也不是一蹴可几。
One executive at another company likes to explain how he used to be a master of milestone-tracking.
另一家公司的一位主管，曾以“进度管理专家”自诩。
Now, today, to know how things are going, instead of looking at status reports,
而现今，若想掌握状况，他不再是看进度报告，
he needs to walk down to the team floors to attend one of their sessions.
他必须走进每一个团队，参加他们的活动。
And instead of telling people what to do, he looks for ways to help them.
不再是告诉别人该怎么做，而是寻找帮助团队的方式。
That is radical change for someone who used to be a master of milestone-tracking.
对曾为“进度管理专家”的人来说，这是一个重大的改变。
But in the old world, this executive said, "I only had the illusion of control.
但在旧的思维里，这位主管说：“我只拥有控制的假象。
In reality, many projects would run over time and over budget, anyway.
实际上，许多项目仍会延迟、超出预算。
Now I have much more transparency, and I can course-correct much earlier if needed."
现在我拥有更高的掌握度，必要的话，我可以及早修正事态。”
And middle managers need to change as well.
中层经理人也必须改变。
First of all, without the handovers and the PowerPoint, there's less of a need for middle managers.
首先，没有工作移交与PowerPoint，将需要更少的中阶经理人。
And in the old world, there was this idea of thinkers and doers.
在旧的思维里，区分了“思考者”跟“执行者”。
Employees would just follow orders.
员工只是执行着命令。
But now, instead of only managing other people, middle managers were expected to become player-coaches.
现在除了单纯管理员工，中阶经理人更被期待扮演着教练兼球员的角色。
So imagine, for the last 10 years, you have just been telling other people what to do,
想象一下：过去十年，你只需要告诉别人做什么，
but now you're expected to do things yourself again.
但现在你被期待要亲力亲为。
Clearly, this model is not for everyone, and some great people leave the company.
显然这样的模式并不是所有人都能接受，一些人才也因此离开了公司。
But the result is a new culture with less hierarchy.
但结果是带入了降低官僚色彩的新职场文化。
And all of this is hard work. But it's worth it.
这些成果得来不易，但这很值得。
The companies that I worked with, they were used to deploying new product features a few times per year.
我合作的那些公司，以往他们一年仅能部署几次的特色产品。
Now they have releases every few weeks, and without the handovers and the red tape,
现在他们每隔几周就能做到，无须工作会签、耗时的繁琐手续，
the whole organization becomes more efficient.
整个工作组织变得更有效率。
And finally, if you walk the halls of these companies today, you just feel a new energy.
最后，若你走进这些公司的大厅，你能感受到一股新的能量。
It feels as if you're walking the halls of a very large start-up.
就像走在一家非常大型的新创公司里。
Now, to be fair, these companies, they cannot claim victory yet.
平心而论，这些公司还不能自称已经成功。
But at least with this new model, they are much better prepared to respond to change.
但至少这样新的模式，他们应对的能力更强。
The world is getting faster and more complex, so we need to reboot our way of working.
世界越来越快、越来越复杂，我们必须重新调整工作的方式。
And the hardest part of that change is not in structure or process or procedure,
而其中最难的，不是改变架构、过程或步骤，
and it's also not just senior executives taking charge.
也不仅是让资深经理人负责掌理。
Leaders will be all of those in the organization who embrace the change. We all have to lead the change.
那些拥抱改变的人，就是组织里的领导者。我们必须一同领导变革。
So the question is: What are you willing to give up? Thank you.
而那核心的问题是：“你们愿意放弃什么？”谢谢。
