14 Microsoft’s Transformation Required a Change of Culture| 外刊英语

Posted 2021-04-01 平明的英语时空

Article 14

Microsoft’s Transformation Required a Change of Culture

微软转型要求文化变革

（选自《经济学人》2019年6月）

Outline of the Article:

1: The successful revival of Microsoft

2: Microsoft’s turnaround required a change to the company’s culture

3-5: Three important elements in the shift;

6: Conclusion: significance of the Microsoft case study—it highlights the practical changes needed to transform a company.

 

Background of the Article:

科技行业就像美国职业橄榄球大联盟（NFL）的更衣室一样，充斥着式微的昔日冠军。从美国在线（AOL）到雅虎，再到黑莓，各家都迫切需要重振雄风。十年前，很多人可能都以为微软最终也会沦落至此。但这家软件巨头出人意料地卷土重来，市值已过万亿美元，时常向“全球股市最具价值的公司”这一宝座发起冲击。

The story of Microsoft’s revival is the subject of a new case study by Herminia Ibarra and Adam Jones of London Business School (LBS). In large part the success has resulted from a shift away from a focus on the Windows operating system and towards Azure, Microsoft’s cloud-based services offering. It involved a willingness to let programs run on Apple and android smartphones, something the company had previously avoided.

微软的复兴故事成了伦敦商学院（LBS）的埃美尼亚·伊巴拉（Herminia Ibarra）和亚当·琼斯（Adam Jones）新案例研究的主题。在很大程度上，微软成功的原因是将重心从Windows操作系统转向云服务Azure。这一过程需要微软愿意让自己的软件在苹果和安卓的智能手机上运行，而此前它对此是抗拒的。

 

However, the turnaround also required a change to the company’s culture and that is the main subject of the LBS study. The shift to cloud-based services meant that revenues would be generated in a different way. Under the old system, clients bought software under a fixed-term contract; once the sale was made, the revenue was guaranteed. Cloud services are paid for on a metered basis; revenue comes in only when customers use them. That required a new approach by the company’s sales team, led by Jean-Philippe Courtois.

然而，扭转乾坤还要求变革企业文化，这正是LBS案例研究的主要课题。向云服务转变意味着将以一种不同的方式产生收入。在旧模式中，客户以一份固定期限合同购买软件，一旦销售完成，就锁定了收入。云服务却是按使用量付费，仅在客户使用服务时才会产生收入。这样一来，微软由让-菲力浦∙古德华（Jean-Philippe Courtois）领导的销售团队就得采取一种新方式。

 

The shift was enormous. Around 40,000 people had to change how they did their jobs. Three elements were important. First, staff had to understand how customers were using cloud-based services, so that they could be encouraged to use them more. This required 5,000 specialist hires.

这是个巨大的转变。约有四万人不得不改变他们以往的工作方式。其中有三个重要因素。首先，员工必须了解客户使用云服务的方式，以便鼓励他们更多地使用。这需要雇用5000名专业人员。

 

Second, to permit existing sales staff to concentrate on attracting and retaining customers, they had to be relieved of some duties, such as preparing sales forecasts. Internal review meetings were reduced, including the intimidating mid-year review in which senior executives grilled employees—and for which workers spent lots of time cramming like students for a test.

其次，为了让现有的销售人员能够集中精力吸引和留住客户，必须减去他们的一些职责，比如不用再制定销售预测。内部评审会议减少了，包括一项称作年中评定的令人生畏的严酷考验——高级主管长时间“拷问”员工，员工则要像学生备考一样花大量时间做填鸭式的准备。

 

Lastly, salespeople needed an incentive to put in the work to sell the new products, which were potentially less profitable for them than the old fixed-term contracts. This involved a greater use of performance bonuses.

最后，需要向销售人员提供激励，好让他们努力地销售新产品，因为他们从新产品中的获利可能少于旧的定期合同。这就需要用到更多的绩效奖金。

 

Changing a corporate culture is an enormous task, and Mr. Courtois admits that it is a work in progress. Microsoft, he says, has shifted from a “fixed mindset” to a “growth mindset”. But what is interesting about the Microsoft case study is that it highlights the practical changes needed to transform a company. But the shift has only been successful (so far) because it has involved not just strategic insight, but a change in approach across the workforce.

变革企业文化是一项艰巨的任务。古德华承认这项工作还在进行中。他说，微软已从“固定型思维模式”转变为“成长型思维模式”。但这项微软案例研究的有趣之处在于它突显了企业转型所需的实际变革。这种转变之所以能成功（到目前为止），是因为它不仅用到战略洞察力，还改变了所有员工的工作方法。

必考词汇：

1.revival [rɪˈvaɪvl] n. 复兴；复活

同：renaissance , renewal

相：revive

2.revenue [ˈrevənjuː] n. 税收收入；财政收入

同：taxes , income

3.metered ['mi:təd] adj. 测量的，按计量的;  v. 以计量器计算（meter的过去式）

4.     grill [ɡrɪl] n. 烤炉；烤架v. （在烤架上）炙烤；（非正式）严厉盘问

同：roast, examine

5.incentive [ɪnˈsentɪv] n. 动机；刺激   adj. 激励的；刺激的

同：motivation , stimulus

6.highlight [ˈhaɪlaɪt] v. 突出；强调

同：emphasize , stress

7.insight ['ɪnsaɪt] n. 洞察力；洞悉

同：perception

相：insightful

8.workforce ['wɜːkfɔːs] n. 劳动力；工人总数，职工总数

同：manpower , labor force

长难句精读：

1.In large part the success has resulted from a shift away from a focus on the Windows operating system and towards Azure, Microsoft’s cloud-based services offering.

结构解析：本句主要结构是“…success has resulted from a shift away from a focus on…and towards …”，Shift from A towards B 是本句的中心短语。 “In large part”是状语，修饰整个句子，Microsoft’s cloud-based services offering是Azure的同位语。

参考译文：在很大程度上，微软成功的原因是将重心从Windows操作系统转向云服务Azure。

重点结构：同位语结构

 

2. Internal review meetings were reduced, including the intimidating mid-year review in which senior executives grilled employees—and for which workers spent lots of time cramming like students for a test.

结构解析：本句主句是 “Internal review meetings were reduced, 后面的including the intimidating mid-year review……”，是现在分词短语做伴随状语，后面的 “in which …—and for which…”是两个定语从句，并列一起来修饰review。

参考译文：内部评审会议减少了，其中包括严峻的年中评定——高级主管长时间“拷问”员工，员工则要像学生备考一样花大量时间做填鸭式的准备。

重点结构：定语从句，现在分词短语

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