What productive conflict can offer a workplace | Jess Kutch

翻译人员: Jiasi Hao 校对人员: Ying Meng

I am a labor organizer,

我是一名劳工组织者，

and in 2013, I cofounded an organization called coworker.org

在 2013 年，我与人联合建立了 一个名为 coworker.org 的组织。

that uses technology to help people join with coworkers

这个组织旨在使用科技 来帮助人们与同事一起

and organize for improvements in the workplace.

组织改善职场环境。

Now, there are two kinds of reactions to what I do.

对于我的工作， 人们一般有两种反应，

Actually, no, there are three.

实际上应该是三种。

The first is complete confusion about what organizing is.

第一种是搞不清“组织” 这个定义是什么意思。

When my doctor asked what I do and I told him,

当我的医生问起我的职业， 我告诉了他，

he thought I meant organizing, like, Marie Kondo-style.

他以为我说的组织是 那种类似藤麻理惠的收纳整理风格。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

He was like, "Oh, that's so great, I could use some of that around here.

他说：“哦，那真是太棒了， 可以在这里派上用场，

I would love to clean up our patient files."

我很乐意整理病人的档案。”

And I had to explain to him that no, no, it's not that kind of organizing,

之后我不得不向他解释， “不不，不是那样的组织，

it's more like if you showed up to work tomorrow

更像是如果你明天来上班，

and all the nurses in the office had gotten together

办公室里的所有护士都团结了起来，

要求全面加薪。”

to ask for an across-the-board raise.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

"Oh," he replied, and he got really quiet.

“哦，” 他回复道， 之后就陷入了沉默。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Yeah, and that's the second kind of reaction:

没错，这差不多就是第二种反应：

the uncomfortable kind.

不舒服的那种。

People usually withdraw from the conversation

人们时常抽离对话，

and find someone else to talk to.

找另外一个人去交谈。

Finally, there's the third reaction,

最后，是第三种反应，

the excited one,

兴奋的反应，

the, "Oh my God, yes! We need this!"

那种“天呐，太好了！ 我们正需要它！”

And someone always proceeds to tell me a story.

之后经常就会有人接着给我讲故事。

It's always a story about a job or a coworker or a friend

一般都是关于一份工作、 一个同事，或一个朋友

who's enduring something awful at work.

在工作中正在忍受不快的故事。

What I've noticed is that there is never a neutral response to what I do.

我已经发现对于我的工作， 没有人能够有中立的反应。

You're either repelled by it,

你要么被它击退，

or you're struck with a lightning bolt of excitement.

要么被兴奋的闪电击中。

So why does my work stir up such strong reactions?

那么为什么我的工作 能激起如此强烈的反应？

My hunch is that it's about conflict.

我的直觉是因为这关乎于矛盾。

If you have power in your workplace,

如果你在职场上坐拥权力，

maybe as a CEO or a senior leader of some kind,

可能是CEO或是某种高级领导，

you're going to feel uncomfortable with that power being challenged.

那么当你的权力受到挑战时， 你就会感到不适。

But if you lack power, or you know someone who lacks it and needs it,

但如果你或者其他人 缺乏而且需要权力，

you might grab me by the shoulders and shake me, you're so pumped.

你可能会抓着我的肩膀，激动万分。

But really, we can all benefit from understanding

事实上，理解矛盾 在职场中能带来什么，

我们所有人都能从中受益。

what conflict can offer in our workplaces.

The power imbalance in our workplace is real,

职场中权力分配的不均是真实的，

and it's constantly changing.

而且一直在变。

Power moves between us, depending on our roles and status.

权力在我们之间涌动， 取决于我们的角色和地位。

Now, sometimes this can feel like office politics, right?

有时这感觉像是办公室政治，对吧？

Which is never fun.

办公室政治从来都不有趣。

But when we contest for power thoughtfully

但是面对权力，当我们深思熟虑，

and together with our coworkers,

并且与同事们并肩，

it can be incredibly productive.

就可以让事情变得极其有成效。

And it's that kind of productive conflict

这就是今天我想要和大家谈论的

that I want to talk to you all about today,

那种有效矛盾，

the kind that can make some of us uncomfortable.

那种可以使我们部分人 听着不舒服的矛盾。

Business leaders should embrace

当员工们与政策和决策

when their workers conflict with policies and decisions,

发生矛盾冲突时， 商业领袖们应该去接受它，

both for what it teaches us

不仅为了它教给我们的东西，

and for what it says about our commitment to each other.

也是为了表达出我们对彼此的承诺。

So what do I mean by "productive conflict"?

那么我说的“有效矛盾”是什么意思？

Well, let me tell you a story.

先让我给各位讲个故事。

In 2016, a store employee for an outdoor retailer --

在 2016 年， 一家户外零售商的店内员工——

I'll call her "Alex" --

我叫她 “Alex” ——

Alex approached her boss and asked for a raise.

Alex 走到她老板跟前要求涨薪，

Now, she was told her pay was fairly standard for her position

但是老板告诉她， 她的工资完全符合她的职位标准，

and that her boss didn't even have the authority to give such a raise.

而且她老板本人 甚至没有给员工涨薪权限。

And that was supposed to be the end of the conversation.

事情到这里本来就应该结束了。

Unhappy with that answer,

Alex 对于老板的回答很不满意，

Alex went home, and she decided to create a campaign on coworker.org,

回到家，她决定在 coworker.org 上

asking the corporate office to give raises to store employees.

发起一场运动， 要求公司给店内员工涨薪。

Within days, employees from around the country

没几天，全国各地的员工

began joining Alex's effort and sharing their own stories

开始加入 Alex 的运动 并分享他们自己

about what they were earning --

目前收入的故事——

11, 12 dollars an hour --

11 或 12 美金时薪——

and how that wage was impacting their lives.

以及那个工资水平 是如何影响他们生活的。

Some even shared that they had quit recently

有些人甚至说他们最近辞职了，

to work for competitors who paid more.

去薪水更高的竞争公司工作。

But here's the thing: they also shared that they didn't want to quit,

但问题是：他们也分享说 他们不想要离开，

they liked their job, they believed in the company's mission,

他们喜欢自己的工作， 他们相信公司的使命，

but for them, the pay issue was a growing problem in their work lives.

但对于他们来说，薪水一直是 一个日渐增长的问题。

Well, after weeks of this groundswell of employee activism,

在员工运动情绪高涨的几周后，

the company decided to raise wages

公司决定在国内各个城市

by five to 15 percent in cities across the country.

加薪 5% - 15%。

And that's what I mean by productive conflict:

这就是我说的有效矛盾：

pushing up against the things that aren't working for us

在没有其它解决途径的前提下，

when there exists no other path forward.

向上反抗那些对我们不利的事。

The other thing I learned in doing this work

在这个工作中，我学会的另外一件事

is that people engage in productive conflict

就是当人们在意 他们的工作和同事时，

when they care about their jobs and their coworkers.

他们就会参与有效矛盾。

Now, that surprised me at first.

这事一开始让我非常惊讶。

I expected the worst jobs, the worst workplaces,

我期待最差劲的工作 和最垃圾的工作场所

to have the most employee activism on our site,

在我们网站上有最多的员工运动，

but the opposite is often true.

但实际情况恰恰相反。

When we come together, we can accomplish great things.

当我们凝聚在一起， 我们可以成就大事。

At one company,

有一个公司，

there are more than 50 campaigns by employees there

有超过 50 个的员工运动，

on issues ranging from dress code changes to legitimate safety concerns.

从着装要求的改变 到合法合理的安全顾虑。

And get this:

最终结果：

that same company has the lowest voluntary turnover rate

相较该行业其它主要连锁公司，

of any major chain in its sector.

这家公司的自愿离职率最低。

And it also has one of the higher productivity rates as well.

这家公司也同样有着较高的生产率。

Business leaders: you shouldn't fear conflict,

商业领袖们： 你们不应该惧怕矛盾，

and you shouldn't try to tamp down on it

你们也不应该 在矛盾即将于职场发生时

the minute it bubbles up in your workforce.

就打压它。

While it can introduce uncertainties that can be difficult to manage,

尽管接受矛盾可能意味着 引入难以管理的不确定因素，

those uncertainties are trying to tell you something

但那些不确定因素

正在尝试告诉你一些 需要你关注的根本问题。

about an underlying problem that needs your attention.

And I think this is especially important right now,

我认为这非常重要，尤其是现在。

you know, as technology transforms nearly everyone's job

随着技术对近乎每个人工作的转变，

and as the structures that contain our work

以及囊括我们工作的结构

are changing at a pace not seen since the Industrial Revolution.

正在以从工业革命以来 前所未有的速度改变，

We all need to be shaping and participating in the future of work.

我们所有人都需要塑造自己 并参与到未来工作。

We all need to be challenging and changing the parts of our work lives

我们都需要挑战和改变 我们工作生活中

that are broken.

破碎不堪的部分。

So I hope the next time a coworker invites you

因此我希望， 如果下一次你的一个同事

maybe to join a sign-on letter to your boss,

邀请你参与签署一封 给老板的联名信，

or a group of employees asks for a meeting

或是一群员工要求开会

to discuss their concerns about the new health care plan,

讨论他们对新医疗计划的顾虑，

I hope you'll consider it an opportunity

我希望，你能把它当作一个机会，

to build a better workplace,

一个营造更好职场环境的机会，

a stronger business

一个打造更强企业的机会，

and an economy that works for all of us.

和一个适合所有人的经济环境。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）