转贴:不要用勤奋对冲制度设计(姜汝祥)

 做公司之后,哲学家的书就基本不看了。但我们在做咨询的时候,却喜欢讲哲学家罗尔斯的分粥理论,那是他在《正义论》中讨论社会财富时做的一个比喻。   在这个比喻中,罗尔斯把财富比做一锅粥,一群人来分。那如何分呢?罗尔斯罗列了五种分粥法:
  一、指定一个人全权负责分粥。结果可能是谁负责,结果就受谁的主观意愿影响,比如为自己分的粥最多。
  二、大家轮流坐庄,每人一天。这样不仅会导致上面的问题,即负责的人以权谋私,而且可能会导致怨怨相报。
  三、大家选举一个信得过的人。也许开始这位品德高尚的人还能公平分粥,但他总有偏爱吧?时间一长,分粥又变得不公平了。
  四、成立分粥委员会和监察委员会,形成分权和制约。这样,公平基本做到了,可是由于监察委员会经常提出种种质疑,分粥委员会又据理力争,等到粥分完毕,粥早就凉透了。
  五、分粥者最后喝粥。所有人把粥领走,分粥者最后取。
  看到这里,大家都明白,是第五种最好!但我们为什么要在企业讲这个故事?因为我们发现,目前有很多企业陷入“勤奋过度,效率低下”运营状态中!背后的原因,就是这些企业的管理者是在按前四种方式在“分粥”!
  也就是说,目前国内相当一部分企业存在一种现象,那就是用勤奋对冲制度设计!他们普遍认为勤奋奉献的人治,比利益制衡、自动自发的法治好!更可怕的是,有的企业还片面地把这当成学习华为“床垫文化”精神的结果,把这与艰苦奋斗,与奉献牺牲,与道德情操联系在一起,大力宣传!
  作为一个学社会学的博士,我当然深知,这种现象是有传统原因的!事实上,中国传统小农文化一直对勤奋有着特殊的偏爱,想想吧,在靠天吃饭的情况下,你唯一能够做的,就是勤奋地精耕细作,就是不计代价地开荒造土造田,这就是所谓的“勤能补拙”吧!这种思维方式自然会影响他们“分粥”,在一个小农家庭文化中,如何“分粥”并不重要,把分粥过程“情感化”“道德化”很重要!大家先成为兄弟,然后再分,一切就简单了,这就是所谓的“以德分粥”!
  但市场经济把这一切都改变了!市场经济并不强调勤奋,市场经济强调的是创造客户需要的结果!我们所有人都知道,勤奋地生产而卖不出去,那叫库存!反过来,不生产,但掌握了客户(比如沃尔玛)需求,却能够做世界首富!
  拿分粥事件来说,分粥的人是生产者,接受粥的人是客户!你如何分不重要,让客户满意这很重要。因为粥本身是一种利益,分粥者要通过分粥的结果,来交换大家对他的认同或服从!所以,在这里,分粥者的目的就是要用公平结果来交换其它人的服从!谁有这个能力,谁就来分,谁就能够做领导!
  懂得了这一点,对企业权力的来源就清楚了。企业管理者的权力表面上是任命来的,但实际上,这个权力是用来服务员工或客户的。你提供了外部客户需要的结果,你就有权力从他那儿获得金钱回报!你提供了内部员工需要的结果,你就有权力从他那儿获得服从甚至尊敬!否则,就要被员工或客户用“脚”炒掉!
  由此,管理者(分粥者)立即就明白,他最大的资源并不是粥,那是表面的资源,也是最靠不住的资源,回为你分得不好,立即就要下台!分粥者最大的资源是设计制度,不同的制度下,自然有不同的结果,分粥者就是要设计出那个最优的结果!在这里,粥只是一个载体而已。一旦你懂得生产公平的分粥制度,你就自然懂分任何东西给任何人!
  反过来,如果管理者不懂最大的特权是生产制度,反而认为真正的资源是粥。那就会在人与人的关系上下功夫,去用情感,用人际关系,用权力,用谋略,用封闭,甚至用诡计来搞定接受粥的人,这样的结果又是什么?不仅自己累得要死,而且还做不大,更可怕的是,自己被自己感动,把这一切上升到“艰苦奋斗文化”,一代一代传递下去,这便是人治文化为什么在中国企业随处可见的原因!
  当然,在一个企业的创业初期,勤奋与牺牲那是基本的出发点,制度的建立是对企业发展阶段的适应!这也是我们这个社会尊敬华为“床垫文化”的原因。没有这种文化,就没有中国一批批民营企业的崛起!但我想任何一家渡过创业期的公司,都不应当把“床垫文化”当成公司的主流文化,因为这种文化本质上是自上而下的“自我为中心”精英文化,这种文化最大的问题,在于用勤奋来对冲制度设计,长期把企业停滞在人治文化的泥潭!
  在我看来,任何一家伟大的公司,都是建立在法治基础之上的,让员工有尊严的公司。就象沃尔玛总裁山姆沃尔顿说的那样,你想要照顾好你的顾客,你首先要照顾好你的员工!而法治的基础是什么?员工的尊严来自于何处?答案是工作合约内容的遵守与执行,以及合约外的自由(比如下班后的自由)。这是法治的前提吧:没有约定边界与退出自由的制度,其实并没有真正的约束力!
  当然,这一切需要一个过程!所以,我想另一个结论也是成立的,那就是,任何一家公司,如果没有创业初期很多管理人员与员工的加班,甚至牺牲周末时间来超越竞争对手,来获得客户的认同,想成为优秀公司是不可能的!我想,这也是我们不太尊敬那些垄断企业的原因!他们的效益不可谓不好,但看看他们管理人员与员工的工作状态,看看他们准时上下班,愉快过周末的状态,再看看我们的付出与收获,我们有理由不尊敬这样的企业!
  但凡事都有个度,如果任何一家公司,一旦渡过了创业期,却永远想靠管理人员与员工的加班,甚至牺牲周末时间来超越竞争对手,来获得客户的认同,我想那也绝不可能成为一家世界级优秀公司!道理很简单,公司努力的方向错了,他们不是在如何生产“分粥的制度”上下功夫,而是在粥上下功夫,继续通过原始的情感管理方式,或政治家式的谋略管理来进行规模的扩张!
  这样的方式也许可以维持甚至获得短期的进步,但致命的伤口却越来越大,那就是人均效率是在递减而不是递增的!那就是领导者的才能是人治的而不是法治的!那就是组织的凝聚靠的是亲信而不是职业化团队!那就是企业的未来靠的是某个人而不是企业的制度与文化!
  而这一切,正是中国企业迈向国际化,正规化,持续化必须跨越的一道坎!

an old blog

I had a hideous dream last night. Following is it:
“I know there are always some differences of opinion between my father and my grandmother. But I do always not bear this in mind.
My grandmother is a superstitionist. She often does some superstitious behavior and always wastes money because of this faith.
One day, I came back to my home and found my grandmother knelt down. All of my families were very angry. They argued about something. I immediately knew it comes again – the point is money. Because of my grandmother’s ridiculous behavior, we did not give her any money after we found that she always would rather paid money for her ridiculous behavior than improve her life conditions. We bought everything for her, but never gave her money. So she felt very sad and argue with us sometimes.
But I usually gave some money to her without being known by my parent. I knew it is not right behavior, but I could always not help myself.
Now it is happened again. I walked to grandmother. I am very shocked because grandmother knelt down the ground where it is near by the river. It looked like she wanted to do some impulsive action. So I walked to her quickly, and seated down beside her.
The horrible thing happed at that time. My grandmother became into an evil spirit. And another one who became from a little girl came to my back at the same time. Both them have a couple of big bottle-green eyes in their narrow face and a pair of tongs in their mouth.
I could do nothing before they assaulted me suddenly, because I never thought it would be like this. I known they wanted to twist off my neck with their tongs and kill me. The shock left me numb.
I thought I would die at that time, but some sounds delayed their actions. And then, I got a chance to counterattack them. I hold their neck and put their tongs into together. They twisted off themselves tongs each other, and I also wrung their neck. Then I woke up.”
The damn hideous dream is over now. But I still remember the sounds which saved my life at the dangerous time. I can feel them now. The first sounds come from my parents and young brother. And the Second sounds come from my wife and the last one come from a security place where I do not know.
It is so true and clear feeling which I can feel. I know it is love which comes from my parent and wife. I am also so happy and proud of it. It is the most valuable treasure for me in the world. I am so rich.
In the other hand, I felt some warning which comes from this dream. I always ignore that I made a mistake. I indulge my grandmother too much. It is bad for her. She will never break her habit if I keep up giving her money which should not be given. In her opinion, it would rather be a right action than a superstitious behavior. The point is she always found somebody was helping her, and it is me. I know I am wrong now. So I decide to stop this stupid help.
Maybe they want to warn me in this dream. It is a great. Because I found more from the bad dream.
It is love--the most valuable treasure for me in the world—which come from my families.

转贴:最短的路和最快的路

今天读到一篇很有意义的帖子,其中道理虽然都明白,但是真的到自己身上,很多时候缺忽略了。

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今天我赶着去参加一个很重要、不能迟到的会议,最糟糕的是还有二十分钟会议便要开始了。
我好不容易截到了一辆出租车,匆匆忙忙上车后,我对司机说:“麻烦你,我很赶时间,拜托你走最短的路!”
司机问道:“先生,是走最短的路,还是走最快的路?”
我很好奇地问:“最短的路不是最快的吗?”
“当然不是,现在是繁忙时间,最短的路都会交通挤塞。你要是赶时间的话便得绕道走,虽然多走一点路,却是最快的方法。”
听了司机的话,我最后还是选择走了最快的路。途中我看见不远处有一条街道交通挤塞得水泄不通,司机解释说那条正是最短的路。司机所言没差,多走一点路果然畅通无阻,虽然路程较远,多花了点时间,却很快便到达目的地,最终也赶上了会议。
今天被出租车司机教育了一把,我想人总喜欢走快捷方式、希望不劳而获,以为走快捷方式可以用最小的代价最快到达目的地。其实有时走长一点的路虽然会累一点,吃多一点苦,却是唯一最快到达目的地的方法.
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世间的事情往往如此,每每以为最短的路,通常情况下都不会最快到达,因为世间聪明人太多,大多都想走捷径,反而欲速不达。那些看似笨拙的人,坚持自己的路,吃了点亏,却成功了。

我们愿意选择做哪种人呢?