[originaltext] Good afternoon. In today’s talk, we’ll discuss how managers c

Good afternoon. In today’s talk, we’ll discuss how managers can get their staff to do what they are asked. Much to their frustration, managers often struggle to get their staff to comply with even simple instructions. Often, they blame their employees: "They don’t read emails, they don’t listen, they don’t care"— that kind of thing. But according to recent research conducted in Australia, it looks like it’s not the employees’ fault, but the managers’. It’s easy to understand why people sometimes disobey procedures intentionally. Occasionally, it’s because they’re pressured to finish in a short time. At other times, they may disagree with the spirit of the procedure—the effort demanded, the time consumed, the lack of potential effectiveness. And every now and then, they just don’t want to, maybe deliberately or out of stubbornness.
    So apart from that, what else gets in the way of procedural compliance? The research scholars surveyed 152 blue-collar workers from two separate sites in the mining industry. They asked the workers a range of procedure-related questions, such as whether they found the procedures useful, how confident they felt in their job, how comfortable they were to speak up in the workplace, and how closely they followed any new procedures set by their managers. They were also asked to rate the extent to which they perceived their supervisors to be helpful. That last statement was the most instructive because, as the researchers found, there was a remarkably strong correlation between how helpful supervisors were perceived to be and how likely their employees were to follow their directors.
    Supervisors’ helping behavior was found to be motivational in nature. It increased employees’ perception of the likelihood of success in the attainment of job goals, and therefore fostered a willingness to dedicate their effort and ability to their work. In short, managers should be ongoing role models for the change. As the saying goes: Do as I do, not as I say. To affect behavioral change, what’s most required is interaction and involvement—the human touch—and, naturally, processes that add value. Although procedures are designed to guide and support employees’ work, employees, it seems, can’t always be expected to comply with procedures that are not seen as useful. And of course, managers shouldn’t keep resending emails. They are an effective tool for the sharing of data reports, but they are a hopeless tool if what a manager’s desiring is a change in behavior.
    Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
    22. Why are managers often frustrated with their employees?
    23. Why do employees sometimes disobey procedures intentionally?
    24. When are employees more likely to follow instructions according to the researchers?
    25. What does the speaker say about emails?