Why Your Team Needs Rookies

招聘主管雖然知道新員工是公司長期的資產(chǎn)，但也常常覺得他們是短期負(fù)擔(dān)：這些人必須要有人帶、有人培訓(xùn)，工作適應(yīng)期工作量又相對少一些，結(jié)果就影響了其他人的工作進(jìn)程。

Hiring managers often view newcomers to their organizations as not only long-term assets but also short-term burdens: ?people who need to be inducted, trained, and given lighter loads as they get up to speed, inevitably slowing everyone else down.

但這一點并非必然。我們在對沒有經(jīng)驗的員工如何應(yīng)對艱難挑戰(zhàn)的研究中（有的剛從大學(xué)畢業(yè)，也有的是剛從其他公司或部門過來的有經(jīng)驗專業(yè)人員），發(fā)現(xiàn)新員工的表現(xiàn)常常是好得出奇。

But that doesn’t have to be the case. In my research studying how inexperienced people tackle tough challenges, I’ve consistently found that rookies (whether they are freshly minted university graduates or experienced professionals coming from other organizations or functions) are surprisingly strong performers.

正因為新手在知識或技能上的不足，反而讓他們更警覺、動作更快、也更能找出聰明的工作方式。雖然他們還不適合需要熟練技巧的任務(wù)、也還不能擔(dān)任一出錯就全盤皆輸?shù)墓ぷ?，但他們卻是在快速變化的環(huán)境下，從事具備創(chuàng)新性質(zhì)的知識工作的適合人選。比如科技領(lǐng)域，信息量每9個月就增加一倍，而且每年又有30%會過時，也就是說一個人腦中的科技知識大概只要5年就全部成了過時信息。對現(xiàn)在的許多專業(yè)人員來說，學(xué)習(xí)能力要比累積的知識重要多了。

Because they face significant knowledge or skill gaps, they are alert, move fast, and work smart. While they’re not well-suited for tasks that require technical?mastery or where a single mistake is game-ending, they are particularly adept at knowledge work that is innovative in nature, when speed matters and the environment is quickly changing. Consider science and technology, fields in which information is?doubling every nine months?and?decaying at a rate of 30% a year, thereby rendering as much as 85% of a person’s technical knowledge irrelevant in five years’ time.?For many professionals today, the ability to learn is more valuable than accumulated knowledge.

我們的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，新手特別擅長三件事：

Our study found three things?rookies are especially good at:

1.運(yùn)用專家資源。新手因為知識和見解不足，因此不怕請教他人。我們的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，新手請求他人協(xié)助的機(jī)率是其他人的4倍，而且愿意接受忠告的機(jī)率也高出50%。與經(jīng)驗豐富的同事相比，他們尋求專業(yè)人士幫助的機(jī)率高出40%。

1. Tapping?networks of experts.??Having little knowledge and insight themselves, newcomers have no qualms about seeking guidance from others. Our study found that rookies are four times more likely to ask for help and 50% more likely to listen. They seek expertise 40% more than their experienced peers, and when they do, they connect with five times as many people.

讓我們用金融服務(wù)公司Vanguard的一位IT經(jīng)理Jeff為例。當(dāng)初他突然受指派負(fù)責(zé)以前從未接觸過的供貨商管理工作，一時六神無主。但他僅在短短幾周內(nèi)，就有條不紊的找到了該領(lǐng)域的25位專家，建起了具有相當(dāng)規(guī)模的專家咨詢網(wǎng)。

Take Jeff, an IT manager at the financial services firm Vanguard. When he was abruptly put in charge of vendor management, an area in which he had no experience, he felt completely out of his element. But his response was to systematically reach out to 25 people with deep experience in the field, and within a few weeks, he had built a big network of experts to tap for advice.

如果你想取得更多知識，不妨就讓新手擔(dān)任那個職位，告訴他不必事事都懂。讓專家擔(dān)任某個職位，你得到的就是一位專家；但若讓新手來做，反而能接觸到許多位專家。

If you want access to more knowledge, consider putting a rookie on the job and telling her it’s OK not to have all the answers herself. With one expert, you’ll get one expert; with a newcomer, you get access to many more.

2.建立新領(lǐng)域。當(dāng)面對一個不可能或者很難實現(xiàn)的新構(gòu)想或機(jī)會時，新手反而能開拓出新領(lǐng)域。有了成功的壓力而又無路可退，新手就更會臨機(jī)應(yīng)變、抓住手邊所有資源，努力達(dá)到最基本的要求以推動原本成功機(jī)率很低的項目。

2. Forging new territory.?Clueless about whether a new idea or opportunity is impossible (or just plain hard) to achieve, rookies readily explore?new frontiers. With added pressure to succeed and nowhere to retreat to, they are also more likely to improvise, get resourceful, and focus on meeting basic needs to push their long-shot projects through.

舉例來說，Reputation.com的CEO Michael Fertik從來不會告訴負(fù)責(zé)開拓新業(yè)務(wù)的員工，該怎么開始銷售流程或是評估交易案的規(guī)模。他解釋道：“新員工若是不知道這些事，常常就會直接去找對方的公司高層，很多時候達(dá)成的交易規(guī)模都遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)大于那些有豐富經(jīng)驗的員工。”

For example, at Reputation.com, CEO Michael Fertik never tells new business development staff how to start the sales process or size deals. “In absence of knowing, they often just start the conversation at the top of the organization [and] many of them end up bringing in far greater-sized deals than the experienced staff does,” he explains.

如果你希望員工完成一項艱難的任務(wù)、或是抓住某項前所未聞的機(jī)會，用新手或許是最好的選擇。

If you want someone to tackle a tough challenge or seize an unheard of opportunity, a rookie might be your best bet.

3.加速創(chuàng)新。新手的學(xué)習(xí)曲線比較陡，但也因為他們深知自身不足而又著急站穩(wěn)腳跟，所以常常更快地出成果。在我們的對照研究中，新手及時完成工作的概率是有經(jīng)驗員工的60%。他們一開始收集資料、研究情況時，會比較謹(jǐn)慎保守，但一旦真正起步，行動就很迅速，因此十分適合處理小型、靈活的開發(fā)項目。

3. Accelerating innovation.?Newcomers face a steeper learning curve, but, because they’re mindful of the gap and want to gain ground, they often deliver results faster. In our comparative study, rookies scored 60% higher than experienced colleagues on the timeliness of their output. They’re cautious at first as they gather data and study a situation, but once they jump in, they move quickly, making them perfectly suited for?lean?and?agile?development projects.

eBay重新打造新人訓(xùn)練課程，以確保新員工不僅了解公司，更能夠立刻對公司有所貢獻(xiàn)，結(jié)果得到驚人的成效。2013年招募的大學(xué)畢業(yè)生，一旦公司要求他們立刻開始提出意見、無所保留，他們就在開始工作的短短幾個月間提出許多專利提案，數(shù)量平均比其他員工多25%，而且其中許多也成了正式的專利申請案。

When eBay revamped its induction program to ensure that new hires weren’t just learning about the company but also immediately contributing to it, the results were impressive. Once directed to jump in and share their ideas without holding back, the 2013 college recruits submitted an average of 25% more ideas for patents, and more that led to formal submissions, in their first few months of work than the rest of the company.

好好運(yùn)用新員工以提出新穎的構(gòu)想、推動實驗、迅速發(fā)揮作用，以及很快取得顧客的回饋意見。

Use your rookie talent to generate fresh ideas, experiment, deliver quick functionality, and get rapid feedback from your customers.

新手遠(yuǎn)比大多數(shù)人所想的還要能干。與其再讓他們接受基本訓(xùn)練，還不如讓他們立刻推動改變。他們不一定需要接受更多管理，而是需要立刻進(jìn)入真正的情境、指導(dǎo)他們正確的方向，而且獲得授權(quán)采取行動。

Rookies are far more capable than most people expect. Instead of putting them through basic training, ask them to make a difference right away. They don’t necessarily need more management; they need to be put in the game, pointed in the right direction, and given permission to play.

最后一點：任何人都能展現(xiàn)這種我所稱的“新手的智慧”。真正扭轉(zhuǎn)戰(zhàn)局的關(guān)鍵是整個團(tuán)隊都能夠、也愿意在必要的時候，不論年紀(jì)、職位高低，都能采用新手的心態(tài)：運(yùn)用專家資源、開拓新領(lǐng)域、加速創(chuàng)新。

One final note: Anyone can display what I call “rookie smarts.” The real game-changer is ensuring that your entire team is able and willing to adopt the newcomer’s mindset when necessary—mobilizing experts, forging new territory and accelerating innovation – no matter their age or career stage.

（linjunhong/譯? ? 騰躍/編）

Liz Wiseman 是 “Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work”和“Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter”的作者。