Harsh Bosses Are Actually Preferred By Some — Here's Why
为啥有的人更喜欢强硬派领导？
That manager who thrives on making unreasonable demands, publicly calling out mistakes, and treating the workplace like a battlefield? Whether people see such hardline leaders as cunning strategists or clueless bullies depends largely on how they view the world itself.
那位以提出不合理要求、公开指出错误以及把工作场所当成战场为乐的经理？人们是否将这种强硬的领导者视为狡猾的战略家还是无知的恶霸，很大程度上取决于他们自己对世界的看法。
【重点词汇】
hardline (adj.):
- 词义: 在此指“强硬的，强烈的”，形容领导风格强势，不妥协。
- 用法: 常用来形容政治立场、观点等，也可形容人的性格。近义词有firm, resolute。
- 例句: He adopted a hardline stance on immigration.
Research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology reveals that people who believe the world is fundamentally a "dog-eat-dog" environment where only the strongest survive are far more likely to respect and even admire abrasive, forceful managers. Meanwhile, those who see the world as more cooperative and collaborative tend to view the same aggressive leadership style as a sign of poor judgment and ineffective management.
发表在《人格与社会心理学杂志》上的研究表明，那些认为世界本质上是“弱肉强食”的环境，只有强者才能生存的人，更有可能尊重甚至钦佩粗暴强势的经理。与此同时，那些认为世界更具合作性和协作性的人，往往将同样的侵略性领导风格视为判断力差和管理无效的标志。
【重点词汇】
abrasive (adj.):
- 词义: 在此指“粗暴的，磨损的”，形容领导风格粗鲁无礼。
- 用法: 形容词，可用来形容人、言语或物质。近义词有rough, harsh; 反义词有gentle, smooth.
- 例句: His abrasive manner alienated many people.
The research, conducted by Christine Q. Nguyen and Daniel R. Ames from Columbia Business School, explains why some employees seem to gravitate toward demanding, tough-as-nails bosses while others find such leadership styles unbearable.
这项研究由哥伦比亚商学院的Christine Q. Nguyen和Daniel R. Ames进行，解释了为什么一些员工似乎倾向于苛刻、强硬的老板，而另一些员工则发现这种领导风格难以忍受。
The researchers were inspired by a real-world example that went viral: an Olive Garden manager in Kansas who sent a scathing message to employees about calling in sick. The manager's note warned employees that "if you call off, you might as well go out and look for another job" and declared that "Us, collectively as a management team have had enough."
研究人员的灵感来自一个在现实世界中广为传播的例子：堪萨斯州一家橄榄花园餐厅的经理向员工发送了一封措辞严厉的短信，内容是关于请病假的。该经理的便条警告员工说，“如果你请假，你最好出去另找工作”，并宣称“我们，作为一个管理团队，已经受够了”。
【重点词汇】
scathing (adj.):
- 词义: 在此指“严厉批评的，苛刻的”，形容信息语气强硬，带有谴责意味。
- 用法: 形容词，常用来修饰评论、批评等。近义词有severe, harsh, critical。
- 例句: The critic gave the film a scathing review.
When the message was picked up by news outlets, public reactions were sharply divided. Some observers called the manager incompetent and harsh, while others praised the no-nonsense approach, with one person commenting, "I wish there were more managers like this."
当这条消息被新闻媒体报道后，公众的反响截然不同。一些观察人士称这位经理不称职且粗暴，而另一些人则称赞这种直截了当的方法，其中一人评论道：“我希望有更多这样的经理。”
The researchers conducted seven studies involving more than 2,000 participants to test their theory. They measured what they call "competitive worldview": basically, how strongly people believe the social world is cutthroat and rewards ruthless tactics.
研究人员进行了七项涉及2000多名参与者的研究来检验他们的理论。他们测量了他们所谓的“竞争性世界观”：基本上，人们有多强烈地相信社会世界是残酷的，并且奖励无情的策略。
In one experiment, participants read scenarios about managers who either used tough, intimidating tactics or warm, team-focused approaches. Those with a strong survival-of-the-fittest mindset consistently rated the antagonistic managers as more competent and effective leaders. Participants with more cooperative worldviews showed the opposite pattern, viewing antagonistic managers as less capable.
在一个实验中，参与者阅读了关于经理使用强硬、恐吓策略或温暖、以团队为中心的策略的场景。那些具有强烈“适者生存”心态的人始终将对抗性经理评为更有能力和有效的领导者。具有更多合作世界观的人则表现出相反的模式，认为对抗性经理能力较差。
The researchers also asked participants to evaluate real-world CEOs from a list that included Tim Cook of Apple, Mary Barra of General Motors, and others. People with more of a dog-eat-dog outlook tended to assume these successful leaders had acted aggressively during their rise to the top, and believed that style explained their success.
研究人员还要求参与者评估来自一个名单上的现实世界中的首席执行官，其中包括苹果公司的蒂姆·库克、通用汽车的玛丽·巴拉等等。那些更具有“弱肉强食”观点的人倾向于认为这些成功的领导人在他们走向成功的过程中采取了咄咄逼人的行动，并相信这种风格解释了他们的成功。
When the team surveyed working adults about their current managers, they found a similar split: people with a hardline view of the world were more satisfied and motivated under bosses who leaned on intimidation. Those who believe in collaboration reported lower morale with the same kind of boss.
当研究小组调查在职成年人对他们当前经理的看法时，他们发现了类似的分裂：那些对世界持强硬观点的人在依赖恐吓的老板手下更满意和更有动力。那些相信合作的人则报告说，在同类型的老板手下士气较低。
---
核心词汇表
hardline ['hɑdlan] (adj.) - 强硬的
abrasive ['bresv] (adj.) - 粗暴的
scathing ['sked] (adj.) - 严厉批评的
collaborative [k'laebretv] (adj.) - 合作的
intimidating [n'tmdet] (adj.) - 恐吓的
antagonistic [aentaeɡ'nstk] (adj.) - 对抗性的
competent ['kmptnt] (adj.) - 有能力的