金融時報:圣依納爵——16世紀(jì)的現(xiàn)代管理學(xué)先驅(qū)

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2022年01月26日

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圣依納爵——16世紀(jì)的現(xiàn)代管理學(xué)先驅(qū)

早在近500年前，羅耀拉·圣依納爵就向世人展示了如何管理一家跨國企業(yè)，這些經(jīng)驗至今仍然行之有效。這位古代圣人可謂是現(xiàn)代管理學(xué)的經(jīng)典案例。

測試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識：

surrender[s?'rend?r] 投降,讓與,屈服

frivolity[fr?'v?l?ti] 輕浮

dispossess[?d?sp?'zes] 剝奪，霸占

hospitable[hɑ?'sp?t?bl] 好客的，殷勤的

humility[hju?'m?l?ti] 謙遜, 謙虛

contemplative[k?n'templ?t?v] 沉思的, 冥想的

Why a 16th-century saint is a model of modern management（702 words）

By Paul Almeida

When Pope Francis assumed the papacy in 2013, there were cheers from many around the world. Francis was the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit. While his appointment focused new attention on the Jesuit Order, the Society of Jesus has been around since 1540, when it was founded by St Ignatius Loyola.

A saint might seem a surprising source of inspiration for a business school dean, but more than 350 years before the first MBA degree, St Ignatius gave us a model of how to lead a multinational enterprise. Many organisational leaders today would be proud to emulate his principles and approach. His entrepreneurial spirit and management abilities led to the creation of a vast global organisation that has thrived and fulfilled its mission for nearly 500 years. Those principles underlie McDonough School of Business, which is based at Georgetown University, America's oldest Catholic and Jesuit institution of higher learning, founded in 1789.

Every leadership expert stresses the importance of leading by example and of staying in touch in meaningful ways with those outside the top “C-suite” echelons of management and life of privilege. St Ignatius was born into the C-suite. As a member of the nobility he spent his early years in the 16th-century equivalent of a jet-setting life. Yet he surrendered frivolity for devotion to God, to walk with the poor and survive by begging. We now admire the chief executive who lunches in the staff canteen, much as our most compelling images of Pope Francis are those in which he emerges from his tiny car and stays in touch with the dispossessed around the world by, quite literally, touching them.

St Ignatius understood that shared governance would help to attract and unleash the best talent. Leadership involves not just articulating a vision but also inspiring others to follow and execute it. Take St Francis Xavier, who travelled to Goa, India, in 1542 and established the first Jesuit school. Think of the courage it took to voyage to new lands with little money and no weaponry. He had courage and a commitment to the “company's” vision of making a positive difference. Such courage is often hard to find today as we face the challenges of business in a more integrated and hospitable world.

The type of humility shown by St Ignatius creates trust. He delegated responsibilities in a time when strict hierarchy prevailed. The trust implicit in the modern practices of shared governance, delegation and employee empowerment are fundamentally rooted in a leader's humility.

It is widely accepted today that organisations need a strong shared mission and culture to create and execute strategies. St Ignatius understood the importance of this for the Society of Jesus. Through the Spiritual Exercises, prayers and contemplative practices he developed and are still widely practised, he helped the Jesuits to understand who they were and why they were. By the time he died, priests as far away as Brazil and Japan, with no connection to the headquarters in Rome, were guided by a common sense of purpose. Without technology or staff meetings, St Ignatius bound together a global community of shared purpose and values.

Structures, systems and processes in many ways define the life of an organisation and what it does well. St Ignatius explained in detail in the Jesuit Constitutions how the Society of Jesus would operate. He outlined everything from rules for those joining the seminary to the role of senior Jesuits, including how to shape the organisation, train people and give them the flexibility to structure their lives.

St Ignatius emphasised the need for self-reflection and self-knowledge, as today we encourage people to learn about their strengths and weaknesses. He also left much to the discretion of local decision makers, balancing global consistency with local flexibility.

Ignatian principles have inspired generations of religious leaders, educators and students. But I believe St Ignatius is also a management hero. The principles and practices he established have survived for five centuries and lie at the heart of a complex multinational organisation that runs some 360 secondary schools and 175 universities around the world, and is engaged in activities from healthcare to assisting refugees. Guided by principles established by St Ignatius, the Society of Jesus has a remarkable track record of improving our world.

請根據(jù)你所讀到的文章內(nèi)容，完成以下自測題目：

1.St Ignatius Loyola is the founder of ____.

A.Georgetown University.

B.Society of Jesus.

C.McDonough School of Business.

D.a multinational enterprise.

答案(1)

2.Which of the following statements about Pope Francis is FALSE ?

A.He is a member of Society of Jesus.

B.He the first pope from the Americas.

C.He is the first pope with MBA degree.

D.He always stays in touch with the dispossessed.