Please, read and comprehend the text below. Note the vocabulary units (given in bold type) and phrases you find the most appropriate to discuss the topic. Translate and learn them.
TEXT 1
The danger of a tell me what I want to hear culture in social services.
August 26, 2014 By Blair McPherson,
Ex-social worker and social services director
Social care leaders can't afford to simply ignore those who disagree with them, writes Blair McPherson
I have known directors who think their senior managers shield them from the negative stuff.
These same senior managers dont admit to problems for fear of being considered incapable and think their best interests are to serve and reassure the boss that all is well and any problems are being sorted.
I have known directors who dismiss the idea of open sessions with staff saying it just gives a forum for the grumblers, the cynics and those with a particular axe to grind. I have worked in places where no one dare tell the chief executive that something is a bad idea; where to express concern is viewed as dissent, even disloyalty. No one actually says ‗tell me lies but in suchplaces the truth becomes too hard to hear, so managers recognize that they are expected to say the right thing or say nothing.
And so you end up with a culture of ‗tell me what I long to hear. Tell me the budget cuts are being delivered with minimum pain. Tell me we can do more with less. Tell me stories of innovation and change for the better. Tell me the reorganization is a success. Tell mealternatives have been found for those whose services have been closed. Tell me that the voluntary sector has stepped in to fill the gap, that the local faith community is keen to domore, that families are taking responsibility.
Tell me we have reduced bureaucracy, cut down on paperwork, and are making better use of staff time. Tell me the use of unqualified but trained staff has proved a great success. Tell methat most of the redundancies were voluntary. Tell me we were able to offer redeployment to most of those impacted by the restructuring. Tell me the problems have been exaggerated.
Tell me everything is under control. Tell me the stories in the press are isolated examples.
Tell me the unions are exaggerating, that staff morale always takes a dip when changes are happening. Tell me that new technology will save us money and time. Tell me the new software problems can easily be ironed out. Tell me the outsourcing of services is going to deliver the predicted savings. Tell me the performance figures will be better next time. Tell me its just a few bad apples. Tell me our communication strategy will explain everything. Tell me we canhave confidence in what our managers tell us. Tell me what I want to hear. Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies.
The trouble is that if you encourage managers only to give you the good news then at some point you are going to get a very unpleasant surprise and it will be too late to take corrective actions. It might be a whistleblower, an unannounced inspection, some very persistent questioning by
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the scrutiny committee or an MP who on behalf of a service user / constituent wont let the matter be dropped. Eventually it will all come out and probably very publicly.
Of course there will be those who say they knew nothing, that the true position was kept from them or that they were given assurances that the problems were minor and being addressed.
Whether they are believed or not will depend on their leadership style, whether they asked the right questions of those they relied on, and whether they listenedeven to those who disagreedwith them!
Source: http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2014/08/26/danger-tell-want-hear-culture-social-services/
Please, find sentences with Continuous, Perfect and Perfect Continuous tenses in the text. Translate them and explain why such tense is used there.
Please, find sentences with the Passive Voice. Translate them. Change the Passive Voice into the Active Voice if possible.
Glossary
sweet little lies :, to ignore ,
to disagree ,
senior managers /
to shield smb from smth / smb : - -/- the negative stuff :
to admit to smth -, -
for fear of being considered incapable (to do smth) :- , ( -)
to serve and reassure the boss ( ѐ) to sort out smth ѐ-; -
to dismiss the idea of open sessions with staff ()
a chief executive ; to express concern
a dissent ;
to say the right thing or say nothing : ,
to end up with smth : ( )/ - to long to do smth -
the budget cuts
voluntary sector has stepped in to fill the gap :ѐ
local faith community : /
to reduce bureaucracy
to make better use of staff time unqualified but trained staff , ( )
redundancies : redeployment :
those impacted by the restructuring :, ѐ
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to exaggerate :
to be under control isolated examples : to take a dip
to save money and time to iron out :(-)
performance figures : / its just a few bad apples (in the basket) : ( )
to take corrective action - a whistleblower :ѐ
on behalf of a service user : / to come out very publicly :
the true position was kept from them problems were minor and being addressed :
Whether they are believed or not
to ask the right questions of those / ,
