Directions: In questions you have a brief passage with 10 questions. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives. You may think the sign of a good manager is to have a department where everybody is busy at work on their assigned tasks. But if your people are merely ‘doing their jobs,’ they are only working at about half their potential. A truly productive department is one in which every employee is actively thinking of better, more efficient methods of working ways in which to produce a higher quality product, in less time, at lower cost. To get this kind of innovation from you people, you have to be receptive to new ideas: what’s more, you have to encourage your people to produce new ideas. Incentives are one way to motivate employees to be more productive. You can offer a cash bonus, time off, or a gift, but a more potent form of motivation is simply the employee’s knowledge that management does listen to him or her and does put employee suggestion and ideas to work. When you listen to new ideas, be open minded. Don’t shoot down a suggestion before you’ve heard it in full. Many of us are too quick, too eager, to show off our own experience and knowledge and say that something won’t work because 'we've tried it before’ or ‘we don’t do it that way’. Well may be you did try it before but that doesn’t mean it won’t work now. And having done things a certain way in the past doesn’t mean you’ve been doing them the best way. A good manager is open-minded and receptive to new ideas.
'To be receptive to new ideas' in the passage suggests
readiness to receive new ideas
Understanding 'Receptive to New Ideas' in the Passage
The passage discusses what makes a good manager and how they can create a truly productive department. It emphasizes that employees are working at their full potential when they are thinking of better, more efficient ways of working. To foster this kind of innovation and achieve a productive department, the passage states that a manager must be 'receptive to new ideas'.
The phrase 'receptive' generally means willing to consider or accept new suggestions and ideas. In the context of the passage, being 'receptive to new ideas' is presented as a crucial quality for a manager. It is contrasted with being quick to dismiss suggestions or saying "we've tried it before" without truly listening.
Analyzing the Meaning of Being Receptive
When a manager is receptive to new ideas, it means they are open-minded and ready to receive suggestions from their employees. This readiness is key because, as the passage points out, employees are more motivated when they know their ideas and employee suggestions are listened to and potentially put into action. Being receptive to new ideas is therefore about creating an environment where employees feel safe and encouraged to share their thoughts on how to improve the workplace.
Let's look at the given options in light of this understanding:
- Option 1: readiness to receive new ideas
This option directly aligns with the definition of 'receptive' and the context provided in the passage. A manager who is receptive to new ideas is ready and willing to hear and consider them. This is essential for encouraging employee suggestions and innovation. - Option 2: to be cautious and careful about the new ideas
While caution and care might be applied *after* receiving an idea (e.g., during evaluation), the passage's emphasis on being open-minded and not shutting down suggestions implies that the initial posture should be one of readiness to listen, not immediate caution or suspicion. The passage suggests receiving *before* evaluating. - Option 3: to share with your people the new ideas
'Receptive' means receiving or taking in, not sharing out. The manager receives ideas from employees, they don't primarily share new ideas *with* them in this specific context of being receptive. - Option 4: to think of better and more efficient methods of working
This describes the *outcome* or the *goal* of encouraging employee innovation. Employees who are encouraged (because their manager is receptive to new ideas) might think of better methods. But the phrase "to be receptive" itself describes the manager's attitude towards *receiving* these ideas, not the act of thinking them up.
Conclusion on 'Receptive to New Ideas'
Based on the passage, being receptive to new ideas is fundamental for a manager who wants to cultivate a productive department that thrives on employee suggestions and innovation. It requires an attitude of readiness and willingness to listen to and consider new concepts and suggestions from employees, rather than dismissing them quickly. Therefore, 'readiness to receive new ideas' accurately captures the meaning.
Important Questions from Reading Comprehension
Why, according to the writer can't people be motivated to use a resource prudently?
1. They feel that others may overuse the resource
2. It is possible to substitute the resource
3. Abundance of the resource availability
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
When do people use resources exhaustively?
The self-interest of people affects the use of renewable resources
People rooted in a locality
Which among the following is closest in meaning with the word 'deplete'?
