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  3. Should a leader strive to be loved or feared? This question, famously posed by Machiavelli, lies at the heart of Joseph Nye’s ne

Should a leader strive to be loved or feared? This question, famously posed by Machiavelli, lies at the heart of Joseph Nye’s ne

admin2022-07-29  103
问题     Should a leader strive to be loved or feared? This question, famously posed by Machiavelli, lies at the heart of Joseph Nye’s new book. Mr. Nye, a former dean of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and one-time chairman of America’s National Intelligence Council, is best known for promoting the idea of "soft power", based on persuasion and influence, as a counterpoint to "hard power", based on coercion and force.
    Having analyzed the use of soft and hard power in politics and diplomacy in his previous books, Mr. Nye has now turned his attention to the relationship between power and leadership, in both the political and business spheres. Machiavelli, he notes, concluded that "one ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved." In short, hard power is preferable to soft power. But modern leadership theorists have come to the opposite conclusion.
    The context of leadership is changing, they observe, and the historical emphasis on hard power is becoming outdated. In modern companies and democracies, power is increasingly diffused and traditional hierarchies are being undermined, making soft power ever more important. But that does not mean coercion should now take a back seat to persuasion, Mr. Nye argues. Instead, he advocates a synthesis of these two views. The conclusion of The Powers to Lead, his survey of the theory of leadership, is that a combination of hard and soft power, which he calls "smart power", is the best approach.
    The dominant theoretical model of leadership at the moment is, apparently, the "transformational leadership pattern". Anyone allergic to management term will already be running for the exit, but Mr. Nye has performed a valuable service in rounding up and summarizing the various academic studies and theories of leadership into a single, slim volume. He examines different approaches to leadership, the morality of leadership and how the wider context can determine the effectiveness of a particular leader. There are plenty of anecdotes and examples, both historical and contemporary, political and corporate.
    Also, leadership is a slippery subject, and as he depicts various theories, even Mr. Nye never quite nails the jelly to the wall. He is at his most interesting when discussing the moral aspects of leadership— in particular, the question of whether it is sometimes necessary for good leaders to lie—and he provides a helpful 12-point summary of his conclusions. A recurring theme is that as circumstances change, different sorts of leaders are required; a leader who thrives in one environment may struggle in another, and vice versa. Ultimately that is just a fancy way of saying that leadership offers no easy answers.
Mr. Nye’s book is particularly valuable in that it________.
选项 A、makes little use of management terms
B、summarizes various studies concisely
C、serves as an exit for leadership researchers
D、sets a model for contemporary corporate leaders
答案B
解析 本题关键词是Mr. Nye’s book，问题是：奈先生一书的价值尤其体现在哪方面?答案可以定位到第四、五段。根据第四段第二句，奈先生将关于领导力的各种学术研究和理论汇总(rounding up and summarizing the various academic studies and theories of leadership)成为薄薄一册，这是一项非常有价值的工作(performed a valuable service)。这句交代了奈先生一书的价值所在，“薄薄一册(a single，slim volume)”正体现了书的“精炼(concisely)”。因此选项B与原文是相同含义，为正确选项。根据第四段第二句，任何反感管理术语(management term)的人都已避之不及，但奈先生却将关于领导力的各种学术研究和理论汇总成为薄薄一册。可以得出，奈先生的书使用了管理术语，所以选项A正反混淆。第五段第一句提到，领导力是一个模棱两可的话题，尽管奈先生描述了各种理论，但即便是他本人也未能就此给出定论(even Mr. Nye never quite nails the jelly to the wall)。从这句可以得出，奈先生的书并没有给领导力研究者提供出路，因此选项C也属于正反混淆。选项D属于无中生有，第四段并没有提到奈先生的书“为现代企业领导树立榜样”。第四段：奈先生的书籍汇总了各种研究理论，内容详细，材料丰富，很有价值。第五段：遗憾的是，奈先生本人也未能对“领导力”做出明确定论。
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