Why Companies Should Welcome Disorder - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 14 Academic Reading Test 2 · Part 3 · Questions 27–40
Reading Passage
Why companies should welcome disorder
A
Organisation is big business. Whether it is of our lives – all those inboxes and calendars – or how companies are structured, a multi-billion dollar industry helps to meet this need.
We have more strategies for time management, project management and self-organisation than at any other time in human history. We are told that we ought to organize our company, our home life, our week, our day and even our sleep, all as a means to becoming more productive. Every week, countless seminars and workshops take place around the world to tell a paying public that they ought to structure their lives in order to achieve this.
This rhetoric has also crept into the thinking of business leaders and entrepreneurs, much to the delight of self-proclaimed perfectionists with the need to get everything right. The number of business schools and graduates has massively increased over the past 50 years, essentially teaching people how to organise well.
B
Ironically, however, the number of business that fail has also steadily increased. Work-related stress has increased. A large proportion of workers from all demographics claim to be dissatisfied with the way their work is structured and the way they are managed.
This begs the question: what has gone wrong? Why is it that on paper the drive for organisation seems a sure shot for increasing productivity, but in reality falls well short of what is expected?
C
This has been a problem for a while now. Frederick Taylor was one of the forefathers of scientific management. Writing in the first half of the 20th century, he designed a number of principles to improve the efficiency of the work process, which have since become widespread in modern companies. So the approach has been around for a while.
D
New research suggests that this obsession with efficiency is misguided. The problem is not necessarily the management theories or strategies we use to organise our work; it’s the basic assumptions we hold in approaching how we work. Here it’s the assumption that order is a necessary condition for productivity. This assumption has also fostered the idea that disorder must be detrimental to organizational productivity. The result is that businesses and people spend time and money organising themselves for the sake of organising, rather than actually looking at the end goal and usefulness of such an effort.
E
What’s more, recent studies show that order actually has diminishing returns. Order does increase productivity to a certain extent, but eventually the usefulness of the process of organisation, and the benefit it yields, reduce until the point where any further increase in order reduces productivity. Some argue that in a business, if the cost of formally structuring something outweighs the benefit of doing it, then that thing ought not to be formally structured. Instead, the resources involved can be better used elsewhere.
F
In fact, research shows that, when innovating, the best approach is to create an environment devoid of structure and hierarchy and enable everyone involved to engage as one organic group. These environments can lead to new solutions that, under conventionally structured environments (filled with bottlenecks in term of information flow, power structures, rules, and routines) would never be reached.
G
In recent times companies have slowly started to embrace this disorganisation. Many of them embrace it in terms of perception (embracing the idea of disorder, as opposed to fearing it) and in terms of process (putting mechanisms in place to reduce structure).
For example, Oticon, a large Danish manufacturer of hearing aids, used what it called a ‘spaghetti’ structure in order to reduce the organisation’s rigid hierarchies. This involved scrapping formal job titles and giving staff huge amounts of ownership over their own time and projects. This approach proved to be highly successful initially, with clear improvements in worker productivity in all facets of the business.
In similar fashion, the former chairman of General Electric embraced disorganisation, putting forward the idea of the ‘boundaryless’ organisation. Again, it involves breaking down the barriers between different parts of a company and encouraging virtual collaboration and flexible working. Google and a number of other tech companies have embraced (at least in part) these kinds of flexible structures, facilitated by technology and strong company values which glue people together.
H
A word of warning to others thinking of jumping on this bandwagon: the evidence so far suggests disorder, much like order, also seems to have diminishing utility, and can also have detrimental effects on performance if overused. Like order, disorder should be embraced only so far as it is useful. But we should not fear it – nor venerate one over the other. This research also shows that we should continually question whether or not our existing assumptions work.
Questions
Questions 27–34 Matching Headings
The Reading Passage has eight sections, A-H
Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes on your answer sheet.
List of Headkings
i Complaints about the impact of a certain approach
ii Fundamental beliefs that are in fact incorrect
iii Early recommendations concerning business activities
iv Organisations that put a new approach into practice
v Companies that have suffered from changing their approach
vi What people are increasingly expected to do
vii How to achieve outcomes that are currently impossible
viii Neither approach guarantees continuous improvement
ix Evidence that a certain approach can have more disadvantages that advantages
Questions 35–37 Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes on your answer sheet.
- Numerous training sessions are aimed at people who feel they are not 35 enough.
- Being organised appeals to people who regard themselves as 36
- Many people feel 37 with aspects of their work.
Questions 38–40 True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
In boxes on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q27 | vi | We are told that we ought to organize our company, our home life, our week, our day and even our sleep, all as a means to becoming more productive | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage talks about how people are increasingly expected to organize various aspects of their lives to become more productive. Answer Explanation: The answer suggests that people are increasingly expected to do something. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'vi' because it aligns with the idea that individuals are being encouraged to take specific actions to improve their productivity, as indicated in the excerpt. |
| Q28 | i | A large proportion of workers from all demographics claim to be dissatisfied with the way their work is structured and the way they are managed. | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage talks about how many workers are not happy with how their jobs are organized and how they are supervised. Answer Explanation: The answer means complaints about the impact of a certain approach, indicating that workers are expressing dissatisfaction about a particular method or system. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'i' because it aligns with the workers' complaints mentioned in the excerpt, which reflect discontent with the current approach to work organization and management. |
| Q29 | iii | he designed a number of principles to improve the efficiency of the work process, which have since become widespread in modern companies | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage talks about someone creating principles to help companies work better. Answer Explanation: The answer suggests that this section discusses early recommendations for business activities. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'iii - Early recommendations concerning business activities' because the excerpt mentions the creation of principles aimed at improving the efficiency of work processes in companies, which aligns with the idea of early recommendations for business activities. |
| Q30 | ii | This assumption has also fostered the idea that disorder must be detrimental to organizational productivity. The result is that businesses and people spend time and money organising themselves for the sake of organising, rather than actually looking at the end goal and usefulness of such an effort. | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage talks about the mistaken belief that having disorder in an organization will definitely harm its productivity. This belief leads to businesses and individuals spending resources on organizing for the sake of organizing, instead of focusing on the actual benefits of their efforts. Answer Explanation: The answer 'ii' suggests that the section discusses fundamental beliefs that are actually incorrect. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'ii' because the passage challenges the fundamental belief that disorder always hampers productivity, indicating that this belief is incorrect. The section aims to highlight how this mistaken belief leads to unnecessary efforts in organizing, rather than focusing on achieving the end goal effectively. |
| Q31 | ix | recent studies show that order actually has diminishing returns | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage talks about recent studies showing that following a certain order or approach does not always lead to better results. Answer Explanation: The answer ix suggests that there is evidence showing that a specific approach can have more disadvantages than advantages. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer ix aligns with the excerpt as it indicates that the approach being discussed might have drawbacks or negative consequences, which is supported by the statement about diminishing returns in the excerpt. |
| Q32 | vii | These environments can lead to new solutions that, under conventionally structured environments (filled with bottlenecks in term of information flow, power structures, rules, and routines) would never be reached. | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage talks about how certain environments can lead to finding new solutions that would not be possible in traditional settings. Answer Explanation: The answer suggests focusing on achieving outcomes that are currently impossible. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer fits because it aligns with the idea of exploring new solutions in non-traditional environments, as mentioned in the excerpt. Section F likely discusses how to achieve outcomes that were previously considered unattainable. |
| Q33 | iv | For example, Oticon, a large Danish manufacturer of hearing aids, used what it called a ‘spaghetti’ structure in order to reduce the organisation’s rigid hierarchies. | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage talks about Oticon, a company that used a different structure called a 'spaghetti' structure. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to organizations that put a new approach into practice. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'iv' because the excerpt mentions Oticon, a company that implemented a new approach (referred to as 'spaghetti' structure) in its organization. This aligns with the idea of organizations putting a new approach into practice as described in answer choice iv. |
| Q34 | viii | the evidence so far suggests disorder, much like order, also seems to have diminishing utility, and can also have detrimental effects on performance if overused | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage suggests that disorder, like order, may not always be helpful and can even harm how well something works if used too much. Answer Explanation: The answer implies that following neither approach guarantees continuous improvement. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer 'viii' fits because the passage indicates that disorder or not following a specific approach can have negative effects, similar to how following a particular approach may not always lead to continuous improvement. Therefore, the idea that neither approach guarantees constant progress aligns with the information provided in the excerpt. |
| Q35 | productive | all as a means to becoming more productive. Every week, countless seminars and workshops take place around the world to tell a paying public that they ought to structure their lives in order to achieve this. | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage talks about various training sessions and workshops that aim to help people become more efficient and effective in their work and lives. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the quality of being efficient and getting things done. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer 'productive' fits because the passage mentions seminars and workshops that encourage people to structure their lives to achieve more productivity, which aligns with being efficient and effective in their work. |
| Q36 | perfectionists | This rhetoric has also crept into the thinking of business leaders and entrepreneurs, much to the delight of self-proclaimed perfectionists | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage talks about how business leaders and entrepreneurs are happy about something related to self-proclaimed perfectionists. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to people who strive for perfection in everything they do. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'perfectionists' because the excerpt mentions 'self-proclaimed perfectionists,' which directly connects to the idea of people striving for perfection and high standards in their work. |
| Q37 | dissatisfied | A large proportion of workers from all demographics claim to be dissatisfied with the way their work is structured | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that a lot of people, from all different backgrounds, say they are not happy with how their work is set up. Answer Explanation: The answer 'dissatisfied' means not happy or pleased. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer 'dissatisfied' is used in the excerpt because it describes the feeling of many workers about their job structure. They feel unhappy, which is the same as being dissatisfied. |
| Q38 | TRUE | The result is that businesses and people spend time and money organising themselves for the sake of organising, rather than actually looking at the end goal and usefulness of such an effort. | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage talks about how businesses and people often focus on organizing things just for the sake of organizing, without really thinking about the actual value or benefit of the organization. Answer Explanation: The answer means that both businesses and people try to create order or structure without considering if it is actually valuable or necessary. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is TRUE because the excerpt clearly states that businesses and people spend time and money on organizing without considering the true usefulness or end goal of their efforts. This aligns with the idea that both businesses and individuals often pursue order without fully understanding its value. |
| Q39 | FALSE | research shows that, when innovating, the best approach is to create an environment devoid of structure and hierarchy and enable everyone involved to engage as one organic group | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage suggests that when it comes to innovation, it is best to create an environment without strict rules and let everyone participate as equals in a unified group. Answer Explanation: The answer asserts that innovation is not most successful when people have distinct roles. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is FALSE because the excerpt specifically mentions that the best approach to innovation involves removing structured roles and hierarchies, allowing everyone to participate together. This contradicts the idea that distinct roles are necessary for successful innovation. |
| Q40 | NOT GIVEN | Google and a number of other tech companies have embraced (at least in part) these kinds of flexible structures | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage talks about how Google and other tech companies have partly embraced flexible structures. Answer Explanation: The answer indicates that there is no information about whether Google was inspired by General Electric's success to adopt flexibility or not. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer 'NOT GIVEN' is supported by the fact that the passage does not mention any inspiration from General Electric for Google adopting flexibility. Therefore, since there is no information provided in the excerpt, the answer 'NOT GIVEN' is the correct response. |