Conversation Between Philip, Janice, And Tutor About Their Research - IELTS Listening Sample Answer

IELTS Listening section comprises four sections – two monologues and two conversations. Candidates are required to properly listen to the IELTS Listening audio as it is only played once. This topic – A conversation between Philip and Janice about their research about managing individuals is IELTS listening topic part 3. There are the following IELTS Listening question types in this:

Note completion
Multiple choice questions
Sentence completion

Audio Transcript:

You will hear a tutor talking to two business students called Philip and Janice about their research on managing individuals. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 23.

Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 23.

Tutor: Well, you’ve both been looking at different styles of managing individuals and companies and the workplace. How’s the research going, Philip?

Phillip: Well, I’ve been looking at why individualism, I mean individual differences are such a difference, are such an important area of management studies. When you think about any organization, be it a family business or a multinational company, they’re all fundamentally a group of people working together. But it’s what these individuals contribute to their places of work that makes you realize how important they are. Of course, they bring different ideas, but it’s also their attitudes and their experiences of learning. Diversity is important in these areas too.

Tutor: So why do people behave so differently from one another at work?

Phillip: There are lots of reasons but research has shown that a lot of it comes down to personality and the other factor is gender. It’s a well-known fact that men and women do lots of things in different ways and the workplace is no different.

Tutor: Did you look at the effects of this variation on companies?

Phillip: Yes, I did. On the positive side, exposure to such diversity helps encourage creativity, which is generally an asset to a company but unfortunately individual differences are also the root of conflict between staff and they can lead to difficulties for management, which can sometimes be serious.

Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 24 to 30.

Now, listen and answer questions 24 to 30.

Tutor: Thanks Phillip. So now I guess the two main things to remember here, are to identify individual talent and then to utilize it. So Janice, you were looking at identifying different talents and workers. Do you think this is easy for managers to do?

Janice: Well, currently teamwork is in fashion in the workplace. And in my opinion, the importance of the individual is generally neglected. What managers should be targeting, is those employees who can take the lead in a situation and are not afraid to accept the idea of responsibility.

Tutor: Hmm, that’s true Janice, but unfortunately many managers think the entire notion of encouraging individuality amongst their staff is far too hard.

Janice: Yes, that may be true. But I think one of the most important tasks of managers is to consider the needs of the individual on one hand and group cooperation and conformity on the other. It requires creative thinking on the part of management to avoid tension.

Tutor: So Janice, what kind of people do you think companies should be looking for?

Janice: Well, it has to start from the very beginning when companies are looking for new employees. When the personnel department is choosing between applicants, they need to look for someone who’s broken the mold and can think for themselves. Instead, people making these decisions often use a range of psychological tests to see if a person is a problem solver or will do what they’re told. I’m not convinced, these qualities are actually the most important.

Tutor: So do you think, being a good team player is overrated?

Janice: No, it’s not overrated. You do need to learn the rules and learn them fast. No individual can get around this, if you’re working in an organization.

Tutor: So, how should managers deal with this?

Janice: Rewards. When an individual demonstrates the behavior the organization expects, some kind of incentive can be given. What’s important here, is that this happens right at the beginning, so new recruits learn the rules of the system immediately. Also the incentive should be something the individual actually wants and this isn’t always just money.

Tutor: Mmm. Come back to you Philip. You were saying that recognition of good performers is essential. What else should managers be looking for?

Phillip: Well, managing people means you not only have an understanding of your employees, but you also recognize the culture of the organization. In fact for some activity and individuality. maybe the last thing they want to see during working hours.

Tutor: Very true.

Phillip: Yes, but managing people isn’t as easy as it looks. For example, change in the workplace can be quite tricky especially if there’s a need to increase profit and at times like these, managers may have to give priority to profit rather than individual staff needs.

Tutor: Mmm. Yes, and that creates difficult situations for people.

Phillip: Yes, but what’s important is that managers are able to deal with quite high levels of personal stress. During times of change, they should be thinking not only about the strain on their staff, but take time out to think of themselves.

Tutor: Absolutely. So what are the implications of that?

Section 3

Questions 21-30

21-23

Complete the notes below.

Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS IN THE WORKPLACE

Individuals bring different

Ideas
21 _________
Learning experiences

Work behaviour differences are due to:

Personality
22 _________

Effects of diversity on companies:

Advantage: diversity develops 23 _________
Disadvantages: diversity can cause conflict

Question 21:

Answer: attitude (s)

Explanation: From the conversation, it can be clearly stated that every individual brings different ideas, attitudes, and learning experiences.

Also check:

Question 22:

Answer: gender/sex

Explanation: The main reason behind work behavior differences is due to the personality of the person and also due to gender or sex.

Question 23:

Answer: creativity/creativeness

Explanation: There are different effects of diversity in the offices. The advantage is, diversity creates creativity but it also creates conflicts.

24-27

Choose the correct answers A-C and write them next to 24-27 on your answer sheet

Janice thinks that employers should encourage workers who are _________

potential leaders.
open to new ideas.
good at teamwork.

Answer: A

Explanation: Jancie states that managers often neglect individuals’ efforts. They should encourage those individuals who can lead in a situation and are not afraid of taking responsibility.

Janice suggests that managers may find it difficult to _________

form successful groups.
balance conflicting needs.
deal with uncooperative workers.

Answer: B

Explanation: One of the main problems suggested by Janice is the manager finding it difficult to balance conflicting needs.

Janice believes employers should look for job applicants who _________

can think independently.
will obey the system.
can solve problems.

Answer: A

Explanation: According to Janice, companies should hire those people who can think for themselves and have broken the mold.

Janice believes managers should _________

demonstrate good behaviour.
encourages co-operation early on.
increase financial incentives.

Answer: B

Explanation: Janice believes that managers should encourage cooperation among employees from the very early stage.

28-30

Complete the sentences below.

Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

All managers need to understand their employees and recognise their company’s _________

Answer: culture

Explanation: According to Philips, managing the people not only means that the manager has an understanding of their employees but also has a knowledge of their company’s culture.

When managing change, increasing the company’s _________ may be more important than employee satisfaction.

Answer: profit (s)

Explanation: According to the conversation, when managing change the managment need to think more about the company’s profit than employee satisfaction.