熱門時事分享：主管也需要導師？逆向指導如何補上管理者看不見的資訊盲點｜20260922

歡迎收聽《HOT 用英文聊時事》，我是 CLN 的 Clarence 老師。在傳統職場裡，我們習慣由資深主管帶領年輕員工，把經驗和知識往下傳。不過，隨著科技、工作方式和消費習慣改變得越來越快，企業也開始嘗試把這個關係反過來，讓較年輕的員工成為 Mentor，和資深主管分享自己熟悉的工具、文化和第一線觀察。這就是所謂的「逆向指導」（Reverse Mentoring）。1999 年，GE 前執行長 Jack Welch 推動高階主管向年輕員工學習網路知識，常被視為企業正式導入逆向指導的代表案例之一。

Welcome to “HOT English Topics.” This is Clarence from CLN. Traditionally, senior managers have been the ones guiding younger employees and passing down their knowledge and experience. But as technology, work styles, and consumer habits are changing faster than ever, some companies are turning that traditional relationship around. Younger employees are taking on the role of mentors, sharing their knowledge of new tools and cultural trends, as well as insights from their own experience, with senior leaders. This approach is known as “reverse mentoring.” In 1999, former GE CEO Jack Welch encouraged senior executives to learn about the Internet from younger employees. This is often seen as one of the more prominent examples of reverse mentoring being formally introduced in the workplace.

二十多年後，主管需要理解的早已不只有新科技。AI 工具、社群平台、消費習慣，甚至年輕員工對工作的期待，都可能比管理制度改變得更快。職位越往上，接觸的資訊通常越經過整理，和第一線實際使用工具、接觸客戶的人也可能有一段距離。

Fast forward more than 20 years, and managers need to keep up with much more than just new technology. AI tools, social media platforms, consumer habits, and even younger employees’ expectations of work are evolving faster than company policies. As managers move higher up in the organization, the information they receive is often increasingly filtered and summarized, and they may have less direct contact with employees who use these tools every day or work closely with customers.

另一個需要留意的地方，是不要把「年輕員工的觀點」直接等同於「年輕世代的答案」。雅詩蘭黛集團大約十年前開始推動全球 Reverse Mentoring，主要原因是美妝消費者取得資訊的方式正在快速改變，社群媒體與網紅逐漸影響消費者接觸產品的方式。根據美聯社的報導，這項自願參與的計畫大約有 1,200 名參與者，由千禧世代與 Z 世代員工和較資深的同事配對，大幅影響公司決策方向。

Another point to keep in mind is that one younger employee’s opinion does not necessarily represent their entire generation. Estée Lauder Companies launched a global reverse mentoring program about a decade ago as beauty consumers increasingly turned to social media and influencers to discover products. According to the Associated Press, the voluntary program has around 1,200 participants, pairing Millennial and Gen Z employees with more senior colleagues. It has had a major impact on the company’s decision-making.

這類交流可以幫助主管看見自己不熟悉的市場和文化，但它仍然只是一個觀察來源。假設一名年輕員工說：「我身邊的人現在幾乎都不用 Facebook。」這是一個值得討論的重點，但不能直接推論成「Z 世代都不用 Facebook」，更不能單靠這句話決定行銷策略，主管仍然需要把第一線觀察、實際數據和商業目標放在一起判斷。

These conversations can help managers understand unfamiliar markets and cultures, but they are still only one source of insight. If a younger employee says, “Almost no one I know uses Facebook anymore,” that is worth noting, but it doesn’t mean all Gen Z users have left Facebook, and it shouldn’t drive a marketing decision on its own. Managers still need to weigh firsthand observations against real data and business goals.

當然，不是每間公司都有完整的 Reverse Mentoring 制度。有時候，一次午餐、一杯咖啡，甚至會議結束後多聊十分鐘，就能成為新的資訊來源。差別在於問了什麼，與其只問「最近有什麼新的 AI 工具？」也可以問：「我們現在有哪個流程，大家其實都覺得不好用，只是一直沒有人改？」、「有沒有什麼工具是你們已經在用，但主管根本不知道？」或者「如果你是剛進公司的新人，哪一件事最讓你不理解？」主管不一定要接受每一個答案，但如果能固定聽到不同年資、不同位置的人怎麼看工作，就比較有機會發現自己原本接觸不到的資訊。或許這也是逆向指導最實際的意義：工作經驗仍然重要，但經驗之外，我們也需要持續更新自己看事情的角度。

Of course, not every company has a formal reverse mentoring program. Sometimes, lunch, coffee, or even a ten-minute chat after a meeting can open up a new source of insight. The key is what we ask. Instead of just asking, “What new AI tools are out there?” managers could instead ask, “Which process does everyone find frustrating, but no one’s actually changed?” “What tools are you already using that managers don’t know about?” or “If you were new here, what would confuse you most?” Managers don’t have to agree with every answer. But regularly hearing from people with different levels of experience and roles can reveal things they might otherwise miss. Maybe that’s the true value of reverse mentoring: experience still matters, but we also need to keep updating how we see things.