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Epilogue
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So, I learned that my consultation at the shirt factory had not improved production.
就這樣，我了解到自己在襯衫廠的咨詢工作，并沒有起到促進生產的作用。
Well, frankly, I'm not surprised. You see, while working at the Babson Machine Company as an industrial adviser, I took a night class in management engineering at Northwestern University. My company paid the bill. I like that.
不過，說實話，我并不感到意外。你知道，我在巴布森機械公司當工業顧問的同時，還在西北大學上夜校，學習企業管理工程。是公司為我出的學費，我很滿意。
Now I have quite a different idea of what it means to be a "consultant". I used to think that the consultant goes into the factory, studies the problems, suggests cures for the problems, and then encourages the management to follow these suggestions.
現在我對當“顧問”的內涵有了完全不同的認識。我過去一向認為，當顧問就是進入工廠，研究問題，提出解決問題的對策，然后再敦促廠方按這些建議去做。
I now believe that consultation doesn't work successfully that way. In my management engineering course I learned that first I have to listen. In the shirt factory I should have listened to the management, the two owners. But then, together, we should have listened to the workers themselves. What did they think the problems were? What were their suggestions for solutions?
現在我認識到，這樣做咨詢工作不會收到任何成效。我在企業管理工程課上學到，我首先得去傾聽別人的意見。在襯衫廠，我應該聽聽管理人員，也就是兩位業主的意見，然后再和他們一起去征詢工人們的意見。他們認為有些什么問題？對于解決問題有些什么建議？
I tried to force my suggestions on the owners. The suggestions for improvement weren't theirs or the workers'. If workers and management are seriously involved in the problem solving, change is not only possible, but inevitable.
而我卻試圖把自己的意見強加給業主。那些建議既不是他們的，也不是工人的。如果工人和廠方都能認真參與問題的解決，那么變革不僅可能，而且是不可避免的。
At any rate, although the experience was painful in many ways, it provided a good lesson for me.
不管怎么說，盡管這段經歷在很多方面讓人苦惱，卻給了我一個很好的教訓。
I'm thinking of sending the check for $100 back to Mr. Hobbs. As for the shirts, four of the five in the box didn't fit anyway, and the fifth one didn't have a right sleeve.
我正在考慮把那張100美金的支票退還給霍布森先生。至于那盒襯衫，5件倒有4件一點都不合身，而唯一合身的那一件，又缺了右邊的袖管。
