Q&A Hero

Q: According to Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, all leaders are change agents. ⊚ true ⊚ false

Q: People who receive a positive reward are more likely to do the same thing in a similar situation. ⊚ true ⊚ false

Q: In the general model of organizational change, unfreezing refers specifically to empowering employees to open their "frozen" minds and make decisions for themselves. ⊚ true ⊚ false

Q: Kurt Lewin developed a change cycle commonly known as Six Sigma. ⊚ true ⊚ false

Q: What does being "egoless" mean, as it relates to business concerns?

Q: Many companies are now incorporating some form of introspection training into their management change programs. Identify five goals typical of an introspection program.

Q: What is "six sigma" measure?

Q: What is the ultimate purpose of team building?

Q: What is the difference between the formal and informal components of an organization?

Q: Name four different approaches for collecting data on employee problems.

Q: Identify at least two general environmental forces that can trigger change. Are these forces sufficient to initiate change?

Q: Besides getting what they want, what is the underlying general goal of a wildcat strike or a walkout?

Q: Those who study and practice organizational change agree that environmental triggers are not sufficient to initiate change. What more is required?

Q: List five of the characteristics of learning organizations.

Q: How might organizational change lead to cognitive dissonance?

Q: What are some of the drawbacks to using a top-down, coercive, or threatening approach to implement changes?

Q: Why are outside change agents often used to facilitate change and what is there general purpose?

Q: What are the steps in Kurt Lewin's change process?

Q: What happens in Lewin's moving stage?

Q: Why may a theoretically sound change approach not achieve any of the anticipated results?

Q: What is the ultimate goal of "refreezing" in the general model of organizational change and development?

Q: With any change program, there must be some provision for evaluating the program in terms of expenditures and _______________. A) results B) turnover C) profits D) innovation

Q: The implementation of change has two dimensions: timing and _______________. A) cost B) scope C) duration D) management

Q: The nature of the work environment that results from the leadership style and administrative practices of managers is termed the _______________ climate. A) leadership B) restrictive C) overlord D) suppression

Q: All of the following are included in what scholars have identified as sources of influence on the outcome of management change programs except: A) Communications equity B) Leadership climate C) Formal organization D) Organizational culture

Q: The correct sequence of phases in appreciative inquiry is: A) Dreaming, designing, discovering, delivering B) Discovering, designing, dreaming, delivering C) Dreaming, discovering, designing, delivering D) Discovering, dreaming, designing, delivering

Q: Appreciative inquiry is a method of focusing on positive or _______________ opportunities. A) negative B) potential C) profitable D) missed

Q: Under the six sigma approach, one expects no more than _____ defects per 1 million parts produced. A) 1 B) 3.4 C) 10.4 D) 24

Q: What is the ultimate goal of introspection? A) Learning B) Improving self-confidence C) Egolessness D) Achieving a balance in life

Q: A number of positive benefits to the organization have been identified as outcomes of mentoring programs. These include: A) Early identification of talent that might otherwise go unnoticed. B) Sensing by mentors of employee attitudes and morale. C) Transmission of informal organizational expectations. D) All of the above.

Q: Formalized mentor-mentee relationships should always be _______________, for both parties. A) mandatory B) supervised C) voluntary D) challenging

Q: Tom Watson, Jr., president of IBM from 1952 to 1971, identified all of the following as cornerstones of his firm's approach to business except: A) Respect each individual B) Provide the best service possible to each customer C) Make excellence a way of life D) Merge work with fun whenever possible

Q: _______________ transformations will ultimately fail if the individuals involved are not receptive to change. A) Structural B) Task C) Technological D) All of the choices are correct.

Q: A necessary prerequisite to effective, lasting organizational change is _______________ change. A) technological B) communications C) individual D) structural

Q: The most widely used method for developing employee productivity is/are _______________. A) new equipment B) new procedures C) training programs D) mentoring

Q: Job enlargement and job enrichment are primary examples of _____ approaches to organizational change. A) technological B) structure C) systems D) task

Q: James Champy and Michael Hammer advocate an approach to structure and process that begins with _________________. A) behavioral considerations B) a clear, blank sheet of paper C) an employee involvement perspective D) All of the above.

Q: __________ is described as creating radical changes in processes, systems, and/or structures that meet customer needs efficiently and are economically sound. A) Contriving B) Machinating C) Reengineering D) Previsioning

Q: _______________ is the unification of systems, processes, or work-related activities across functional lines. A) Reengineering B) Integrating C) Streamlining D) Transforming

Q: _______________ breaks a core process into segments to eliminate waste, delays, and slow response time. A) Streamlining B) Automating C) Integrating D) Transforming

Q: Reengineering approaches typically fall into the all of the following categories except: A) Streamlining B) Documenting C) Integrating D) Transforming

Q: ______________ approaches to organizational change refer to managerial actions that attempt to improve effectiveness by introducing change through formal policies and procedures. A) Process B) Structural C) Mechanistic D) Organic

Q: Research reviews of the record-of-change efforts conclude that __________ approaches have better success than __________ ones. A) multimethod; single-method B) limited; system wide C) single-method; multimethod D) ethnocentric; geocentric

Q: Depth of intended change refers to the scope and _______________ of the change efforts. A) cost B) frequency C) consequences D) intensity

Q: Management by objectives is a philosophy of management that reflects a _______________ approach to managing. A) reactive B) proactive C) neutral D) hands-off

Q: MBO programs are considered ___________ approach to change. A) a small group B) a technological C) a human capital D) All of the above

Q: The survey approach is a useful diagnostic approach if the potential focus of change is _______________. A) a small work group B) a typical workgroup C) the total organization D) a large workgroup

Q: Examples of external forces for change include all of the following except: A) social and political change B) technology C) process problems D) economic

Q: There _____________ for accurate diagnosis of the problem within the organizational change and development process. A) must be unfreezing B) is one best methodology C) is no formula D) are five recommended methodologies

Q: _______________ is a symptom of a behavioral problem that must be diagnosed. A) A high level of absenteeism B) High turnover C) Low morale D) All of the choices are correct.

Q: Internal forces for change can usually be traced to process and _______________ problems. A) behavioral B) financial C) management D) training

Q: Organizations seldom undertake significant change without a strong shock from their _______________. A) workers B) stakeholders C) environment D) customers

Q: Learning organizations typically have all of the following characteristics except: A) Open discussions and accessibility to information and data B) A steady influx of new employees with new ideas C) Clear vision expressed at all levels D) Clear goals and concepts of performance expectations

Q: Communication is a(n) _________ factor in successful change programs. A) onetime B) ongoing C) intermittent D) latent

Q: The more people at all levels in the organization are involved in change _______________, the higher the likelihood of success. A) monitoring B) implementation C) planning D) All of the choices are correct.

Q: Organizations are structured to promote stability. This potential barrier to change has been termed structural _______________. A) velocity B) force fields C) foundations D) inertia

Q: Which of the following would be considered the most vigorous resistance to change? A) Sabotage B) Teaching others how to resist C) Not paying attention D) Complaining

Q: A shift in work processes or movement of people is likely to threaten: A) Friendships B) Patterns of social on-the-job interactions C) Routines D) All of the choices are correct.

Q: People who are involved in a change effort need to have _______________ that enables them to know what is to happen and why they are to do what they are to do. A) exclusive information B) one-on-one coaching C) advance information D) All of the choices are correct.

Q: An external change agent is usually a _______________ who has training and experience in the behavioral sciences. A) university professor or private consultant B) private consultant or junior manager C) senior manager or university professor D) junior/senior manager or senior union official

Q: The ultimate goal of _______________ is to have the learned behavior become a habit. A) unfreezing B) learning C) moving D) refreezing

Q: External change agents are temporary employees of the organization; they are typically engaged for _______________. A) the duration of the change process B) a maximum of one year C) six months or less D) planning meetings only

Q: The task of the change agent is to challenge the goals of _______________. A) upper management B) shareholders C) workers D) the status quo

Q: Refreezing a learned behavior takes reinforcement and _______________. A) feedback B) punishment C) repetition D) reward

Q: In a recent article, Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, estimated that no more than ___ percent of employees fit the category of internal change agent. A) 2 B) 5 C) 10 D) 20

Q: The success of any change program rests heavily on the quality and workability of the relationship between the change agent and the _______ within the organization. A) key decision makers B) union employees C) financial specialist D) board of trustees

Q: A _________ is a person who acts as the initiator of change activities. A) change leader B) change agent C) cheerleader D) mediator

Q: Which of the following is not one of the steps in Kurt Lewin's approach to learning? A) Unfreeze B) Introduce change C) Movement to new learning D) Refreeze

Q: Using the terms of the general model for organizational change, it is during the _______ stage that employees are encouraged to acquire new behaviors and attitudes that support the new direction of the organization. A) learning B) practice C) moving D) selling

Q: In Lewin's third step, reinforcement and locking in new behaviors and attitudes is accomplished through _______. A) rewards B) recognition C) training/orientation programs D) All of the above.

Q: Today's managers and faced with ________ change. We must also recognize that the rate of change has been ______. A) continual; accelerating B) sporadic; inconsistent C) continual; decelerating D) sporadic; accelerating

Q: In your new position as an organizational development consultant, you are tasked to lead an organizational change effort. What potential impediments and conditions should your team be aware of?

Q: Describe the 4-D framework and provide an example of its application steps.

Q: Within the context of the objectives of change and development activities, describe what is meant by depth of intervention.

Q: If an organization is considering task and technological approaches to organizational change, what types of changes are they likely to make?

Q: Describe the major steps in the Model of Organizational Change and Development.

Q: Briefly describe the concept of organizational development.

Q: In what ways do employees resist change and what can managers do about overt and covert resistance?

Q: Are there ethical implications of change management? If so explain.

Q: All of the following are structural characteristics of the mechanistic model except: A) It's highly complex B) It's highly centralized C) It's highly geographic D) It's highly formalized