Deck 8: Strategic Change

Question 1

A firm can become paralyzed by its inherited rigidities.In key sources of rigidity they include:
A.Psychological, organizational and cultural resistance, and structural, competence and political lock-in
B.Investment, competence, system and stakeholder resistance, and structural, competence and political lock-in
C.Structures, processes and cultural systems, and investment, competence, system and stakeholder lock-in
D.Psychological, political and cultural resistance, and investment, competence, system and stakeholder lock-in.

Answer 1

Psychological, political and cultural resistance, and investment, competence, system and stakeholder lock-in.

Question 2

When concerning strategic renewal some authors suggest that organizations should be 'ambidextrous'.This means that organizations should:
A.Choose between either revolutionary or evolutionary change, contingent upon internal and external conditions
B.Start with revolutionary change and then continue with evolutionary change
C.Start with evolutionary change and then switch to revolutionary change
D.Start with evolutionary change and then switch to revolutionary change.

Answer 2

Start with evolutionary change and then switch to revolutionary change.

Question 3

According to the textbook, organizational structuring (or decomposition) criteria can be grouped into three key areas:
A.Structure, systems, and culture
B.Function, differentiation, and span of control
C.Resources, value chain, and value propositions
D.Input, throughput, and output.

Answer 3

Input, throughput, and output

Question 4

Firms constantly make 'fine-tuning' alterations to remain efficient and effective: existing procedures are upgraded, activities are improved and people are reassigned.These kinds of changes are a form of:
A.Continuous change
B.Strategic renewal
C.Operational change
D.Strategic change.

Question 5

Strategic renewal processes take place over time, ranging from extended periods to short irregular bursts of change.The textbook decomposes the time variable into two parts:
A.Pace and timing of change
B.Speed and timing of change
C.Timing and recurrence of change
D.Pace and recurrence of change.

Question 6

Following Bartlett and Ghoshal (1995), the organizational system of a firm can be divided into its 'anatomy', 'physiology' and 'psychology'.These three metaphors refer to the components:
A.Culture, structure, and processes
B.Structure, systems, and culture
C.Systems, processes, and culture
D.People, processes, and politics.

Question 7

Some of the most common triggers for revolutionary strategic change are:
A.Competitive pressure, first mover advantage, regulatory pressure
B.First mover advantage, stakeholder pressure, competitive pressure
C.Stakeholder pressure, competitive pressure, psychological pressure
D.Psychological pressure, first mover advantage, regulatory pressure.

Question 8

What type of organization would have a preference for more revolutionary change over evolutionary change?
A.Very mechanistic organizations
B.Clan-like organizations with an emphasis on employees as permanent co-producers
C.Organizations where top managers are there to facilitate change among members of the group
D.Organizations rooted within long-term oriented cultures.

Question 9

When strategic renewal hinges on widespread organizational learning, De Wit would argue to rely upon:
A.Revolutionary change
B.Evolutionary change
C.Gradual renewal
D.Discontinuous renewal.

Question 10

Concerning strategic change, De Wit refers to the size of the change steps as:
A.The magnitude of change
B.The scope of change
C.The amplitude of change
D.The dimension of change.