Deck 13: Strategic Change

Question 1

Managers have to choose between revolutionary and evolutionary approaches to change.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Evolutionary change takes the organization's current operations as the starting point and builds incrementally from there.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Small incremental evolutionary changes will not deliver large revolutionary change.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

When change is intermittent the timing of change initiatives are not important.

Question 5

When the time span for the implementation of change is long,the speed of change needs to be high.

Question 6

The variables of timing and speed of change,together with the variables of scope and amplitude of change,create a wide range of possible strategic renewal paths.

Question 7

When change is constant finding the right moment to initiative change is vital.

Question 8

Revolutionary change occurs when an abrupt and radical change takes place over a short period of time.

Question 9

Strategic renewal involves a number of strategic changes executed in a variety of areas.

Question 10

Evolutionary change involves discontinuous major change activities.

Question 11

The amplitude of change refers to the breadth of change in an organization.

Question 12

The timing of change can vary from intermittent to constant.

Question 13

When a major change needs to be implemented within a short period of time,the speed of change must be high.

Question 14

When change is comprehensive and radical,the magnitude of the change step is large.

Question 15

People are a critical resource for helping organizations learn how to continuously innovate.

Question 16

Radical strategic change can be achieved through both revolutionary and evolutionary means.

Question 17

The scope of change efforts relates to the depth of change in an organization.

Question 18

Revolutionary change implies clear links are maintained with an organization's past.

Question 19

When deciding how to initiate change managers are generally confident about how to proceed.

Question 20

The distinction between disruptive change and gradual change has long been recognized in strategy.

Question 21

When undergoing strategic change organizations seek to manage their external environment reactively.

Question 22

The long-term pattern of strategic renewal is:

A) Not gradual, but episodic
B) A mosaic of interlocking efforts
C) Smooth and continuous
D) Random and cannot be predicted

Question 23

Strategic change is driven by:

A) Shareholders
B) Stakeholders
C) Customers
D) Strategic leaders

Question 24

As people become accustomed to fixed organizational routines and established habits:

A) Information is made available more quickly.
B) Customers become more satisfied
C) Their ability to learn and gradually adapt invariably recedes
D) Internal resources become more important

Question 25

Change has a political dimension as there will always be:

A) Resources for all
B) Structural factors supporting strategy
C) Potential losers who may reject the proposed change for selfish reasons
D) Internal and external analyses to be done

Question 26

If change does not take place at the appropriate time the organization is likely to be reactive and may well end up perpetually crisis fighting.

Question 27

A rigid organizational culture can:

A) Make for productive senior manager/middle manager linkages
B) Perpetuate obsolete assumptions about the market or the organization
C) Help generate loyalty
D) Lead to an entrepreneurial mindset

Question 28

Strategic change occurs gradually over time.

Question 29

During change an organization's managers must:

A) Manage reactively and proactively.
B) Retract from spending budgets unnecessarily.
C) Only communicate through formal mechanisms
D) Manage logically, avoiding following their instincts

Question 30

Evolutionary change involves:

A) Everyone pulling together
B) A major shift in mental models
C) A set of challenging new strategic objectives
D) Modifying current practices though extension and adaptation

Question 31

The discontinuous renewal perspective of change favours:

A) Creative destruction
B) Revolution over evolution
C) Sudden break with the status quo
D) All of the above

Question 32

Effective strategic change is underpinned by an organization's ability to:

A) Learn
B) Control
C) Monitor performance
D) Communicate

Question 33

Knowledge management not only depends on IT,but also on informal social relationships.

Question 34

When strategies change,there are often accompanying changes in:

A) Customers and suppliers
B) Scale and scope
C) Mission and vision
D) Structures and responsibilities

Question 35

Strategic change is affected by:

A) Resources
B) Culture
C) Risk
D) Networks

Question 36

If the time for change is missed the organization may:

A) Hope the crisis goes away
B) Invest more time and money in existing products
C) Become reactive perpetually crisis fighting
D) All of the above

Question 37

From a continuous renewal perspective,long-term renewal dynamics are:

A) Not an important issue
B) Will take care of themselves
C) In a persistent transient state
D) Important and must be measured

Question 38

The 'window of opportunity' for achieving change within an organization is likely to be long and clear.

Question 39

A continuous renewal perspectives of change favours

A) Uninterrupted improvement
B) A gradual, steady and constant pace of change
C) Permanent learning and flexibility
D) All of the above

Question 40

If the strategic renewal process is characterized as one of organic adaptation,it can be said that the change process emerges:

A) From the outside in
B) From the continuous renewal process
C) From structural rigidity
D) From the bottom-up

Question 41

Externally motivated change requires:

A) Managers to understand their organization's source of competitive advantage
B) Stakeholders to respond positively to change
C) Managers to learn and adapt
D) Stakeholders to concern themselves with the far environment

Question 42

Some theorists believe that most organizations need to:

A) Make major changes on an ongoing basis.
B) Make moderate changes at least every year and major changes every four or five years.
C) Make moderate changes every six months and major changes every two years.
D) Make moderate changes every two to three years and major changes every ten.

Question 43

Which of the following statements about organizational knowledge is correct?

A) Knowledge is an intangible resource
B) The importance of knowledge is increasing
C) The value of knowledge as a proportion of shareholder value is increasing
D) All of the above

Question 44

What are the typical resistances to change that can be expected in organizations?

Question 45

What are the three necessary ingredients for the successful implementation of strategic change?

Question 46

Opportunities:

A) Allow a firm to take advantage of organizational strengths, overcome weaknesses, or neutralize threats
B) Are the same for all firms in an industry
C) Are related only to new customers and new markets
D) Are a firm's resources and capabilities

Question 47

Kotter (1990)argues that it is a leader's job to 'create and manage change'. What are the four important differences between managers and leaders he identifies?

Question 48

What are the ways of overcoming resistance to change?

Question 49

Change is likely to affect:

A) People
B) Roles and responsibilities
C) Existing behavioural patterns
D) All of the above

Question 50

During times of change strategic leadership involves:

A) Focusing on marketing
B) Protecting the brand
C) Working with the future in mind, but not being bound by timescales
D) Focusing on short-term results

Question 51

Organizations are being increasingly told to be receptive for the need for change - what are the four key factors highlighted for this?

Question 52

When managing the change process managers and employees should be:

A) Supportive
B) Focused on short-term goals only
C) Forming long-term alliances with stakeholders
D) Postponing any long-term plans

Question 53

What are the four basic types of change that affect organizations?

Question 54

What are the three most common triggers for revolutionary strategic change?

Question 55

During change senior management should reward:

A) Loyalty and long service
B) Risk averse activities
C) Suppliers who they have worked with for more than five years
D) Entrepreneurial and innovative contributions

Question 56

Implementing change can witness management exhibiting four key features,what are they?

Question 57

Companies with low intensity,but positive energy:

A) May be complacent and unwilling to recognize the need for change
B) Are classified as aggressive
C) Are passionate
D) Are always low performing

Question 58

What does the implementation of change require?

Question 59

Loosely coupled groups of autonomous firms that cooperate due to mutual interests are called:

A) Semiautonomous partnerships
B) Structural holes
C) Social networks
D) Business networks

Question 60

What are the four important differences between managers and leaders that identify leaders' jobs to 'create and manage change'?

Question 61

Identify five major forces for change.

Question 62

Identify typical sources of organizational rigidity that can inhibit change.