Deck 14: Organizational Change

Question 1

Everyone in Denise's company has had their jobs redesigned to some degree as a result of a recent change initiative. The target of change in this case is the organization's

A)structure.
B)tasks.
C)people.
D)purpose.
E)culture.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Jamal's company seems to be more selective these days regarding who it hires; the organization is placing much more emphasis on training new hires, as this has been considered to be a real weakness of the organization in the past. The target of change in this case is the organization's

A)structure.
B)tasks.
C)people.
D)culture.
E)purpose.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The creation of online music sharing illustrates what force for change?

A)economic shocks
B)social trends
C)technology
D)competition
E)world politics

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is a force for change in organizations?

A)societal infrastructure
B)material infrastructure
C)cynicism
D)competition
E)lack of communication

Question 5

To direct behaviour away from the status quo, one can increase the use of

A)restraining forces.
B)refreezing.
C)driving forces.
D)change.
E)freezing.

Question 6

Your employer improves the equipment at your facilities; he is targeting which of the following for change?

A)people
B)technology
C)structure
D)physical setting
E)culture

Question 7

Steve is unable to direct his employees' behaviour away from the status quo in his effort to institute real and lasting change. Steve is attempting to manage

A)refreezing forces.
B)moving forces.
C)driving forces.
D)restraining forces.
E)groupthink forces.

Question 8

For a long time, Karen's organization has been suffering from a lack of common beliefs and values. To change this, Karen's organization must target organizational

A)strategy.
B)objectives.
C)culture.
D)people.
E)tasks.

Question 9

How are outside consultants at a disadvantage when hired as change agents?

A)inadequate understanding of basic organizational behaviour
B)inadequate understanding of the organization's culture and history
C)prone to inaction through inadequate understanding
D)less objective than staff
E)prone to initiating too few reforms

Question 10

Khalid is aware that the best way to stabilize his change efforts is to successfully balance driving and restraining forces. This is known as

A)unfreezing.
B)moving.
C)driving.
D)restraining.
E)refreezing.

Question 11

Change agents are responsible for

A)planned change.
B)unplanned change.
C)coping with ongoing change.
D)managing change activities.
E)change bias.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a component of the change process?

A)movement to a new state
B)unfreezing the status quo
C)maintaining a state of equilibrium
D)refreezing the new change
E)modifying driving and/or restraining forces

Question 13

Within the action research process, which step follows viewing the patterns of problems, or diagnosis?

A)analysis
B)evaluation
C)action
D)diagnosis
E)feedback

Question 14

How are internal change agents at a disadvantage when managing change activities?

A)know people's attitudes
B)know people's behaviour
C)have less objectivity
D)have greater objectivity
E)are less cautious

Question 15

Ted's organization was undergoing massive change; managers are reviewing the company's mission. Thus, the target for change is the organization's

A)culture.
B)purpose.
C)strategy.
D)tasks.
E)structure.

Question 16

John Kotter, professor of leadership at Harvard Business School, developed a(n)________ step sequential process.

A)nine
B)eight
C)ten
D)seven
E)six

Question 17

Altering authority relations in an organizational setting is

A)structural change.
B)technological change.
C)change in physical setting.
D)change of people.
E)cultural change.

Question 18

Change efforts to overcome the pressures of both individual resistance and group conformity is called

A)freezing.
B)unfreezing.
C)planned change.
D)movement.
E)teamwork.

Question 19

George has recently been given a new set of performance targets that are very specific and quite different from what they were before. The target of change in this case is the organization's

A)culture.
B)purpose.
C)strategy.
D)objectives.
E)people.

Question 20

Which of the following is a benefit to hiring an outside consultant as a change agent?

A)objective perspective
B)obscured perspective
C)fresh perspective
D)subjective perspective
E)old perspective

Question 21

You call employees to a meeting and ask them, in groups, to discuss times they felt the organization worked best. This process is called

A)TQM.
B)action research.
C)appreciative inquiry.
D)flexible inquiry.
E)strategic planning.

Question 22

You meet with the production department and discuss the need for change; it is apparent that some individuals want to change, but the group norm seems to be "just do your job and go home." This type of organizational resistance to change is called

A)structural inertia.
B)limited focus of change.
C)group inertia.
D)threat to resource allocations.
E)threat to power.

Question 23

Your whole executive team is involved in planning and organizing for the changes necessary, and to add support you hired an outside consultant to give additional energy and expertise to the team. At recent meetings you notice increased tension and behaviours that show a lack of cooperation between managers, but also directly to the outside consultant; this used to be a stable and supportive group. The organizational resistance to change is

A)structural inertia.
B)limited focus of change.
C)group inertia.
D)threat to resource allocation.
E)threat to power.

Question 24

Zelda began speaking to various people in the organization just to find out what they think about a range of issues. This is known as the ________ step of appreciative inquiry.

A)design
B)destiny
C)dreaming
D)driving
E)discovery

Question 25

Several months later, you find that the production department is still disengaged from the need for change in the company; You hear them talking one day about "how no one else can run these machines" and "no one else knows how make the product like us." Because the whole department seems to share this view, you are facing

A)process-value resistance.
B)productivity resistance.
C)re-engineering resistance.
D)organizational resistance.
E)individual resistance.

Question 26

When the production department workers say "no one else can run these machines" and "no one else knows how make the product like us" the type of organizational resistance is

A)structural inertia.
B)limited focus of change.
C)group inertia.
D)threat to expertise.
E)threat to power.

Question 27

Which of the following best describes feedback in the action research process?

A)sharing analysis and action with management
B)sharing diagnosis and analysis with employees
C)sharing diagnosis and analysis with management
D)sharing analysis and action with employees
E)evaluating the action plan's effectiveness

Question 28

Who developed a three-step model for change that included unfreezing, movement, and refreezing?

A)Mary Parker Follett
B)David McClelland
C)Kurt Lewin
D)Chester Barnard
E)John Gilbank

Question 29

Balancing driving and restraining forces to stabilize a change intervention is termed

A)unfreezing.
B)movement.
C)refreezing.
D)teamwork.
E)planned change.

Question 30

Tony's approach to instituting change is to systematically collect data, analyze the data, and then select a change action based on it. This approach to change is known as

A)appreciative inquiry.
B)action research.
C)refreezing.
D)unfreezing.
E)resistance.

Question 31

Which of the following correctly identifies the four steps of appreciative inquiry?

A)discovery, dreaming, design, fortune
B)discovery, design, visioning, destiny
C)detection, design, dreaming, destiny
D)discovery, devise, dreaming, destiny
E)discovery, dreaming, design, destiny

Question 32

Which step in appreciative inquiry sees employees explore the common visions of the future of the organization?

A)discovery
B)design
C)dreaming
D)destiny
E)detection

Question 33

Regis requested his staff members write down action plans and implementation strategies relating to their change efforts. This is known as the ________ step of appreciative inquiry.

A)dreaming
B)driving
C)downsizing
D)depressive
E)destiny

Question 34

Once Andy completed the discovery step of his appreciative inquiry initiative, he began to use the information to speculate as to possible futures for the organization. This is known as the ________ step of appreciative inquiry.

A)dreaming
B)design
C)destiny
D)driving
E)downsizing

Question 35

Steve is unable to get his employees' to discuss and plan the move to new offices; the staff are looking forward to the move, but say they are too busy and Steve should "look after it." Steve's staff is NOT engaging in

A)refreezing.
B)moving.
C)driving.
D)restraining.
E)groupthink.

Question 36

To move from the status quo, you need to do all of the following EXCEPT

A)reduce resistance.
B)increase driving forces.
C)decrease restraining forces.
D)increase restraining forces.
E)increase attractiveness of alternatives.

Question 37

Roy's organization is currently developing a common vision of how the organization will look and a common view of its unique qualities based on the articulation of its "dreams." This is known as the ________ step of appreciative inquiry.

A)design
B)destiny
C)driving
D)downsizing
E)depressive

Question 38

The first thing that John, an organizational change consultant, did when he arrived was attempt to identify the unique qualities and special strengths of the organization in order to build on them to improve performance. This is known as

A)SWOT analysis.
B)strategy.
C)unfreezing.
D)appreciative inquiry.
E)refreezing.

Question 39

Employees seem unfocused and disengaged; many groups seem to be gossiping and discussing the weekend sports events. You wonder if you should have used a change approach that would have started with you sharing the latest financial data on the company, showing it has very low cash flow and high debt. This approach, Kotter's Eight-Step Plan, would have create urgency and

A)competitive advantage.
B)compelling reasons for change.
C)consolidation of opinions.
D)restraining forces for change.
E)process values.

Question 40

Which step in appreciative inquiry sees employees explore the strengths of its organization?

A)discovery
B)detection
C)design
D)destiny
E)dreaming

Question 41

Which of the following correctly identifies the five reasons why individuals may resist change?

A)self-interest, lack of trust, different assessments, high tolerance for change, cynicism
B)self-interest, trust, different assessments, low tolerance for change, cynicism
C)self-interest, trust, compatible assessments, high tolerance for change, cynicism
D)self-interest, lack of trust, different assessments, low tolerance for change, cynicism
E)group-interest, lack of trust, different assessments, high tolerance for change, cynicism

Question 42

After years of development, William's organization has introduced a new product that has capabilities that no other product on the market can approximate. This new product is an example of a specific change known as

A)innovation.
B)design.
C)re-engineering.
D)dreaming.
E)destiny.

Question 43

You have heard that the department is going to reorganize. You are opposed to the reorganization because you fear you may lose your job. Your reason for resistance is

A)habit.
B)self-interest.
C)economic factors.
D)selective information processing.
E)cynicism.

Question 44

Two years later, you have made numerous changes to the company structure and culture, and slowly the company is becoming competitive; you are not yet content and want to progress further, but when you ask your executive team to identify ways to increase cost efficiency, one manager groans and says "here we go again ..."; this resistance to change is likely

A)inertia.
B)limited focus.
C)cynicism.
D)lack of respect.
E)self-interest.

Question 45

The marketing and sales department have been supportive of change and demonstrated real leadership with innovative ideas for how to improve the company. The group is so far ahead of the rest of the organization in the change vision that you feel you have to rein them in and ask them to be more conservative in their ideas. This type of organizational resistance is called

A)structural inertia.
B)limited focus of change.
C)group inertia.
D)threat to resource allocation.
E)threat to power.

Question 46

Whenever an error is detected in Mike's department, the tendency is to correct it by referring to past routines or present policies. This is known as

A)single-loop learning.
B)double-loop learning.
C)organizational learning.
D)continuous learning.
E)discontinuous learning.

Question 47

Mintz is offering a $2,000 moving bonus for any employee who will go to the new location. In Lewin's terms, you are attempting to

A)unfreeze the status quo.
B)move the process along.
C)refreeze the change.
D)bribe the employees.
E)maintain the status quo.

Question 48

Because of resistance to change, your management team decides to create a blog in which the executive team will discuss, on a weekly basis, one change initiative the company is taking and why it is important. This tactic of change agents is called

A)education and communication.
B)participation and involvement.
C)developing positive relationships.
D)manipulation and co-optation.
E)explicit and implicit coercion.

Question 49

The re-engineering process requires reorganization around horizontal processes; the executive team knows this announcement will create resistance to change and stress in the organization. Because this change does not have to be announced for another few months, it is agreed the weekly blog will not report on this matter. This strategy for overcoming resistance to change is called

A)education and communication.
B)participation and involvement.
C)developing positive relationships.
D)manipulation and co-optation.
E)explicit and implicit coercion.

Question 50

Tina has been put in charge of a major change effort in her department, and the biggest challenge she is facing is individual resistance and group conformity. Her change efforts should be focused on

A)groupthink.
B)moving.
C)unfreezing.
D)refreezing.
E)restraining.

Question 51

You are counselling each employee individually and attempting to lessen his or her fears. This is an example of

A)removing driving forces.
B)increasing driving forces.
C)removing restraining forces.
D)brainwashing.
E)refreezing the driving forces.

Question 52

It is easiest for management to deal with resistance when it is

A)overt.
B)subtle.
C)passive.
D)implicit.
E)deferred.

Question 53

One proposed change is to take training dollars away from the sales group for a year and give the money to the engineering group to fund technology changes. Organizational resistance to this change would be called

A)structural inertia.
B)limited focus of change.
C)group inertia.
D)threat to resource allocation.
E)threat to power.

Question 54

Change can occur quickly in organizations that have

A)single-loop learning.
B)double-loop learning.
C)organizational learning.
D)continuous learning.
E)discontinuous learning.

Question 55

Which of the following resistances explains an employee who worries they do not have the skills and behaviours required of the new situation?

A)selective information processing
B)security
C)low tolerance for change
D)fear of the unknown
E)cynicism

Question 56

A characteristic of innovative organizations is

A)process value analysis.
B)short tenure in managers.
C)high interunit communication.
D)low interunit communication.
E)re-engineering efforts.

Question 57

Individual resistance to change can arise from many factors. Which of the following is NOT one of these factors?

A)cynicism
B)habit
C)economic factors
D)fear of the unknown
E)discomfort with the status quo

Question 58

One way to move the company toward a continuous capacity to adapt and to change would be to create

A)short tenure in management.
B)communication systems.
C)a learning organization.
D)appreciative inquiry.
E)unfreezing.

Question 59

It is well known that Ed's employees trust and believe in him. Ed charisma and high energy give the unit a fun atmosphere and an outward focus. When Ed introduces change, his employees embrace it. This strategy for overcoming resistance to change is called

A)education and communication.
B)participation and involvement.
C)developing positive relationships.
D)manipulation and co-optation.
E)explicit and implicit coercion.

Question 60

Which of the following is NOT a source of individual resistance to change?

A)different assessments
B)cynicism
C)fear of the unknown
D)self-interest
E)lack of trust

Question 61

The source of Don's resistance is

A)different assessments.
B)cynicism.
C)low tolerance for change.
D)self-interest.
E)lack of trust.

Question 62

Yanni has noticed that one of the main reasons why his staff is resisting the changes that he wants to implement is that they lack information or they believe other information that is inaccurate. The best approach that he can adopt to overcome this resistance is

A)negotiation and agreement.
B)facilitation and support.
C)education and communication.
D)manipulation and co-optation.
E)participation and involvement.

Question 63

The application of direct threats or force upon resisters is called

A)power.
B)co-optation.
C)manipulation.
D)coercion.
E)authority.

Question 64

Exchanging something of value for a lessening of resistance to change is best defined by which of the following tactics?

A)facilitation and support
B)coercion
C)participation
D)manipulation and co-optation
E)facilitation and participation

Question 65

You have threatened to eliminate positions and even to close down the company if your employees don't change their attitudes. You are using

A)education and communication.
B)participation.
C)negotiation.
D)coercion.
E)facilitation and support.

Question 66

You have decided to involve the sales personnel in planning for the change and in stocking appropriate new items. This method for overcoming resistance is referred to as

A)education and communication.
B)participation.
C)negotiation.
D)manipulation and co-optation.
E)facilitation and support.

Question 67

The built-in mechanisms that an organization has to produce stability are referred to as

A)structural inertia.
B)threat to expertise.
C)habit.
D)selective information processing.
E)economic factors.

Question 68

Anna believes the biggest impediment to change in her organization is the built-in mechanisms that produce stability. These mechanisms are known as

A)group inertia.
B)individual inertia.
C)structural inertia.
D)security.
E)habit.

Question 69

Distorting facts to overcome resistance to change is called

A)participation.
B)co-optation.
C)manipulation.
D)coercion.
E)negotiation.

Question 70

Which of the following is NOT true with regard to the politics of change?

A)The impetus for change is likely to come from individuals who are new to an organization.
B)Change is a threat to status and position.
C)Impetus for change is more likely to come from long-term managers within an organization.
D)Change implies political activity.
E)Radical change is too threatening.

Question 71

Which of the following is NOT a tactic a change agent could use for dealing with resistance to change?

A)cooperation
B)manipulation
C)participation
D)communication
E)co-optation

Question 72

The source of Doug's resistance is

A)different assessments.
B)cynicism.
C)low tolerance for change.
D)self-interest.
E)lack of trust.

Question 73

You have brought in a local marketing expert to explain demographics and the changing nature of the area in which you live. This is overcoming resistance through the use of

A)education and communication.
B)participation.
C)negotiation.
D)manipulation.
E)co-optation.

Question 74

Which of the following is a source of organizational resistance to change?

A)security
B)habit
C)group inertia
D)selective information processing
E)economic factors

Question 75

Which of the following is NOT a way to overcome resistance to change?

A)education
B)stubbornness
C)coercion
D)participation
E)fairness

Question 76

When your manager suggests manipulation as a method to reduce resistance to change, he means

A)establishment of a collective bargaining committee on each side of the issue.
B)distort the facts to make them more attractive, reducing resistance to change.
C)the use of threats or force to obtain compliance.
D)the use of co-optation to obtain compliance.
E)communicating facts to make the situation clear to everyone.

Question 77

The source of Tony's resistance is

A)different assessments.
B)cynicism.
C)low tolerance for change.
D)self-interest.
E)lack of trust.

Question 78

If individuals resisting change are included in making change decisions and given true involvement, this attempt to gain their support for change is called

A)co-optation.
B)participation.
C)manipulation.
D)coercion.
E)facilitation.

Question 79

An example of individual resistance to change is

A)group inertia.
B)structural inertia.
C)lack of trust.
D)threat to expertise.
E)limited focus of change.

Question 80

In the early stages of his effort to change his department to make it more effective, Sammy noticed that his staff responds to his suggestions for change by offering opposite or different views to each of Sammy's reasons. This is an example of individual resistance due to

A)self-interest.
B)fear of the unknown.
C)different assessments.
D)selective information processing.
E)cynicism.