Deck 12: The Effective Change Manager: What Does It Take

Question 1

_____ are people with skills in listening and problem solving who help others to cope with the stress of change.

A) Toxic handlers
B) Happy campers
C) Organizational sweethearts
D) Mud filters

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is a True statement about a "tempered radical" described by Debra Meyerson?

A) They drive change by leveraging "small wins."
B) They have middle management roles.
C) They belong to the top management group.
D) They have a loud approach to leadership.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Change managers were found to be more successful where:

A) the nature of their network matched the type of change that they were pursuing.
B) they held lower positions in the organization's informal network.
C) they had good relationships with those who were indifferent to changes.
D) the number of staff per team was higher.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In the context of the great intimidators, which of the following refers to calculated loss of temper?

A) Porcupine power
B) Coercive power
C) Reward power
D) Referent power

Question 5

In the context of political skill and the change manager, apparent sincerity refers to _____.

A) the ability to engage and influence others in a compelling way
B) the ability to tactfully get subordinates to do things
C) building a variety of relationships across and outside an organization
D) being seen as forthright, open, honest, and genuine

Question 6

In the context of the qualities required of change managers, the successful adaptation to life tasks in the face of social disadvantage or highly adverse conditions is called _____.

A) fragility
B) indolence
C) obduracy
D) resilience

Question 7

Which of the following statements describes the "change champion" defined by Tom Peters and Bob Waterman?

A) The one who damns the bureaucracy and takes it on himself or herself to maneuver his or her projects through the system.
B) The one who encourages dissatisfaction with the status quo.
C) The one who brings together people, funding, and knowledge.
D) A small number of committed individuals driven by burning enthusiasm.

Question 8

According to Donald Kuratko and Michael Goldsby, which of the following discourages the entrepreneurial middle manager from taking risks and innovating?

A) Systems and policies that encourage inconsistent, spontaneous behavior
B) Controls that discourage micromanagement
C) Simplified approval cycles with no documentation
D) Top-down management and lack of delegated authority

Question 9

Donald Schön used the term _____ to describe senior managers with "considerable power and prestige."

A) process helpers
B) technological entrepreneurs
C) product champions
D) change champions

Question 10

In which of the following types of networks are members connected indirectly by their link to the change manager?

A) Divergent network
B) Adhesive network
C) Convergent network
D) Cohesive network

Question 11

According to Patrick Connor and Linda Lake, which of the following best explains the role of a "catalyst" in an organization?

A) He or she brings together people, funding, and knowledge.
B) He or she assists others in dealing with organization change.
C) He or she offers suggestions for improvement.
D) He or she encourages dissatisfaction with the status quo among staff.

Question 12

In which of the following ways can a change manager best develop social awareness?

A) By focusing on how his or her proposal can help others meet their goals
B) By using the method of self-disclosure
C) By playing down power differences
D) By revealing confidential information to the staff

Question 13

According to Paddy Miller and Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg, when is it appropriate to "go into stealth mode" or "innovate under the radar"?

A) When there are few gatekeepers to navigate
B) When the risks of failure are low
C) When there are hassle-free bureaucratic processes in place
D) When the reputational damage from being discovered is maximum

Question 14

According to Bill Wooldridge and Steven Floyd, which of the following is one of the middle management contributions to organizational innovation, change, and strategy?

A) Inviting third persons, apart from change managers, to assist change
B) Making rigid rules and sticking to already given timelines
C) Justifying and championing alternatives
D) Distributing organizational information to external sources

Question 15

Which of the following is one of the three categories of change managers identified by Richard Ottaway?

A) Change adopters
B) Change influencers
C) Change mixers
D) Change plotters

Question 16

Which of the following is a challenge faced by a stealth innovator?

A) Finding sponsors and allies in colleagues at the same level in an organization, or one or two grades higher
B) Generating evidence that shows how an innovation will boost his or her career
C) Hiding the change innovation from every member of an organization
D) Selling his or her original innovative idea to the top management of an organization

Question 17

In the context of the Buchanan-Boddy change manager competency model, which of the following refers to standing back from the immediate project and taking a broader view of priorities?

A) Influencing skills
B) Team building
C) Negotiating
D) Helicopter perspective

Question 18

According to the text, a study that used university staff and students as participants found that political skill:

A) correlates with general intelligence.
B) correlates with measures of self-monitoring and emotional intelligence.
C) makes stressful events more threatening.
D) is not related to social astuteness.

Question 19

Which of the following is True of packaging moves?

A) It concerns the ways in which relationships can be exploited to build support for ideas.
B) It concerns the ways in which ideas are "wrapped" to make them more appealing, urgent, and acceptable.
C) It concerns the groundwork that may need to be done in advance of selling the issues.
D) It concerns assessing top team support in an organization.

Question 20

Which of the following is a difference between the McBer competency model for the "top-notch" change manager (McB) and the Buchanan-Boddy change manager competency model (BB)?

A) The BB "interpersonal skills" can be found under the McB "communication" heading, whereas the BB "diagnostic skills" are listed under "goals" in the McB model.
B) The BB model is fully comprehensive, whereas the McB framework is not.
C) The McB framework identifies "organization" skills, whereas the BB model does not.
D) The McB framework identifies a set of political competencies, whereas the BB model does not.

Question 21

Joseph Bower was one of the first to recognize the importance of chief executive officers (CEOs) as change managers.

Question 22

In which of the following ways can a change manager best develop interpersonal influence?

A) By revealing his or her emotions and vulnerabilities
B) By justifying his or her actions irrespective of their reasonability
C) By playing down power differences
D) By asking few questions

Question 23

Which of the following is part of the six-step approach that is used to develop change management expertise?

A) Developing apolitical skills
B) Making oneself rigid in the event of change
C) Refraining from preparing a personal action plan
D) Identifying and filling personal gaps, if any

Question 24

Most of the actions required to develop change management capabilities are not necessarily costly.

Question 25

Which of the following is a desirable characteristic in a change manager?

A) High need for praise and recognition
B) High politicization and manipulation
C) Flexibility and accountability
D) Secretiveness and persistence

Question 26

According to the text, the personal action plan prepared by a change manager must cover the issue of:

A) allowable weaknesses.
B) amendments to the company clause.
C) market fluctuations.
D) selective manipulation.

Question 27

David Hutton argues that change management is not a job for everyone because it:

A) is relaxing in nature.
B) is low on action.
C) is less satisfying in general.
D) is demanding in nature.

Question 28

Given the pressure, pace, stress, risks, and vulnerability of the role, change managers ideally need to be resilient.

Question 29

Being political and manipulative are desirable characteristics of change managers.

Question 30

A middle manager's understanding of frontline operations and issues is usually much better than that of senior management.

Question 31

Which of the following is a consequence of a deep change in an organization?

A) It normally causes lesser failures than do shallow or mixed changes.
B) It causes interview panels and promotion boards to be less impressed by a change manager's involvement in a successful deep change.
C) It reduces the potential for personal development.
D) It increases the visibility and reputation of the change managers responsible.

Question 32

Which of the following is an undesirable characteristic of a change manager?

A) Inability to convey enthusiasm
B) Ability to not get easily intimidated
C) Ability to deal with politics
D) Inability to stick to a secretive, adversarial style

Question 33

Issue-selling refers to packaging, presenting, and promoting plans and ideas in ways that make them more appealing to the target audience.

Question 34

Change managers are more successful where they hold lower level positions in the organization's informal network, regardless of their roles in the formal hierarchy.

Question 35

Which of the following is a micro practice that was adopted by "The Gang of Four" in the claims handling division of a Nordic insurance company?

A) Obeying management decisions about project representation
B) Handpicking loyal and skilled people to fill project roles
C) Disclosing and distributing information generously
D) Producing a memo supporting the management's position and aims

Question 36

In which of the following ways can a change manager best develop networking abilities?

A) By asking few questions
B) By refraining from using self-disclosure
C) By sticking to intra-team rather than inter-team communications
D) By taking time to maintain those relationships already established

Question 37

Interpersonal influence can be developed by imposing one's ideas on others.

Question 38

_____ refers to switching and choosing roles where one is successful and visible.

A) Scapegoating
B) Networking
C) Issue selling
D) Positioning

Question 39

Paddy Miller and Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg advise innovative change managers to take their new ideas directly to senior management for approval.

Question 40

The statement "I pay close attention to people's facial expressions" is a sample inventory item that shows apparent sincerity.