Deck 6: Vision and the Direction of Change

Question 1

According to the _____ image of change, vision is in many ways immaterial to the way change will proceed. Inexorable forces, often external to an organization, will have the most influence on change.

A) director
B) nurturer
C) caretaker
D) interpreter

Answer 1

C

Question 2

According to Nutt and Backoff's assessment of organizational contexts in terms of their abilities to produce visionary strategic change, _____ organizations are classified as those that have limited resources but high acceptance of the need for change.

A) rigid
B) bold
C) overmanaged
D) liberated

Answer 2

B

Question 3

According to Scott-Morgan et al., _____ highlights the work required to achieve a vision.

A) desperation
B) procreation
C) levitation
D) perspiration

Answer 3

D

Question 4

According to Nutt and Backoff's assessment of organizational contexts in terms of their abilities to produce visionary strategic change, _____ organizations have a context in which visionary processes are likely to be most successful.

A) rigid
B) bold
C) overmanaged
D) liberated

Question 5

According to Kimberly Boal and Robert Hooijberg, effective visions have:

A) an affective and a cognitive component.
B) a positive and a negative correlation.
C) a general and a specific component.
D) no relationship to organizational change.

Question 6

According to Nutt and Backoff's assessment of organizational contexts in terms of their abilities to produce visionary strategic change, bold organizations:

A) have low acceptance of the need for change.
B) have unlimited resources.
C) are less rule-bound.
D) are more inorganic.

Question 7

According to Paul Nutt and Robert Backoff, which of the following is NOT one of the generic attributes of vision that are likely to enhance organizational performance?

A) Possibility
B) Desirability
C) Actionability
D) Accountability

Question 8

According to Paul Nutt and Robert Backoff, the _____ attribute of a vision communicates the future clearly through powerful imagery of where an organization is headed.

A) possibility
B) desirability
C) actionability
D) articulation

Question 9

According to Kimberly Boal and Robert Hooijberg, the _____ component of vision is based on information and expresses outcomes.

A) emotional
B) affective
C) cognitive
D) visceral

Question 10

According to Nutt and Backoff, _____ organizations have high resource availability but little acceptance of the need for change.

A) rigid
B) bold
C) overmanaged
D) liberated

Question 11

According to Nutt and Backoff, which of the following is a difference between overmanaged organizations and bold organizations?

A) Overmanaged organizations have high acceptance of the need for change, whereas bold organizations have a low acceptance for the need for change.
B) Overmanaged organizations are organic and liberated, whereas bold organizations are rule-bound and authoritarian.
C) Overmanaged organizations have an unstable environment, whereas bold organizations have a highly stable environment.
D) Overmanaged organizations have high resource availability, whereas bold organizations have limited availability of resources.

Question 12

According to Ira Levin, the first step to be taken when using vision as storytelling is to:

A) become informed.
B) visit the future.
C) create the story.
D) deploy the vision.

Question 13

According to the _____ image of change, vision is something that is essential to producing successful organizational change and must be articulated at an early stage by the leaders of an organization.

A) director
B) navigator
C) interpreter
D) coach

Question 14

According to the _____ image of change, vision articulates the core values and ideology that underpin an organization's identity.

A) director
B) nurturer
C) coach
D) interpreter

Question 15

According to Kimberly Boal and Robert Hooijberg, the _____ component of vision appeals to values and beliefs, and thus underpins the motivation and commitment that are key to the implementation of the vision.

A) rational
B) affective
C) intellectual
D) cognitive

Question 16

According to Scott-Morgan et al., which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an effective vision?

A) Desperation
B) Aspiration
C) Inspiration
D) Perspiration

Question 17

Which of the following is True of missions statements?

A) They do not articulate the actions necessary to produce desirable outcomes.
B) They do not address the role of organizational values in achieving favorable results.
C) They paint a vague and hopeful picture of the future.
D) They are purposive and instrumental in outlining what needs to be done.

Question 18

According to Nutt and Backoff's assessment of organizational contexts in terms of their abilities to produce visionary strategic change, rigid organizations:

A) are very flexible.
B) are hierarchical.
C) have high acceptance of the need for change.
D) have high resource availability.

Question 19

According to Hay and Williamson, the _____ dimension of vision is a shared view within an organization of how markets work, what drives customers, competitors, industry dynamics, and the impact of geopolitical events.

A) external
B) internal
C) inward
D) contingency

Question 20

Which of the following statements is True of goals?

A) They identify the desired results for an organization.
B) They articulate the actions necessary to produce favorable outcomes.
C) They address the role of organizational values in achieving a desired result.
D) They refrain from setting specific targets such as a bigger market share.

Question 21

According to the coach image of change, vision emerges from the clash of chaotic and unpredictable change forces.

Question 22

According to William Gardner and Bruce Avolio, _____ is the art of managing that includes influencing others to accept a leader's interpretation of the vision by stressing its importance and aligning it with their values.

A) framing
B) scripting
C) staging
D) performing

Question 23

According to Holpp and Kelly, the _____ approach to developing vision relies on the use of imagination and imagery to encourage staff to participate in vision development.

A) intuitive
B) analytical
C) benchmarking
D) participative

Question 24

_____ defines the reason for the existence of an organization.

A) Core value
B) Core purpose
C) Turnover vision
D) Contingency plan

Question 25

According to John Kotter, effective visions are focused enough to guide decisionmaking yet are flexible enough to accommodate individual initiative and changing circumstances.

Question 26

Core values are durable guiding principles.

Question 27

According to Lipton, which of the following is NOT a key way in which skillful visions can benefit organizations?

A) Enhancing performance
B) Recruiting talent
C) Focusing on decisionmaking
D) Causing employees to lose faith in their leader

Question 28

While some visions stand the test of time and remain applicable and adaptable to new situations and environments, others need to be overhauled in order to remain relevant.

Question 29

According to Nutt and Backoff, the _____ approach to crafting a vision is one in which the CEO provides the strategic vision for an organization.

A) leader-dominated
B) pump-priming
C) facilitation
D) desperation

Question 30

According to Holpp and Kelly's approaches to developing vision, the benchmarking approach is more internally focused, whereas the intuitive and analytical approaches have an external focus.

Question 31

According to Nutt and Backoff, the _____ approach to crafting vision is one in which the CEO provides visionary ideas and gets selected individuals and groups within an organization to further develop these ideas within some broad parameters.

A) leader-dominated
B) pump-priming
C) facilitation
D) liberation

Question 32

According to Nutt and Backoff, rigid organizations have a context in which visionary processes are likely to be most successful.

Question 33

A vision is most likely to fail if it is _____.

A) too relevant
B) too realistic
C) too adequate
D) too complex

Question 34

Ira Levin argues that some vision statements have a "bumper sticker" style, based on jargon and fashionable terms.

Question 35

It is more important to create an organization with a vision than to have a charismatic chief executive with a personal vision.

Question 36

According to William Gardner and Bruce Avolio's dramaturgical perspective of the processes used by leaders to enact their visions, "staging" refers to the final enactment of a vision.

Question 37

According to Holpp and Kelly, the _____ approach to developing vision requires focusing on the actions and standards utilized by the organization's toughest competitors.

A) intuitive
B) analytical
C) benchmarking
D) participative

Question 38

A lack of vision is associated with organizational decline and failure.

Question 39

According to Holpp and Kelly, the _____ approach to developing vision is the most externally focused.

A) intuitive
B) analytical
C) benchmarking
D) inverted

Question 40

According to William Gardner and Bruce Avolio, _____ is the selection of symbols, artifacts, props and settings to reinforce a vision.

A) framing
B) scripting
C) staging
D) performing