Deck 6: Innovation and Adaptability

Question 1

Innovations is about creating economic and social prosperity.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The marketplace is an external force for change.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Managing change is an integral part of every manager's job.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Technology and competition are internal forces for change.

Question 5

Successful organizations need to be more than just flexible in order to compete in today's business world.

Question 6

The prevailing model for handling change in "white waters" is best illustrated in Kurt Lewin's three-step description of the change process.

Question 7

Computerization is a technological change that replaces people with machines.

Question 8

One of the biggest challenges facing both large and small companies today is the fluctuating labour market and finding suitable employees.

Question 9

The "white water rapids" metaphor described the situation that managers faced up until the late 1980s.

Question 10

Culture of innovation is important for companies in the face of rapid technological changes.

Question 11

The "calm waters" metaphor envisions a trip over unfamiliar waters with a crew who has never before worked together.

Question 12

Managers exclusively play the role of change agents.

Question 13

Lewin's three-step process treats change simply as a break in the organization's equilibrium state.

Question 14

For business success, today's organization need to be proactive which means they are able to adapt to the circumstances as required.

Question 15

In the "white-water rapids" metaphor of change, managers should expect change at any time, and it may last for unspecified lengths of time.

Question 16

It is sufficient for organizations to be flexible in order to be successful.

Question 17

Innovation for organizations is about developing new products and services as customer needs change.

Question 18

Changing structure includes any change in structural variables such as reporting relationships, coordination mechanisms, employee empowerment, or job redesign.

Question 19

A change in demand for health care employees is an example of an economic change.

Question 20

Change agents can be either managers or nonmanagers.

Question 21

Adaptive organizations need clear and efficient structures in place to meet the changing environmental challenges.

Question 22

Top managers can distance themselves from operational change efforts as these are the responsibility of the line managers.

Question 23

Minimal structural and physical barriers allow employees to share information and foster adaptability.

Question 24

New idea champions are extremely self-confident, persistent, energetic, and have a tendency to take risks.

Question 25

Employees need not be given the reasons for organizations changes made by top managers.

Question 26

Having creative people is enough to get innovative products and work methods in an organization.

Question 27

Culture of adaptability proactively identifies new problems, and challenges and develops novel solutions.

Question 28

Organic structures positively influence innovation.

Question 29

One reason people resist change is the belief that the change is incompatible with the goals and interests of the organization.

Question 30

An organizational culture that fosters innovation accepts ambiguity and has a low tolerance for risk.

Question 31

Having creative employees and groups is enough to help the organization become more innovative and adaptive.

Question 32

The right organizational environment is crucial for innovation and adaptability to prosper.

Question 33

One reason people resist change is that it substitutes ambiguity for uncertainty.

Question 34

Change threatens the investment managers have already made in the status quo in the workplace.

Question 35

The term organizational development focuses on techniques to change people and the nature and quality of interpersonal work relationships.

Question 36

Frequent interunit communication helps to facilitate innovation.

Question 37

Sensitivity training is a method of changing behaviour through unstructured group interaction.

Question 38

One reason people resist change in an organization is that their future has been set and cannot be changed.

Question 39

Creativity is the process of taking an idea and turning it into a useful product, service, or method of operation.

Question 40

Sensitivity training refers to activities that help team members learn how each member thinks and works.

Question 41

Organizational __________ involves any alteration in structure, technology, or people.

A) innovation
B) change
C) creativity
D) technology
E) reengineering

Question 42

In the ________ metaphor, change is normal and expected and managing it is a continual process.

A) calm waters
B) white-water rapids
C) blue sky
D) design thinking
E) TQM

Question 43

The existence of a dramatic organizational crisis can facilitate cultural change.

Question 44

The __________ metaphor is best illustrated by Kurt Lewin's model of the change process.

A) uncertain waters
B) white-water rapids
C) calm waters
D) storm warning
E) blue horizon

Question 45

Internal forces that create the need for organizational change include _______.

A) necessary upgrades to technology
B) changes in the kinds of employees needed
C) organizational strategy adjustments
D) HR practices in response to new employment law
E) new customer contact procedures

Question 46

One of the primary views of the change process is ________, while the other view is ________.

A) problematic; encouraged
B) occasional; continuous
C) costly; conservative
D) optimistic; pessimistic
E) unplanned; planned

Question 47

Which of the following is an internal force for change for an organization?

A) new competition
B) governmental laws and regulations
C) technology upgrades
D) labour markets
E) strategy modification

Question 48

Adaptive organizations should discourage employees who are viewed as mavericks since their ideas are outside the mainstream.

Question 49

The Canadian Securities Administrators rules of 2004 is an example of which external force for change?

A) marketplace
B) government laws and regulations
C) economic changes
D) workforce
E) technology

Question 50

Until the late 1980s, the __________ metaphor described the situation faced by most managers.

A) uncertain waters
B) white-water rapids
C) calm waters
D) red sky
E) blue sky

Question 51

In order to make change happen successfully, managers need to understand their own role in the process.

Question 52

Successful organizations are not only efficient and effective, they also must be __________.

A) global
B) conventional
C) adaptable
D) logical
E) visible

Question 53

A leadership change can facilitate cultural change.

Question 54

In organizational success, flexible means ____________, whereas adaptable means ____________.

A) being proactive; being innovative
B) reacting to events; being proactive
C) being proactive; reacting to events
D) being change capable; being innovative
E) being innovative; being change capable

Question 55

Cultural change is easier when the organizational culture is strong.

Question 56

Changing recruitment strategies to attract and retain health care specialists due to increased needs for those workers is an example of what kind of external force for change?

A) marketplace
B) human resources strategy
C) labour markets
D) organizational development
E) strategy redefinition

Question 57

For successful organizations, innovation is about ____________.

A) developing new products and services
B) changing and upgrading technology
C) hiring creative employees
D) creating economic and social prosperity
E) developing efficiency in operations

Question 58

Adaptive organizations recognize that change is perpetual.

Question 59

The __________ metaphor compares an organization to a group of complete strangers aboard a raft travelling at night toward an uncertain destination.

A) uncertain waters
B) white-water rapids
C) calm waters
D) red sky
E) blue sky

Question 60

The __________ metaphor is most consistent with uncertain and dynamic environments that are increasingly dominated by information, ideas, and knowledge.

A) new frontier
B) white-water rapids
C) calm waters
D) storm warning
E) blue horizon

Question 61

The unfreezing step of the change process can be thought of as ________.

A) changing to a new state
B) sustaining a change over time
C) changing the organizational structure
D) preparing for the needed change
E) sustaining the status quo

Question 62

Driving forces are forces that drive change and direct behaviour ________.

A) away from the status quo
B) toward increased resistance
C) away from the old jobs to new jobs
D) toward chaos
E) toward the existing equilibrium state

Question 63

Apex Corporation has reorganized its marketing division, and the reporting structure has completely changed. This is an example of a change in __________.

A) structure
B) technology
C) people
D) culture
E) process

Question 64

If ABC Foods hired a consultant to decrease group friction and enhance cooperative work relationships, this would be an example of managing what change category?

A) technology
B) people
C) process
D) structure
E) strategy

Question 65

In spurring organizational change, outside consultants are usually more __________ whereas internal managers tend to be more __________.

A) drastic; cautious
B) highly paid; risky
C) resistant; bold
D) cautious; friendly
E) interested; scared

Question 66

According to our textbook, managers' options for change fall into which three categories?

A) environment, technology, and mission
B) structure, technology, and people
C) rules, procedures, and management
D) competitors, environment, and processes
E) structure, technology, and products

Question 67

In organizations, people who act as catalysts and assume the responsibility for managing the change process are called __________ agents.

A) creativity
B) change
C) innovation
D) technocratic
E) catalytic

Question 68

Techniques to change people and the quality of interpersonal work relationships are termed ________.

A) operations development
B) organizational development
C) communications training
D) human resources management
E) strategy innovation

Question 69

Organizational development techniques seek to bring about change in which of the basic change categories?

A) structure
B) technology
C) people
D) mission
E) process

Question 70

What OD technique involves changing the attitudes, stereotypes, and perceptions that work groups have about each other?

A) team building
B) intergroup development
C) survey feedback
D) sensitivity training
E) process consultation

Question 71

A company that decides to decentralize its sales procedures is managing what change category?

A) structure
B) culture
C) people
D) technology
E) processes

Question 72

University student who has just graduated and is now facing the process of finding a job and moving into the business world is in what step of the change process?

A) Unfreezing the status quo
B) Changing into a new state
C) Refreezing the status quo
D) Changing into new habits
E) Freezing the equilibrium

Question 73

The term __________ focuses on techniques or programs to change people and the nature of interpersonal work relationships.

A) decentralization
B) organizational development
C) job redesign
D) operations improvement
E) strategy formulation

Question 74

Which organizational development (OD) technique is a technique for assessing attitudes and perceptions, identifying discrepancies in these, and resolving the differences by using survey information in feedback groups?

A) team building
B) intergroup development
C) survey feedback
D) sensitivity training
E) process consultation

Question 75

Which of the following is part of the change category of technology?

A) job redesign
B) equipment and tools
C) policies and procedures
D) work specialization
E) coordinating mechanisms

Question 76

Initiating change involves identifying which organizational areas might need to be changed and ________.

A) discussing changes with the board of directors
B) hiring a consultant to confirm that the change is needed
C) forming a committee to determine that the need for change is real
D) putting the change process in motion
E) preparing people for change

Question 77

Changes in work processes, methods, and equipment used fall under which category of options that a manager can change?

A) structure
B) process
C) people
D) strategy
E) technology

Question 78

According to Lewin, the objective of refreezing is to __________.

A) direct behaviour away from the status quo
B) hinder movement away from existing equilibrium
C) eliminate the need for future change
D) stabilize the new situation
E) establish the existing equilibrium

Question 79

According to Kurt Lewin, increasing the driving forces, which directs behaviour away from the status quo, is a means of doing which of the following?

A) unfreezing
B) changing
C) melting
D) refreezing
E) restraining forces

Question 80

Changes in work specialization, chain of command, span of control, job design, or degree of centralization fall under which category of options that a manager can change?

A) structure
B) technology
C) people
D) strategy
E) process