Deck 17: Managing Organizational Change and Learning

Question 1

Mike is resisting an organizational change as it may mean he will need to move to a smaller office.This resistance would be classified as "parochial self-interest."

Answer 1

True

Question 2

While understandably traumatic for those that lose their jobs,downsizing typically is a neutral to positive experience for those that remain with the organization.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The iceberg analogy of the organization indicates that the formal organization is largely hidden from public view.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

While it is the least used,the combination external-internal change team has an excellent chance of success.

Question 5

An "intervention" may be one of many formal or informal activities undertaken to focus the change process.

Question 6

Coercion should never be used to overcome resistance to change.

Question 7

Diversity training attempts to increase the awareness of self and of one's impact on diverse others.

Question 8

Organizations can take one of two approaches to introduce systematic change.These approaches have been termed structural and behavioral.

Question 9

In order to bring a "different perspective" a change agent must be external to the organization.

Question 10

The framework of appreciative inquiry starts with "dreaming" and concludes with "delivery."

Question 11

Both the formal and informal aspects of organizations can be changed in a methodical,deliberate way.

Question 12

Low Tech U is moving from a traditional classroom approach to 100% on-line instruction.While Dr.D understands the motives and reasons for the change,he is resistant because he lacks experience with the new approach.This resistance would be classified as "low tolerance for change."

Question 13

Team building is intended to enable a work group to do their work more effectively,that is,to improve their performance.

Question 14

The discovery phase of appreciative inquiry seeks to identify what is the "best" in the current situation while the dreaming phase addresses what would make the situation ideal.

Question 15

While empowerment has been credited with improving production and service quality in a number of companies it has not been shown to be related to efficiency.

Question 16

The three major alternative approaches to change-structural,behavioral,and technological-are independent and rarely have direct impact on each other.

Question 17

Introducing systematic change into an organizational using a behavioral approach is referred to by some as organizational development.

Question 18

When a combination external-internal change team is utilized,the internal group should be restricted to key decision makers.

Question 19

Technology is not considered to be one of the "environmental forces" of change.

Question 20

Team building is typically only effective when deployed during team formation.

Question 21

When external change agents are charged with the diagnosis of the problem within the change model _________.

A)they often become immersed in theory and various conceptual frameworks that are less realistic than the managers would like
B)they often tend to see each problem separately
C)due to experience typically are better than top managers
D)A and B

Question 22

James believes that a proposed curriculum change is not,as announced,an attempt to align classes with external expectations but a means to covertly reduce costs.James becomes a vocal opponent of the proposal.This form of resistance to change would be classified as _________.

A)parochial self-interest
B)misunderstanding and lack of trust
C)different assessments
D)low tolerance for change

Question 23

When top managers are charged with the diagnosis of the problem within the change model _________.

A)they often become immersed in theory and various conceptual frameworks that are less realistic than the external changes would like
B)they often tend to see each problem separately
C)due to experience typically are better than external change agents
D)A and B

Question 24

Three steps have been associated with implementing change: ________.

A)unfreezing,instill new learning,refreezing
B)freeze in place,instill new learning,refreeze
C)thaw past entrenchments,warm to change,boil up desire to change
D)None of the above

Question 25

William G.Dyer,a noted organizational effectiveness scholar,found that if certain conditions are present,a change intervention will bring about the desired change.

Question 26

Disadvantages of using external change agents include _________.

A)a potential lack of rapport
B)a potential for mistrust
C)that they are less encumbered by organizational baggage or biases
D)A and B

Question 27

Change agents can be _________.

A)external to the organization
B)internal to the organization
C)external and internal change teams
D)All of the above

Question 28

Environmental forces of change include: _______.

A)social and political change
B)technology
C)employee strikes
D)A and B

Question 29

When considering the implementation of proposed change,"timing" refers to when the change is implemented not the length of time it will take to implement the change.

Question 30

The philosophy and policies of top management are typically considered separate from the formal organization.

Question 31

A wildcat strike may be considered _________.

A)an internal force of change
B)an external force of change
C)a moderator within the change model
D)A and B

Question 32

Senge proposed that the primary role of management in the learning organization is that of teacher.

Question 33

Alex is resisting implementing automation in his area,not because he thinks it will harm the company but because he does not have experience with computers.This form of resistance to change would be classified as _________.

A)parochial self-interest
B)misunderstanding and lack of trust
C)different assessments
D)low tolerance for change

Question 34

Disadvantages of using internal change agents include _________.

A)perceived favoritism to their "home" unit
B)a potential lack of rapport with management
C)that they are less encumbered by organizational baggage or biases
D)A and B

Question 35

According to Dyer,when an internal change agent is used,the need for employees to see the link between the proposed change and organizational mission is no longer a factor of success.

Question 36

Which of the following is not an effective to decrease employee resistance to change?

A)Education and communication
B)Negotiation and agreement
C)Manipulation
D)None of the above

Question 37

The knowing-doing gap communicates that it is not enough to look at what is learned and knowledge gained about change,change strategies and resistance,but that this knowledge must be converted into action and evaluation.

Question 38

Rob suspects that if a planned reorganization takes place he will be transferred to a less prestigious position.Rob resists the change.This form of resistance to change would be classified as _________.

A)parochial self-interest
B)misunderstanding and lack of trust
C)different assessments
D)low tolerance for change

Question 39

The attitude survey is a useful diagnostic approach if the potential focus of change is _________.

A)small units within the organization
B)the total organization
C)the individual
D)All of the above

Question 40

Cindy believes that a proposal will not increase profitability but will in fact increase costs and decrease profit potential.Cindy lobbies against the change.This form of resistance to change would be classified as _________.

A)parochial self-interest
B)misunderstanding and lack of trust
C)different assessments
D)low tolerance for change

Question 41

Building and sustaining a learning organization requires _________.

A)a commitment to learning
B)the generation of creative ideas that are implemented
C)the desire to build cohesive teamwork,collaboration,and support
D)All of the above

Question 42

The core task of ___________ is determining what operations should be closed and which positions should be eliminated in the organization.

A)structural change
B)the discovery phase
C)a downsizing effort
D)flexing an organization

Question 43

The four phases within the framework of appreciative are _________.

A)diagnosing,dreaming,designing,and delivery
B)discovery,dreaming,designing and delivery
C)discovery,determining,designing,and delivery
D)dreaming,discovery diagnosing,and delivery

Question 44

___________ means granting individuals permission to utilize their talents,skills,resources,and experience to make decisions about customer relationship management,investments,hiring people,just-in-time inventory management,total quality control,computer purchases,and forming alliances.

A)Behavioral change
B)Job enlargement
C)Empowering
D)Supportive change

Question 45

Appreciative inquiry is _________.

A)an emphasis on individual engagement to bring about creative solutions
B)a methodology that takes the idea of social construction of reality by utilizing metaphors and narratives
C)a positive approach to change that completely lets go of problems-based management
D)All of the above

Question 46

If the focus of change is a relatively small work group,diagnosis of the problem may be best accomplished through _________.

A)attitude surveys
B)individual interviews followed by
C)an attitude survey followed by group discussion of the data
D)individual interviews followed by group discussion of the interview data

Question 47

Jan has implemented a change impacting aspects of the formal task and authority system within her organization.This would be best described as a ___________ change.

A)structural
B)behavioral
C)technology
D)configuration

Question 48

The nature of the work environment that results from the leadership style and administrative practices of managers is termed the _________.

A)leadership climate
B)organizational culture
C)leadership culture
D)organizational climate

Question 49

Appreciative inquiry is not _________.

A)an emphasis on individual engagement to bring about creative solutions
B)a methodology that takes the idea of social construction of reality by utilizing metaphors and narratives
C)a positive approach to change that is based upon problems-based management
D)All of the above

Question 50

The Hawthorne studies were instrumental in our understanding of ___________ change techniques.

A)structural
B)behavioral
C)technology
D)configuration

Question 51

The implementation of a proposed change has two dimensions: _________.

A)depth and timing
B)timing and scope
C)depth and scope
D)None of the above

Question 52

Conditions that Dryer states must be present if an intervention is to have some chance of bringing about the desired change include all of the following except _________.

A)people who are involved needing to have advance information that enables them to know what is to happen and why they are being asked to do what they are to do
B)management having a high and visible commitment to the effort
C)the presence of an external change agent
D)None of the above

Question 53

Heather's restaurant has implemented a new order entry system that not only automatically posts and tracks orders in the kitchen but also automatically generates replenishment orders.This new level of automation has had the impact of increasing employee autonomy.The introduction of this order entry system would be considered a ___________ change.

A)structural
B)behavioral
C)technology
D)configuration

Question 54

The last step of the change process is _________.

A)implementation
B)conducting employee attitude survey
C)the evaluation procedure
D)None of the above

Question 55

___________ refers to the pattern of beliefs resulting from group norms,values,and informal activities.

A)Leadership climate
B)Organizational culture
C)Leadership culture
D)Organizational climate

Question 56

Activities associated with building commitment to learning include _________.

A)making learning a component of the vision and strategic objectives
B)instilling systems thinking throughout the organization
C)implementing continuous improvement programs
D)All of the above

Question 57

The depth of an intended change refers to _________.

A)the iceberg analogy of the organization and specifically the magnitude of the hidden organization
B)the scope and intensity of the organizational change efforts
C)the number of organizational layers impacted by the change effort
D)the number of individuals involved in implementing the change

Question 58

Michael is describing what his company's employees perceive and how this perception creates a shared sense and pattern of beliefs,values,and expectations.Michael is describing ____________ ________.

A)organizational climate
B)organizational culture
C)company ethos
D)organizational ethos

Question 59

Technology changes may necessitate _________.

A)the need for additional employee training
B)modifications to management style
C)modifications to compensation systems
D)All of the above

Question 60

___________ includes the philosophy and policies of top management,as well as legal precedent,organizational structure,and the systems of control.

A)Leadership climate
B)Organizational culture
C)Leadership culture
D)The formal organization

Question 61

What methods would you suggest to an organization in order to minimize resistance to a planned change activity?

Question 62

Describe the external forces of change and their significance to management.

Question 63

Icebergs have been used as an analogy to organization.Explain this analogy.

Question 64

Organizations can take several approaches to introduce change.List and briefly discuss these approaches.

Question 65

What is meant by leadership climate and how does it influence the potential for change initiative success?

Question 66

What ethical issues may be confronted in a change process and what if anything,can a manager do to promote change initiatives that are ethical? Organizational change involves applying powerful behavioral science knowledge by a change agent to bring about performance improvements.The ethical issues turn on the power relationships of the various participants in the change effort.At the most fundamental level,critics note that change is based largely on the existing power relationships in the organization because the effort is initiated by managers.As a managerial technique,change necessarily implements managerial values regardless of the values of the change agent.The change can be inherently unethical because it restricts the range of values that can legitimately be considered in bringing about the change.Even though a change may bring about performance improvements in the organization,the basic power relationships remain unchanged.
Opportunities for unethical behavior can be seen in change-related activities.For example,the purposes of a particular intervention can be misrepresented to the participants to win their participation.Managers may say that they want to implement management by objectives (MBO)to provide greater employee participation when,in fact,they're attracted to MBO as a means of performance evaluation that holds individuals responsible for results rather than activities.A second change activity involves data analysis.Change agents collect and analyze data to diagnose the nature of the problem and to evaluate the solution.The change agents' allegiance to the people who hire them (the organization managers)will inevitably lead to misuse when the data conflict with managers' preferences.Data indicative of management incompetence can be misused so as to indicate employee incompetence.Finally,change may involve manipulation of individuals without informed consent.Employees who are subjects of change interventions aren't given the choice to participate,particularly when the focus of the change is group and organizational performance.Manipulation can,in fact,turn into coercion when the individual must choose between participating in the process or being fired.
Thus,the argument for the unethical nature of change proceeds from the recognition that it inherently reflects but one possible set of values,managerial values.As a consequence,organizational change activities that involve ethical choices will always be guided by the underlying values of management,even when those choices involve misrepresentation,misuse,and manipulation.
The best protection against misrepresentation,misuse,and manipulation is managers who create and foster an organizational culture that encourages ethical behavior.Such a culture would begin with top management's formal declaration that ethical behavior is the norm and that in all actions,individuals-including change agents-are to conduct themselves in an ethical manner,even when such conduct may be costly to the organization in economic and technical terms.Through the actions of top management,ethical behavior can become part of the everyday activities and decisions of everyone in the organization.
Codes of ethics are suggested means for institutionalizing ethical behavior.Top management demonstrates its commitment to the code through its daily behavior.In addition,to avoid the danger of overreliance on productivity data,the manager can generate ad hoc information to measure employee attitudes and morale.A benchmark for evaluation would be available if an attitude survey had been used in the diagnosis phase.The definition of acceptable improvement is difficult when attitudinal data are evaluated because the matter involves "how much more" productive they should be.Nevertheless,if a complete analysis of results is to be

Question 67

What is management's role in building a learning organization?

Question 68

Should an organization implement change to increase employee empowerment? What is entailed in such a change and what are the potential benefits and challenges of such an initiative?

Question 69

Resistance to change comes from a number of sources.Describe why people resist change.

Question 70

Sketch and describe the seven step model for the management of organizational change.

Question 71

Identify and briefly explain five factors that may facilitate organizational learning.

Question 72

What is AI and how would you implement an AI imitative?

Question 73

Describe when an attitude survey is and is not a useful diagnostic approach.

Question 74

Can empowerment initiatives survive if an organization is facing or has just faced a downsizing?

Question 75

An evaluation of the change process _________.

A)enables management to account for its use of resources
B)provides feedback
C)is not needed if results are as expected
D)Both A and B

Question 76

What guidelines would you provide an organization facing a change initiative? Is there a "recipe" that will guarantee success.G.Dyer,who has spent 30 years assisting organizations to reach their potential effectiveness.He states that the following conditions must be present if the intervention is to have some chance of bringing about the desired change:1.Management and all those involved must have high and visible commitment to the effort.