Question 1

Kotter's change step of anchoring new approaches in the culture corresponds to refreezing in Lewin's model.

Accepted Answer

Kotter's step 8, corresponding to refreezing, is to anchor new approaches in the organization's culture.

Question 2

Mistrust between change agents and employees can cause failure of well-conceived changes.

Accepted Answer

Resistance to change is reduced when change agents and employees have a trusting relationship and faith in each other's intentions.Mistrust, on the other hand, encourages secrecy, which begets deeper mistrust, and can doom an otherwise well-conceived change.

Question 3

Sabotage can be a form of resistance to change in the workplace.

Accepted Answer

Resistance to change is an emotional/behavioral response to real or imagined threats to an established work routine.Resistance can be as subtle as passive resignation and as overt as deliberate sabotage.

Question 4

The four areas in which change is most apt to be needed are people, technology, structure, and strategy.

Accepted Answer

Change can involve any part of the organization.Models of change, however, reveal four targeted areas in which change is most apt to be needed: people, technology, structure, and strategy.

Question 5

Kotter's research reveals that management of organizational change is more essential than leadership throughout it.

Accepted Answer

Kotter's research reveals that successful organizational change is 70%-90% leadership and only 10%-30% management.Senior managers are thus advised to focus on leading rather than on managing change.

Question 6

People changes in an organization are not required until that organization reaches about 20 people in size, when the level of specialization reaches a critical point.

Accepted Answer

Even in a two-person organization, people changes may be required.

Question 7

One of the reasons employees resist change is fear of the unknown.

Accepted Answer

Surprise and fear of the unknown are causes of employee resistance.When radically different changes are introduced without warning, without any official announcements, the office rumor mill will go into high gear, and affected employees will become fearful of the implications of the changes.Harvard business scholar Rosabeth Moss Kanter recommends that in such cases a transition manager should be appointed and charged with keeping all relevant parties adequately informed.

Question 8

In the context of change, technology refers to computer technology used to gain a competitive advantage.

Accepted Answer

Technology is not just computer technology; it is any machine or process that enables an organization to gain a competitive advantage in changing materials used to produce a finished product.

Question 9

The most complex, costly, and uncertain kind of change is known as radically innovative change.

Accepted Answer

Radically innovative change involves introducing a practice that is new to the industry.Because it is the most complex, costly, and uncertain, it will be felt as extremely threatening to managers' confidence and employees' job security and may well tear at the fabric of the organization.

Question 10

During the refreezing stage of Lewin's change model, managers should model the change themselves, as well as coach employees and reinforce the desired behaviors.

Accepted Answer

Managers can assist the refreezing by encouraging employees to exhibit the new change and then, through additional coaching and modeling, by reinforcing the employees in the desired change.

Question 11

Innovative change is the introduction of a practice that is new to the organization.

Accepted Answer

Innovative change is the introduction of a practice that is new to the organization.

Question 12

Adaptive change involves introducing a practice that is new to an industry.

Accepted Answer

Adaptive change is reintroduction of a familiar practice, the implementation of a kind of change that has already been experienced within the same organization.Radically innovative change involves introducing a practice that is new to the industry.

Question 13

Changes in power structures that occur with administrative and technological changes are generally embraced by employees because of the new opportunities they present.

Accepted Answer

Administrative and technological changes that threaten to alter power bases or eliminate jobs, as often happens during corporate restructurings that threaten middle-management jobs, generally trigger strong resistance.

Question 14

Innovative change is the least threatening type of change and is therefore least likely to create resistance.

Accepted Answer

Adaptive change is reintroduction of a familiar practice, the implementation of a kind of change that has already been experienced within the same organization.This form of change is lowest in complexity, cost, and uncertainty.Because it is familiar, it is the least threatening to employees and thus will create the least resistance.

Question 15

In the refreezing stage of change of Lewin's change model, employees need to be given new information, perspectives, and models for behavior.

Accepted Answer

In the changing stage, employees need to be given the tools for change: new information, new perspectives, and new models of behavior.

Question 16

Job dissatisfaction within an organization can be an indicator that change is needed.

Accepted Answer

Job dissatisfaction, as expressed through high absenteeism and turnover, can be a major signal of the need for change.

Question 17

Putting an end to servant leadership is a change that is likely to improve manager-employee relationships.

Accepted Answer

"New managers tend to struggle when dealing with regular, day-to-day issues, like people on the team who don't meet deadlines," says Vicki Foley, a director of a career consulting firm.One solution is to become a "servant leader," seeing yourself as someone who helps others do their jobs, fixing problems and giving employees the tools they need.

Question 18

According to Lewin, for unfreezing to take place, people need to become dissatisfied with the old way of doing things.

Accepted Answer

In the unfreezing stage, managers try to instill in employees the motivation to change, encouraging them to let go of attitudes and behaviors that are resistant to innovation.For this "unfreezing" to take place, employees need to become dissatisfied with the old way of doing things.

Question 19

Benchmarking is a technique that can be used in the refreezing stage of Lewin's change model.

Accepted Answer

One technique used in Stage 1, to help unfreeze organizations, is benchmarking, a process by which a company compares its performance with that of high-performing organizations.

Question 20

The recent structural trend is toward a taller organizational hierarchy.

Accepted Answer

Changes in strategy frequently require changes in structure.The recent trend is toward "flattening the hierarchy," eliminating several middle layers of management.

Quiz 10: Organizational Change and Innovation: Lifelong Challenges for the Exceptional Manager

Kotter's change step of anchoring new approaches in the culture corresponds to refreezing in Lewin's model.

Mistrust between change agents and employees can cause failure of well-conceived changes.

Sabotage can be a form of resistance to change in the workplace.

The four areas in which change is most apt to be needed are people, technology, structure, and strategy.

Kotter's research reveals that management of organizational change is more essential than leadership throughout it.

People changes in an organization are not required until that organization reaches about 20 people in size, when the level of specialization reaches a critical point.

One of the reasons employees resist change is fear of the unknown.

In the context of change, technology refers to computer technology used to gain a competitive advantage.

The most complex, costly, and uncertain kind of change is known as radically innovative change.

During the refreezing stage of Lewin's change model, managers should model the change themselves, as well as coach employees and reinforce the desired behaviors.

Innovative change is the introduction of a practice that is new to the organization.

Adaptive change involves introducing a practice that is new to an industry.

Changes in power structures that occur with administrative and technological changes are generally embraced by employees because of the new opportunities they present.

Innovative change is the least threatening type of change and is therefore least likely to create resistance.

In the refreezing stage of change of Lewin's change model, employees need to be given new information, perspectives, and models for behavior.

Job dissatisfaction within an organization can be an indicator that change is needed.

Putting an end to servant leadership is a change that is likely to improve manager-employee relationships.

According to Lewin, for unfreezing to take place, people need to become dissatisfied with the old way of doing things.

Benchmarking is a technique that can be used in the refreezing stage of Lewin's change model.

The recent structural trend is toward a taller organizational hierarchy.