Question 1

Suppose that you are an external organizational change consultant who has just received an invitation to work with a medium-sized retail firm.Describe the issues that you need to consider regarding the client-consultant relationship.

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Question 2

Appreciative inquiry begins by:

Accepted Answer

Appreciative inquiry is a problem-solving approach that focuses on identifying and building on the positive aspects of an organization or work unit. It begins by identifying and acknowledging the strengths, values, and achievements of the organization or work unit, rather than by identifying and addressing problems. Therefore, the best choice is D - identifying the positive elements of an organization or work unit that is performing well.

Question 3

Which approach to organizational change explicitly embraces the dual philosophy that change is both applied change and theory testing?

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Question 4

Comment on the accuracy of the following statement and explain your answer.
"Rewards,information technology,and other organizational systems may be both a friend and foe of organizational change."

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Question 5

A major consumer-products company wanted to create a more entrepreneurial and marketing-oriented culture.After failing to bring about the change through middle management,senior executives worked directly with selected teams of front-line employees.These teams,which represented each area of the organization,worked on special projects outside the normal organizational structure.This intervention is closest to which organizational change strategy?

Accepted Answer

This intervention involves creating parallel learning structures, where small teams of front-line employees work on special projects outside the normal organizational structure in order to foster an entrepreneurial and marketing-oriented culture. This is a form of parallel learning structure, which involves creating a new, temporary structure within the organization that allows for experimentation and learning.

Question 6

According to the force field analysis model,what is the best strategy to move the status quo to a desired state?

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Question 7

A large hotel is experiencing conflict and organizational politics among its managers.The hotel's customer service ratings are suffering,so managers are pointing to other departments as the cause of the problem.The conflicts and politics are further contributing to the customer service problems.The CEO of this hotel wants to apply the appreciative inquiry process to improve this situation.Describe the four stages of appreciative inquiry and describe what should happen in each stage.Be sure that your answer describes the appreciative inquiry process in the context of this hotel.

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Question 8

A parallel learning structure:

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A parallel learning structure involves the creation of highly participative teams that work alongside the formal organizational hierarchy, facilitating learning and change at all levels of the organization. It is not necessarily a feature of all organizational change interventions, nor is it limited to organizations with multiple buildings. While senior management and professional staff members may be involved, this does not represent the full extent of a parallel learning structure.

Question 9

The CEO of a small manufacturing company (120 employees)recently heard about future search events as a means to bring about organizational change.The CEO wants to use one of these events to convince employees that they need to reduce costs to remain competitive.The CEO has invited you,as a future search consultant,to discuss the future search process and how well it might work for the CEO.

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Question 10

Which of the following statements about organizational change interventions is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

Ethical issues are important to consider in any intervention, including those related to organizational change. Ignoring ethical concerns can result in negative consequences for employees and the organization as a whole.

Question 11

Until recently,employees at a regional building of a large telephone company were throwing out nearly two tons of rubbish every day.To reduce the amount of waste at the 12-storey building,a special task force was set up consisting of respected employees representing most areas within the building.The task force reviewed practices in other organizations and developed action plans to implement the changes.Employees received weekly information via email during the two months before the program started about what changes they should expect.Employees attended special sessions that showed them how to reduce paper waste by using both sides of paper,using scrap paper as memo pads,reusing office envelopes and relying more on email and voice mail than written memos.A special telephone hotline was set up so that employees could get answers to questions about recycling and ease their concerns about the change.The program also created barriers to wasteful behavior.Paper towels were replaced with electric hand dryers in the washrooms.Styrofoam cups were replaced with reusable mugs at each employee's desk.Wastepaper baskets in each cubicle were removed.In their place,employees were given tiny reusable bags to carry non-recyclables to specially marked trash cans located elsewhere in the building.The task force monitored waste every week and displayed the results on a large graph in the building entrance.What strategies did this company use to minimize resistance to change?

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Question 12

Outline the organizational change process based on the action research approach.

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Question 13

Describe appreciative inquiry and explain how it differs from traditional organizational change interventions.

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Question 14

ABC Corp.selected employees from across the organization to find new ways to serve customers.The team operated independently of the main organization and experimented with new service delivery approaches.This team is most similar to:

Accepted Answer

The team selected by ABC Corp. is most similar to a parallel learning structure, which operates independently of the main organization and experiments with new approaches. This differs from the action research approach, which involves collaboration between researchers and organizational members, and the appreciative inquiry approach, which focuses on discovering and building on an organization's positive attributes. The process of diffusing organizational change and creating an urgency to change are also different processes altogether.

Question 15

The four stages of appreciative inquiry,in order,are:

Accepted Answer

The four stages of appreciative inquiry are discovery, dreaming, designing, and delivering. So, option D is the correct answer as it includes the four stages of appreciative inquiry in the correct order. Option A and C include problem identification, but they do not follow the appreciative inquiry approach, and option B does not cover all the four stages of appreciative inquiry.

Question 16

Positive organizational behaviour is deeply grounded in:

Accepted Answer

Positive organizational behaviour is not specifically grounded in parallel learning structures, action research, or force field analysis. It focuses on strengths, virtues, and positive attributes within organizations, which are not directly related to the practices mentioned.

Question 17

ACME Building Supplies is about to introduce a new customer service program that will affect all of its 200 sales and service employees.Job duties will be changed and the employee reward system will be altered to fit this new customer focus.Moreover,the company wants to improve the efficiency of work processes,thereby removing some of the comfortable (and often leisurely)routines that employees have followed over the years.Describe three types of forces resisting change that the company will potentially experience during this change process.

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Question 18

Discovery,dreaming,designing and delivering are the four stages of:

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Question 19

Which organizational change intervention is best known for its affirmation rather than problem-solving approach to change?

Accepted Answer

Appreciative inquiry is best known for its affirmation approach to change, which means it focuses on finding the best parts of the current situation and building on them, rather than identifying and solving problems. Appreciative inquiry encourages positivity, creativity, and shared visioning among stakeholders. It is a collaborative and inquiry-based process that involves all levels of the organization in defining and achieving a desired future state.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a feature of action research?

Accepted Answer

The statement "The change process is most successful when people reveal their inner secrets" is not a feature of action research. Action research involves processes that are collaborative, participatory, and inclusive. It is not about revealing personal secrets of individuals involved in the change process.

Quiz 15: Organizational Change