Deck 7: Implementing and Executing Strategies in the Business and Functional Levels

Question 1

Strategy implementation is the set of activities and decisions necessary to turn the organization's functional strategies only into reality.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Strategy implementation and strategy execution are the same.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

There are four unconventional acts to close the strategy-to-execution gap as practiced by successful companies like Amazon, Apple, CEMEX and so on.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Budget is a statement of the program in dollars and is also used as a critical tool in evaluation and control.

Question 5

A program consists of sequential steps that describe precisely how a particular task to be implemented.

Question 6

Procedures are the lowest level of implementation tool.

Question 7

In terms of identifying primary activities and key tasks, the corporate level parts of the organization alone are important.

Question 8

Functional, product, geographical, matrix, and network are various models of organizational charts.

Question 9

Thompson and Strickland suggest four unconventional acts with Dos and Don'ts to close the strategy-to-execution gap.

Question 10

Centralized decision making leads to duplication of efforts, hence increases organizational expenses.

Question 11

If the organization structure is dependent upon relatively few key individuals, successful implementation of strategic imperatives could be expected to suffer at some point.

Question 12

Centralized strategy implementation is always preferred over decentralized implementation.

Question 13

Most organizations are completely centralized or decentralized. Only few have characteristics of both.

Question 14

The organizational culture that many assume to contribute greatly to success will always support continued growth.

Question 15

"Determine whether critical activities can be outsourced more efficiently or effectively than they can internally" is one of the guidelines for finding the structure to follow the firm's strategy.

Question 16

Implementing a TQM program would require a great deal of attention to the existing organizational culture.

Question 17

Rapid structural changes leave less time for organizational politics, resistance, and the see-sawing back and forth between the old and the new structure.

Question 18

The Eight key elements to have successful TQM implementation are ethics, integrity, trust, training, teamwork, customer satisfaction, leadership, and communication.

Question 19

The philosophy of TQM resides in making price the driving force in basic managerial and operational functions.

Question 20

Traditional human resource management focuses on hiring employees who possess the requisite skills, knowledge, and abilities.

Question 21

Rewarding only short-term results leads to a potentially dangerous disregard of the long-term ones.

Question 22

In any given situation, performance appraisal approach guarantees better results than Management by Objectives (MBO).

Question 23

Participation in the early stages of the planning process will allow the employees to implement the strategies with less suspicion and resistance.

Question 24

A well-crafted implementation plan always rescues a poorly designed strategy.

Question 25

Some of the failure of TQM is related to the inability of the companies to affect the appropriate cultural change.

Question 26

_____________ is the set of decisions and activities undertaken in order to turn the implemented strategies into commercial success that is to grasp the best possible results.

A) Strategy implementation
B) Strategy execution
C) Internal evaluation matrix
D) Budget

Question 27

_________ is the set of activities and decisions necessary to turn the organization's corporate and business strategies into reality.

A) Strategy implementation
B) Strategy execution
C) Internal evaluation matrix
D) Program

Question 28

Instruments or mechanisms by which strategies begin to be operationalized within the organization such as program, budget, and procedure are called _________.

A) Strategy execution tools
B) Implementation tools
C) SWOT analysis
D) Functional strategy tools

Question 29

All of the following are unconventional acts practiced to close the strategy-to-execution gap except _________.

A) Commit to an identity
B) Translate the strategic into the everyday
C) Ignore cultural aspects
D) Cut costs to grow stronger

Question 30

___________ is a statement of the activities necessary for accomplishing the strategy that you have chosen.

A) Implementation tool
B) Budget
C) Procedure
D) Program

Question 31

___________ consists of sequential steps that describe precisely how a particular task necessary to carrying out the program is accomplished.

A) Implementation tool
B) Budget
C) Procedure
D) Program

Question 32

An accurately-designed __________ should aid in implementation by identifying expenses and benefits which are expected to be realized in carrying out the organization's program.

A) Implementation tool
B) Budget
C) Procedure
D) Program

Question 33

__________ is where the organization's structure is laid out and the names of the individual organization members are displayed.

A) Organizational chart
B) Implementation chart
C) Budget chart
D) Human resources chart

Question 34

Mars Inc. outlined the foundations of culture and legacy as a business to five main principles in action. They consist of ___________.

A) Quality, Responsibility, Respect, attentiveness, and Freedom
B) Quantity, Relevance, Separation, Efficiency, and Funding
C) Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency, and Freedom
D) Quantity, Responsibility, Separation, Efficiency, and Funding

Question 35

_____________ relates to the slow building of consensus and long decision times by talking to the stakeholders, gathering information and feedback, etc.

A) Implementation tool
B) Nemawashi
C) Program
D) Strategy execution

Question 36

A method developed by Kurt Lewin that organizations employ in effecting change is called _____________.

A) Force field analysis
B) Nemawashi
C) Delphi technique
D) Normative model

Question 37

The concentration of management and decision-making power at the top of an organization's hierarchy is called _____________, whereas organizations that continually expand their ability and transform themselves to shape their future are _____________.

A) Learning organizations, Centralized organizations
B) Decentralized organizations, Learning organizations
C) Centralized organizations, Training organizations
D) Centralized organizations, Learning organizations

Question 38

The key elements to have successful TQM implementation are:
(i) Ethics, (ii) Integrity, (iii) Trust, (iv) Training, (v) Teamwork, (vi) Recognition, (vii) political support and (viii) marketing

A) All of the above
B) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi) only
C) (i), (ii), (iii) (iv), (v), (vii) only
D) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (viii) only

Question 39

Based on the respective functions of the eight key elements to have a successful TQM implementation, they can be categorized into the following four major groups _____________.

A) Reliable, Relevant, Binding Mortar, and Foundation
B) Roof, Building Bricks, Comparable, and Foundation
C) Roof, Building Bricks, Binding Mortar, and Foundation
D) Program, Budget, Procedure, and Foundation

Question 40

Based on the functions, ethics, integrity, and trust elements can be categorized into the following group _____________.

A) Roof
B) Foundation
C) Binding Mortar
D) Building Bricks

Question 41

Training, teamwork, and leadership elements of a successful TQM implementation can be categorized into the following group _____________.

A) Roof
B) Building Bricks
C) Binding Mortar
D) Foundation

Question 42

One of the principle components of Management by Objectives (MBO) program is _____________.

A) Frequent planning
B) Frequent feedback
C) Frequent restructuring
D) Frequent recruitment

Question 43

The modern employee hiring emphasis on "whole person" rather than his or her qualifications for a specific job. Characteristics of such approach includes _____________.

A) Very time-consuming
B) Labor-intensive hiring process
C) Lacking in formal rules
D) All of the above

Question 44

The more employees "own" strategy in an organization, the more positive outcomes in terms of increased _____________ would result.

A) Creativity
B) Job dissatisfaction
C) Inefficiency
D) Absenteeism

Question 45

From the strategy implementation perspective, centralized decision making allows all the following benefits except _____________.

A) Faster decision making
B) Reduce duplication of efforts
C) All-level employee participation
D) Reduce conflicts

Question 46

Studies suggest that _________ leave less time for organizational politics, resistance, and the see-sawing back and forth between the old and the new structure _____________.

A) Gradual structural changes
B) Rapid structural changes
C) Management change
D) Decentralized change

Question 47

Gradual structural changes give the organization time to _____________.

A) Carefully plan and orchestrate the restructuring
B) Increase participation
C) Member commitment
D) All of the above

Question 48

Who implements organizational strategy? The answer is _____________.

A) Board of directors and Top executives
B) Managers
C) Everyone
D) Low-level employees

Question 49

The phrase Management by Walking Around (MBWA) implies _____________.

A) All managers are not necessarily leaders, and all leaders are not necessarily managers
B) Day-to-day observation of the activities of the organization
C) Improve operational efficiency by actively participating managers
D) Non-repetitive observation of organizational activities

Question 50

A strategy remains to be an illusion unless it is effectively implemented and executed by the organization. Comment and elaborate with real examples.

Question 51

The authors state that "Poor implementation can cause appropriate strategies to fail, yet excellent implementation can rescue an inappropriate strategy." Do you agree with this statement? Why/why not?

Question 52

Tom Peters advocates that organizations should move quickly to achieve success. What factors determine this shift? Why does Peters advocate rapid shift over gradual shift?

Question 53

How does the phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," evaluate changes in the organizational culture? Do you agree? Provide examples to justify.

Question 54

Which organizational culture encourage risk takers to experiment risk? Should organizations set a parameter on how many failures are acceptable with in a given timeframe? Support with examples.

Question 55

In your opinion, will the force field analysis be applicable in societies where people fear uncertainty?

Question 56

The authors acknowledge that "Rewarding only short-term results leads to a potentially dangerous disregard of the long-term." Comment in the light of human resources' critical role in the organizational culture.

Question 57

Define Management By Walking Around (MBWA) and Management By Objectives (MBO). How do these concepts affect different features of managerial leadership as a strategic implementation variable?

Question 58

Based on the chapters so far, on a scale of 1-10, how would you rank a risk taker leader over a risk avert leader? What factors do you consider while prioritizing risk-taking abilities in a leader? Elaborate.