Deck 9: Designing Interventions

Question 1

Work design gets at the issue of job enrichment via greater task variety, autonomy, and feedback results.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Which of the following best describes technostructural interventions?

A) changing the high-tech areas within the organization
B) helping organizations decide on markets, products or services
C) changing job design and division of labor
D) none of the above

Answer 2

C

Question 3

"Human Resources Issues" refers to

A) the personnel practices of the organization
B) the number of organization members in conflict
C) the chain of command
D) none of the above

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The need to tailor interventions suggests that applications of the same intervention are often identical.

Question 5

Intervention means:

A) valid information only
B) unplanned management manipulations
C) planned actions or events intended to increase effectiveness
D) change activities outside the organization

Question 6

Which of the following is/are true about strategic interventions?

A) link internal functioning with the larger environment
B) among the newest additions to organization development
C) focus on strategic choices to gain competitive advantage
D) all of the above

Question 7

Discuss the four major types of interventions including descriptions of specific interventions within each main category.

Question 8

The key intervention implementation issue underlying all OD interventions is the need to tailor them to fit the organization.

Question 9

Which of the following is a "strategic" issue that might affect an intervention?

A) an impending acquisition
B) an antiquated performance management system
C) a workgroup's decision making process
D) none of the above

Question 10

Relevant interventions do not need acceptance or ownership from organization members.

Question 11

Quality of work life encompasses more than just the work environment.

Question 12

Reward systems are best described as

A) ways to improve employee satisfaction
B) innovative approaches to pay, promotions, and fringe benefits
C) none of the above
D) both A and B

Question 13

Human resources management practitioners mainly focus on

A) structure
B) strategy only
C) people
D) information systems

Question 14

Key questions to ask when deciding the appropriate intervention method are

A) Have the issues been accurately diagnosed?
B) Are change methods appropriate to the organizational issues identified in diagnosis?
C) Can skills to implement the intervention be transferred to organizational members?
D) A and C
E) A, B, and C

Question 15

Organization learning is a strategic intervention for transforming organizations.

Question 16

Which of the following are true about interventions?

A) They are derived from strong "causal" relationships.
B) Only a few interventions have been subject to evaluative research.
C) They always have great impact of some sort on organizational functioning.
D) none of the above

Question 17

Explain what an "intervention" is and how it fits into the organizational development process. What are the key considerations when deciding on an intervention?

Question 18

Interventions can impact which of the following dimensions?

A) organizational issues
B) organizational levels
C) organizational environments
D) A and B

Question 19

Which of the following is not a type of OD intervention outlined in this text?

A) human process interventions
B) human resources management
C) strategic
D) technostructural
E) management style

Question 20

Interventions mainly strive to change ___________ an organization

A) the cultural context of
B) specific features of
C) the external environment of
D) the numbers of people in
E) none of the above

Question 21

Contrast employee involvement and quality of work life with organization development.