Deck 18: Organizational Change and Development

Question 1

Which of the following is an aspect of organizational change?

A) Organizational change involves moving from the organization's present state to a target or future state.
B) Many sources of pressure push managers to change their organizations.
C) People in organizations often resist change.
D) Each answer is an aspect of organizational change.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following is not an internal force for organizational change?

A) Dissatisfaction.
B) High turnover.
C) Workforce diversity.
D) Felt conflict.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is an external force for organizational change?

A) Threat of acquisition.
B) Felt stress.
C) Slow decision processes.
D) Poor communication.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Forces for change usually come from within the organization; forces against change usually come from outside the organization.
B) Forces for change usually come from outside the organization; forces against change usually come from inside the organization.
C) Forces for and against change come from inside and outside the organization.
D) No statement is true.

Question 5

Which of the following is a possible force opposing change in organizations?

A) Consumer groups.
B) Unions.
C) Employees.
D) All answers are possible forces opposing change.

Question 6

Which of the following statements is false about organizational change?

A) Internal forces for change appear as dissatisfaction, discontent, felt stress, and dysfunctionally high conflict.
B) Threats of acquisition can induce management to change its organizational structure to inhibit the takeover effort.
C) Decision-making processes may have become dysfunctionally slow, and turnover and absenteeism may be high, triggering organizational change.
D) The increased interest in global markets, and the need to compete across many borders, will not press managers to consider major changes in their organizations.

Question 7

An organization that is bought out with little or no warning will likely experience ______________ change.

A) Planned.
B) Unplanned.
C) Neither planned nor unplanned.
D) Both planned and unplanned.

Question 8

An organization whose managers have developed a carefully thought out strategy and mission will likely experience ______________ change.

A) Planned.
B) Unplanned.
C) Neither planned nor unplanned.
D) Both planned and unplanned.

Question 9

Which of the following is a target of planned organizational change.

A) Organizational design.
B) Organizational culture.
C) Decision processes.
D) All answers are targets of planned organizational change.

Question 10

Organizational change that occurs when the organization moves from its present state to a future state without affecting all organizational systems is ________________ change.

A) Revolutionary.
B) Evolutionary.
C) Unplanned.
D) No answers are correct.

Question 11

Which of the following is a phase in the evolutionary model of planned organizational change?

A) Develop a need for change.
B) Move toward the change.
C) Stabilize the change.
D) All answers are phases in the evolutionary model of planned organizational change.

Question 12

Organizational change that unfolds over long periods of stability followed by bursts of major change is ______________ change.

A) Revolutionary.
B) Evolutionary.
C) Unplanned.
D) No answers are correct.

Question 13

In the revolutionary change process, feverish change activities aimed at changing the strategic direction of the organization are

A) Deep structures.
B) Equilibrium periods.
C) Revolutionary periods.
D) No answers are correct.

Question 14

In the revolutionary change process, an organization that moves steadily toward its goals is experiencing

A) Deep structures.
B) Equilibrium periods.
C) Revolutionary periods.
D) No answers are correct.

Question 15

In the revolutionary change process, enduring features of the organization's design and process that let the organization succeed are

A) Deep structures.
B) Equilibrium periods.
C) Revolutionary periods.
D) No answers are correct.

Question 16

Which of the following is false about employees' reasons for resisting organizational change?

A) People misunderstand the goal of the change.
B) People have a high tolerance for change.
C) People distrust the change target and change agent.
D) People perceive losing something they value.

Question 17

Which of the following statements is false about managers' responses to resistance to change?

A) Forcefully reducing resistance to change may increase resistance to change.
B) Managers can use resistance to change as a chance to get more information.
C) Managers should strive for a complete lack of resistance to change.
D) The presence of resistance can alert the change agent to involve those affected by the change in diagnosing reasons for resistance.

Question 18

Which of the following is a way managers can reduce resistance to change in organizations?

A) Use ceremonies to disengage from the past.
B) Communicate information about the change.
C) Involve key people who will be affected by the change.
D) All answers are ways managers can reduce resistance to change in organizations.

Question 19

Which of the following methods of reducing resistance to change is the most politically based?

A) Committing enough resources.
B) Co-opting.
C) Communicating information about the change.
D) Using change agents who are similar to the targets of change.

Question 20

Which of the following is true about leadership and organizational change?

A) Charismatic leaders combine their charisma with an inspirational vision to propel an organization forward to a new equilibrium period.
B) Transformational leaders inspire followers to pursue desired organizational changes.
C) A leader with the leadership mystique presents a sense of mission (vision) to followers.
D) Each answer is true about leadership and organizational change.

Question 21

Which of the following statements is false about organizational development?

A) It uses a system-wide view.
B) It is planned organizational change.
C) It tries to create flexible organizations.
D) It views conflict as undesirable.

Question 22

An organizational development effort focuses on which of the following to get planned change?

A) Technology.
B) Human processes.
C) Organizational design.
D) All answers are correct.

Question 23

Which of the following is false about organizational development?

A) Organizational development tries to create a flexible organization.
B) It does not have any prescriptive qualities to it.
C) It builds organizational mechanisms that let members get feedback about the state of the organization.
D) The feedback then encourages all members to focus on continuous improvement.

Question 24

The phase of organizational development that establishes the client-consultant relationship is

A) Entry.
B) Contracting.
C) Planning the change.
D) Diagnosis.

Question 25

The organizational development phase that describes each party's mutual expectations and outlines what each party will do is the ______________ phase.

A) Entry.
B) Diagnosis.
C) Contracting.
D) Evaluation.

Question 26

Which of the following statements is false about an organizational development contract?

A) The organizational development contract should be viewed as static.
B) The contract can range from an oral agreement to a legally binding document.
C) The contract should describe the mutual expectations of each party.
D) Each answer is a true statement about an organizational development contract.

Question 27

The organizational development phase at which the change agent gets information about the state of the client system is

A) Planning the change.
B) Diagnosis.
C) Contracting.
D) Evaluation.

Question 28

Which of the following methods of data collection can a change agent use to diagnose an organization?

A) Observation.
B) Surveys.
C) Interviews.
D) Each answer is a data collection method for an organizational diagnosis.

Question 29

Which of the following data collection methods does a change agent use first to diagnose an organization?

A) Observation.
B) Surveys.
C) Interviews.
D) Accessing company records.

Question 30

After a change agent has diagnosed the state of the organization, what is the next step the change agent will take as part of the organizational development process?

A) Intervention.
B) Evaluation.
C) Feedback.
D) Termination.

Question 31

Which of the following is not characteristic of the feedback phase of organizational development?

A) The number of feedback meetings depends on the number of groups targeted by the organizational development program.
B) Specific actions are taken to change the organization.
C) The consultant offers a preliminary diagnosis of the client system.
D) The consultant and members of the organization collaboratively arrive at a diagnosis.

Question 32

The organizational development phase that identifies different courses of action and steps to cause the change is

A) Intervention.
B) Diagnosis.
C) Planning the change.
D) Feedback.

Question 33

Which of the following statements about the planning phase of organizational development is false?

A) Diagnosis and feedback can lead to planning the change.
B) The planning phase can occur during the feedback meeting if the changes are simple.
C) Once change alternatives are identified, steps are laid out to cause those changes.
D) The consultant decides the nature of the change program.

Question 34

The phase of organizational development in which changes are introduced into the system is

A) Intervention.
B) Diagnosis.
C) Planning the change.
D) Feedback.

Question 35

The phase of organizational development that focuses on whether the organizational development effort had the desired effects is

A) Intervention.
B) Diagnosis.
C) Evaluation.
D) Feedback.

Question 36

Which of the following is an example of organizational development evaluation?

A) An empirical investigation showing the interventions had the desired effect.
B) An employee attitude survey.
C) The managers in the client system feel the organizational development effort was successful.
D) Each answer is an example of organizational development evaluation.

Question 37

Which of the following statements is true about the termination phase of organizational development?

A) If the intervention succeeded, the consultant moves away from direct involvement with the client system.
B) External and internal consultants want the client system to become independent of the consultant.
C) Effective consultants usually develop long-term relationships with the client system.
D) All answers are true statements about the termination phase of organizational development.

Question 38

Which of the following sequences is the correct order of the organizational development phases?

A) Entry, contracting, feedback, diagnosis, intervention, evaluation, planning the change, termination.
B) Entry, contracting, diagnosis, planning the change, intervention, feedback, evaluation, termination.
C) Entry, contracting, diagnosis, feedback, planning the change, intervention evaluation, termination.
D) Entry, contracting, intervention, feedback, diagnosis, planning the change, evaluation, termination.

Question 39

Organizational development interventions that include job design and organizational design are

A) Structural and technological interventions.
B) Human process interventions.
C) Strategy interventions.
D) Human resource management interventions.

Question 40

Organizational development interventions that include aspects of reward systems, career planning, and stress management are

A) Structural and technological interventions.
B) Human process interventions.
C) Strategy interventions.
D) Human resource management interventions.

Question 41

Organizational development interventions that include changes in the organization's culture and mission are

A) Structural and technological interventions.
B) Human process interventions.
C) Strategy interventions.
D) Human resource management interventions.

Question 42

Which of the following statements is false about the effectiveness of organizational development interventions?

A) Effects are stronger for nonsupervisory than supervisory employees.
B) Effects are stronger in small rather than large organizations.
C) Team building used alone can affect employee attitudes.
D) Survey feedback used alone has little effect.

Question 43

Research results show the strongest effects for interventions of which of the following types?

A) Human process and human resource management.
B) Structural/technological and strategic.
C) Structural/technological and human resource management.
D) Human process and strategic.

Question 44

Which of the following organizational development interventions is not a human resource management intervention?

A) Reward systems.
B) Job redesigns.
C) Goal setting.
D) Stress management.

Question 45

Which of the following countries is likely to have a manipulative perspective about organizational change?

A) United States.
B) Italy.
C) Sweden.
D) France.

Question 46

Which of the following is an ethical dilemma in organizational development?

A) Managers in the client system may misrepresent themselves and the nature of their problems.
B) All data collected must be treated confidentially.
C) Organization development consultants may misrepresent their capabilities and skills when helping the client system solve its problems.
D) All answers are ethical dilemmas in organizational development.

Question 47

Successfully changing an organization requires knowing how to cause change and manage change.

Question 48

The future state of organizational change might be a new strategy, introducing a new technology, or changing the organization's culture.

Question 49

Forces for change come primarily from outside the organization.

Question 50

Forces opposing change come primarily from inside the organization.

Question 51

Unplanned organizational change occurs when pressures for change overwhelm efforts to resist change.

Question 52

Planned change is a systematic management effort to move an organization, or a subsystem, to a new state. It includes deliberately changing the organization's design, technology, tasks, or people.

Question 53

Organizational change agents are internal staff employees.

Question 54

The early phases of planned change do not identify the targets of change.

Question 55

Organizational culture and task design are both possible targets of planned organizational change.

Question 56

Revolutionary change happens incrementally over time as managers adapt an organization's design to pressures for change.

Question 57

Dissatisfaction with an organization's performance can trigger a revolutionary period.

Question 58

Deep structures are enduring features of an organization's culture, design, processes, and relationships with its external environment that let the organization succeed.

Question 59

Equilibrium periods are part of evolutionary change.

Question 60

Revolutionary periods feature feverish change activities aimed at changing an organization's strategic direction.

Question 61

Strong feelings among organization members that it is time for the organization to change can trigger a revolutionary period.

Question 62

Resistance to change will likely not occur if people perceive the change as causing them to lose something they value.

Question 63

Lack of trust between the change target and the change agent can create resistance to change.

Question 64

Resistance to change can occur because employees involved in the change do not share a common perception about the change's value.

Question 65

A manager can reduce resistance to change by using a change agent with characteristics (e.g., attire, values, and language) similar to the change target.

Question 66

Using dramatic ceremonies and symbols to signal disengagement from the past can increase resistance to change.

Question 67

Change efforts will be more successful if there is a complete lack of resistance to change.

Question 68

A manager who encounters resistance to change may see this as a chance to get more information about the change process.

Question 69

Charismatic leaders combine their charisma with an inspirational vision to propel an organization forward to a new equilibrium period.

Question 70

Transformational leaders do not inspire followers to pursue desired organizational changes.

Question 71

Organizational development is a long-term, systematic, and prescriptive approach to planned organizational change.

Question 72

Organizational development does not take a self-renewing view of organizations and planned change.

Question 73

Organizational development does not focus on single subsystems in an organization.

Question 74

Organizational development efforts only focus on human processes in organizations.

Question 75

Organizational development sees conflict as something that can be positively managed.

Question 76

An organizational development change agent moves through a series of well-defined, clear-cut steps.

Question 77

The organizational development contract is renegotiable.

Question 78

A change agent can begin diagnosis as early as the first contact with a client.

Question 79

During the feedback meeting of organizational development, usually the consultant alone arrives at a diagnosis.

Question 80

In the planning the change phase of organizational development, the consultant decides the nature of the change program.