Deck 8: Managing Change and Innovation

Question 1

Which of the following is an organizational structure change?

A)the building of a new workshop
B)resentment of bosses by employees
C)a new way to package chocolate cake
D)changing who reports to whom

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A company's workers asking to be able to celebrate Mexican holidays is an example of ________ force for change.

A)an external workforce composition
B)an internal workforce composition
C)an external tactic
D)an internal strategy

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is an external force that would cause a company to make an organizational change?

A)an organization-wide restructuring
B)the naming of a new CEO
C)a widening span of control for managers
D)a booming economy

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The "white-water rapids" metaphor envisions an organization as ________.

A)a large ship on a roiling sea
B)a large ship on a calm sea
C)a small raft on a calm river
D)a small raft on a raging river

Question 5

Change can't be eliminated, so managers must learn to ________ successfully.

A)avoid it
B)ignore it
C)work around it
D)manage it

Question 6

The "calm waters" metaphor envisions an organization as ________.

A)a large ship on a roiling sea
B)a large ship on a calm sea
C)a small raft on a calm sea
D)a small raft on a roiling sea

Question 7

Labor strikes are an example of what change factor that may encourage a change in management thinking and practices?

A)workforce composition
B)equipment
C)employee attitude
D)strategy

Question 8

After a thorough company-wide self-examination, company Y decides to set up work teams.This is an example of ________.

A)an internal change causing an external change
B)an internal change causing another internal change
C)an external change causing another external change
D)an external change causing an internal change

Question 9

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is an example of which of the following forms of environmental change?

A)internal
B)technology
C)government laws and regulations
D)labor markets

Question 10

Which of the following is an organizational "people change"?

A)work methods that people use
B)authority relationships between people
C)attitudes that people have
D)job redesign

Question 11

Kurt Lewin's "calm waters" metaphor sees change as ________.

A)an unusual event
B)an everyday event
C)unfortunate
D)avoidable

Question 12

The "white-water rapids" metaphor sees change as ________.

A)an occasional occurrence
B)the natural state of things
C)an unpleasant interruption of the normal calm
D)something that must be eliminated

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of a structural organizational change?

A)changing employee attitudes
B)changing work practices
C)purchasing new work equipment
D)changing managerial span of control

Question 14

To compete with rival company X, company Y changes its management structure.This is an example of ________.

A)an internal change causing an external change
B)an internal change causing another internal change
C)an external change causing another external change
D)an external change causing an internal change

Question 15

In organizations, people who act as catalysts and assume the responsibility for managing the change process are called ________.

A)managers
B)change agents
C)change managers
D)nonmanagerial employees

Question 16

Which of the following is an organizational technology change?

A)purchase of a new backhoe
B)employees expecting a raise
C)employees accepting a new schedule
D)widening of span of control

Question 17

Outside consultants generally try to initiate ________ changes than internal managers.

A)more drastic
B)less drastic
C)more cautious
D)fewer

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of a technology change within an organization?

A)forming teams to complete tasks
B)workers using new software
C)workers wanting to telecommute
D)workers wanting flexible hours

Question 19

Which of the following is an internal force that can cause a company to make an organizational change?

A)a new ad campaign
B)new safety requirements
C)a new rival company
D)new pollution laws

Question 20

Falling interest rates are an example of what kind of external force that causes a company to need to make an organizational change?

A)marketplace competition forces
B)government laws and regulations
C)labor market forces
D)economic forces

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT a common method of organization development (OD)?

A)teambuilding
B)process consultation
C)positive feedback
D)survey feedback

Question 22

Organizational change can be any alteration in an organization's people, structure, or technology.

Question 23

Writing laws to reward industries to reduce carbon emissions in an effort to combat global climate change can be best described as an example of which of the following?

A)unfreezing the status quo
B)freezing a change into place
C)implementing change
D)refreezing the status quo

Question 24

The goal in Lewin's "calm waters" metaphor is ________.

A)to change the current equilibrium state
B)to reach a state of constant change
C)to eliminate the equilibrium state
D)to establish a new equilibrium state

Question 25

According to Lewin, which of the following is the objective of refreezing?

A)to stabilize the new situation
B)to promote movement away from existing equilibrium
C)to eliminate the need for future change
D)to direct behavior away from the status quo

Question 26

Today, Lewin's "calm waters" metaphor is increasingly thought to be ________.

A)illogical
B)an apt description of the current situation
C)a blueprint for the future
D)obsolete

Question 27

In process consultation, ________ observe and analyze an organization to find ways to improve interpersonal processes.

A)outside consultants
B)top-level managers
C)ordinary employees
D)company efficiency specialists

Question 28

Signing up for a college course that varies in length from 2 to 30 weeks with classes that last from 20 minutes to 3 hours is an example of which metaphor of change?

A)Three step model
B)Calm-waters
C)White-water rapids
D)Force-field

Question 29

The most popular OD efforts involve cooperation and these kinds of activities.

A)individual interactions
B)group interactions
C)group assessment
D)individual assessment

Question 30

The first step in Lewin's three-step description of the change process involves ________.

A)freezing the new state
B)changing to a new state
C)unfreezing the status quo
D)changing to a new status quo

Question 31

Lewin's force field analysis identified ________ forces that compete when people try to achieve a goal.

A)physical push-and-pull
B)driving and blocking
C)enormous
D)magnetic

Question 32

Organization development can be viewed as an attempt to change an organization's ________.

A)structure
B)financial goals
C)culture
D)status

Question 33

The primary goal of the OD method called teambuilding is to ________.

A)increase efficiency
B)increase trust and openness
C)identify troublemakers
D)play games such as volleyball to build morale

Question 34

The final step in Lewin's three-step description of the change process is ________.

A)freezing the new state
B)unfreezing the status quo
C)changing to a new state
D)unfreezing the new state

Question 35

According to Lewin, which of the following is a force that might overcome inertia and unfreeze the status quo?

A)increase restraining forces
B)maintain restraining forces
C)decrease driving forces
D)increase driving forces

Question 36

According to Lewin, which of the following is the best way to unfreeze the status quo?

A)increase restraining forces
B)decrease restraining forces and increase driving forces
C)decrease driving forces
D)increase restraining forces and increase driving forces

Question 37

Which phenomenon in today's business climate has made the "white-water rapids" metaphor popular?

A)reduced competition
B)corporations that are too powerful
C)organizations that resist change
D)constant and chaotic change

Question 38

In terms of change, Lewin's force field analysis might see ________ as a driving force.

A)fear of change
B)inertia
C)reward from change
D)difficulty of change

Question 39

Organization development (OD)helps employees ________.

A)deal with planned change
B)deal with unplanned change
C)avoid unpleasant change
D)avoid all types of change

Question 40

Kurt Lewin originated some of his most important group dynamics ideas by studying which of the following?

A)family vacations during World War I
B)force fields in physics
C)how football has blocking and driving forces
D)family food habits during World War II

Question 41

The decision of an organization to bring in new equipment from the outside is an example of an external force that creates a need for organizational change.

Question 42

An example of changes in people would involve a manager widening her span of control.

Question 43

In the "white-water rapids" metaphor of change, managers should expect change at any time, and it may last for unspecified lengths of time.

Question 44

An aggressive new competitor in the marketplace is an external force that creates a need for organizational change that companies frequently face today.

Question 45

New online advertising technology is an external force that creates a need for organizational change when it causes a company to change its advertising strategy.

Question 46

The main idea of the "white-water rapids" metaphor is that change is always destructive.

Question 47

Organization development (OD)consists of efforts to help organization members deal with unplanned changes.

Question 48

Kurt Lewin sees the first step in change as the freezing of the status quo.

Question 49

In an organization, only a manager can be a change agent.

Question 50

Consultants are less likely to be change agents than internal managers.

Question 51

In Lewin's view, the only way to effect change is to increase the driving forces that direct change away from the status quo.

Question 52

The "calm waters" metaphor imagines the organization as a large ship crossing a calm sea.

Question 53

One important reason why organization development efforts are needed is that even planned change can be very upsetting to members of an organization.

Question 54

The number of managers who face "white-water rapids" metaphor conditions is getting smaller.

Question 55

A company changing its computer operating system would not be an example of a technology change because no new technological equipment was used.

Question 56

In a short essay, identify and discuss two external forces that bring about the need for change.

Question 57

Labor markets are an internal force that creates a need for organizational change.

Question 58

An example of a change in structure is an organization becoming more decentralized.

Question 59

Change is something that managers strive to eliminate completely.

Question 60

Ongoing changes like software updates are not considered changes in technology because they are changes that are planned and expected.

Question 61

Which of the following is a term borrowed from the physical sciences that accurately describes people's resistance to change?

A)energy
B)uncertainty
C)inertia
D)momentum

Question 62

Which kind of resistance to change is most likely to be beneficial to a company?

A)conflict with company goals
B)uncertainty
C)habit
D)fear of losing status or possessions

Question 63

Workers in a company are complaining about a new employee evaluation system.Which kind of resistance to change are they demonstrating?

A)resistance out of habit
B)resistance because of uncertainty
C)resistance to protect company goals
D)resistance to protect market share

Question 64

A technique that helps employees deal with change that appeals to their sense of logic is ________.

A)manipulation
B)education and communication
C)coercion or threats to employees
D)co-optation

Question 65

Uncertainty causes people to resist change because it ________.

A)replaces the unknown with the known
B)replaces the known with the unknown
C)increases performance expectations of an employee
D)decreases performance expectations of people

Question 66

In a short essay, explain the three types of organizational change.

Question 67

Older workers tend to resist change more than younger workers because they ________.

A)have less invested in the current system
B)have more invested in the current system
C)have confidence in themselves
D)have less to lose

Question 68

In a short essay, explain organization development (OD).

Question 69

In a short essay, describe the "calm waters" view of organizational change.

Question 70

When an entire workforce threatens to go on strike to protest a work change, managers might try this method of reducing resistance to change.

A)education and communication
B)participation
C)facilitation and support
D)negotiation

Question 71

Which of the following is NOT a common reason that people resist change?

A)habit
B)uncertainty
C)concern over personal loss
D)overconfidence

Question 72

Employees at a company protest a change that allows an automatic answering system to answer phone inquiries, claiming that the company is becoming "depersonalized." They are most likely resisting change due to ________.

A)uncertainty
B)habit
C)conflicts with company goals
D)fear of losing status

Question 73

Managers typically implement programs to reduce resistance to change when employees ________ in some way.

A)become uncomfortable
B)are challenged
C)become self-satisfied
D)become dysfunctional

Question 74

Workers seem to reject a simple new manufacturing method that has been shown to increase company sales because they say, "That is not the way we do things around here." These workers are most likely to be resisting change due to which of the following?

A)uncertainty
B)habit
C)conflicts with company goals
D)fear of the unknown

Question 75

When managers threaten to fire workers unless they agree to go along with new company policies, they are using which of the following?

A)negotiation
B)coercion
C)manipulation
D)education and communication

Question 76

In a short essay, identify and discuss how internal forces can bring about the need for an organization to change.

Question 77

If several efforts between a manager and an employee for reducing resistance to change fail to allay employee fears, a manager might take him- or herself out of the process and try this.

A)facilitation and support
B)negotiation between parties
C)manipulation
D)participation

Question 78

A technique that helps employees deal with change that includes them in the decision-making process is ________.

A)education and communication
B)negotiation
C)participation
D)coercion

Question 79

In a short essay, list and explain four common organization development (OD)techniques.

Question 80

In a short essay, describe the "white-water rapids" view of organizational change.