Question 1

Which of the following statements is true regarding flexible work teams?

Accepted Answer

Flexible work teams are typically self-managed, meaning they have autonomy in deciding how they will accomplish their assigned tasks and goals. They are often composed of individuals from different departments or levels of the organization who come together to share their expertise and knowledge in order to solve specific problems or complete projects.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is true regarding reengineering?

Accepted Answer

Reengineering involves centralizing decision-making to a small group of individuals who are responsible for making strategic decisions. It focuses on improving an organization's functions by looking at how they work together and how they can be redesigned to achieve significant improvements in performance. Additionally, reengineering starts with the customer and their needs, rather than focusing solely on the product. Choice A is incorrect because reengineering is used to achieve revolutionary change, not evolutionary change. Choice C is incorrect because reengineering involves looking at how functions work together, not in isolation. Choice D is incorrect because reengineering starts with the customer, not the product.

Question 3

A finance manager observes that the return-on-investment (ROI) for his organization is only 10 percent compared to the industry average of 20 percent. The manager informs top managers about her observation. According to this information, this organization is in which stage of the action research process?

Accepted Answer

The finance manager is diagnosing the organization by comparing its ROI to the industry average and identifying a potential problem.

Question 4

________ refers to the process by which managers change task and authority relationships and redesign organizational structure and culture to improve organizational effectiveness.

Accepted Answer

Restructuring involves changing the way tasks are allocated and authority relationships are established within an organization. This can involve redesigning the organizational structure and culture to improve overall effectiveness. Innovation, total quality management, and reengineering are all related to organizational improvement, but do not specifically refer to the process of changing task and authority relationships through restructuring.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true regarding total quality management (TQM)?

Accepted Answer

Total quality management (TQM) involves changes in task, role, and group relationships within an organization, as well as a commitment to continuous improvement. It is not a quick fix and does not necessarily focus on achieving radical innovation. TQM was not developed by Kaoru Ishikawa, although he was a prominent contributor to its development.

Question 6

The term ________ refers to companies' attempts to use all kinds of information systems to improve their performance.

Accepted Answer

The term "e-engineering" specifically refers to the use of information systems, which aligns with the given definition of companies using information systems to improve their performance. Reengineering, restructuring, and reorganizing are all related concepts but refer to different types of organizational changes that may or may not involve information systems.

Question 7

Which of the following is one of the organizational development (OD) techniques to promote change?

Accepted Answer

Process consultation is an OD technique that involves a consultant working with members of an organization to help them identify problems and develop solutions. It emphasizes collaborative problem-solving and can help organizations become more efficient and effective. The other options, such as reengineering and restructuring, are more focused on making sweeping changes to an organization's structure or processes, while flexible work teams are a way of organizing work rather than an OD technique focused on change management.

Question 8

Which of the following methods of achieving organizational change is highly interrelated and complementary to TQM?

Accepted Answer

Reengineering is highly interrelated and complementary to Total Quality Management (TQM) as both focus on improving processes and enhancing efficiency within an organization.

Question 9

________ is the process of developing new goods and services.

Accepted Answer

Innovation is the process of developing new goods and services. Reengineering involves analyzing and redesigning an organization's processes for improved efficiency, while restructuring involves significant changes to an organization's structure, such as mergers or divestitures. Functional reorganization involves rearranging the divisions or departments within an organization.

Question 10

Which of the following statements is true regarding top-down change?

Accepted Answer

Top-down change is initiated by the upper management and is often seen as more challenging to implement because it may face resistance from lower-level employees who are not involved in the decision-making process. This contrasts with bottom-up change, which originates from lower levels in the organization and can sometimes be more readily accepted by the workforce.

Question 11

________ is an OD technique that takes team building one step further and uses it to improve the ways different functions or divisions work together.

Accepted Answer

Intergroup training is specifically designed to improve collaboration and communication between different functions or divisions within an organization. Action research, reengineering, and process consultation are all different OD techniques that can have different focuses and goals.

Question 12

Which of the following terms, popularized by Michael Hammer and J. Champy, refers to fundamental rethinking and radical redesigning of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical, contemporary measures of performance such as cost, quality, service, and speed?

Accepted Answer

The term popularized by Michael Hammer and J. Champy is "reengineering" which refers to the fundamental rethinking and radical redesigning of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical, contemporary measures of performance such as cost, quality, service, and speed. The other options are not specific to this definition. "Restructuring" can refer to various organizational changes, "e-engineering" is not a popular term, and "TQM" stands for Total Quality Management which is a quality control approach.

Question 13

The move from a functional structure to some form of divisional structure, and the move from one divisional structure to another, represents one of the most common kinds of ________ effort.

Accepted Answer

The question is asking for the most common type of effort when transitioning from one organizational structure to another. The term commonly used for this type of transition is "restructuring." Therefore, A is the best answer choice. The other options (innovation, TQM, reengineering) may be associated with organizational change efforts but are not specifically related to changes in structure.

Question 14

Which of the following is a technique that organizations can use to help individuals to understand the nature of their own and other people's personalities and to use that knowledge to improve their interactions with others?

Accepted Answer

Sensitivity training is a technique that organizations use to help individuals understand the nature of their own and other people's personalities, which helps to improve their interactions with others. It involves activities and discussions aimed at increasing empathy, improving communication, and building trust and respect among team members.

Question 15

Which of the following is an OD technique in which a facilitator first observes the interactions of group members and then helps them become aware of ways to improve their work interactions?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is an OD...

Question 16

Which of the following organizational development techniques brings together all of the managers of an organization at a meeting to discuss the issue of whether the organization is meeting its goals effectively?

Accepted Answer

Organizational confrontation meeting brings together all the managers of an organization to discuss whether the organization is meeting its goals effectively. This technique involves a structured discussion of organizational issues and helps in identifying problem areas and developing solutions. Process consultation involves working with individuals or groups to improve the way they work together, while team building focuses on improving the functioning of a particular team within an organization. Organizational mirroring involves using an external consultant to reflect the organization's functioning and dynamics back to the organization.

Question 17

The goal of "reengineering" is to ________.

Accepted Answer

The goal of reengineering is to improve business processes by fundamentally rethinking and redesigning them to achieve significant improvements in performance. Choices A and B describe continuous improvement and cost-minimization strategies, respectively, which are not the primary goals of reengineering. Choice D is incorrect as the goal of reengineering is not to decrease the bargaining power of customers, but rather to improve organizational performance.

Question 18

Which of the following is an OD technique that involves a facilitator working closely with a manager on the job to help the manager improve his or her interactions with other group members?

Accepted Answer

Process consultation involves a third-party consultant working closely with a manager on the job to help improve their interactions with other group members. This technique aims to improve the manager's ability to diagnose and solve problems within their team through collaboration with the consultant. Mentoring involves an experienced individual guiding another individual in their career development, sensitivity training focuses on increasing awareness and understanding of oneself and others, and team building involves improving team dynamics and collaboration through various activities and exercises.

Question 19

________ is an OD technique in which a facilitator helps two interdependent groups explore their perceptions and relations in order to improve their work interactions.

Accepted Answer

Organizational mirroring is an OD technique in which a facilitator helps two interdependent groups explore their perceptions and relations in order to improve their work interactions. The purpose of this technique is to encourage open communication, increase understanding, and work towards resolving conflicts between the two groups. It involves both groups coming together to discuss their similarities, differences, and perceptions of each other's behavior, in order to create a more positive and productive work environment.

Question 20

Which of the following terms refers to a strategy for generating and acquiring knowledge that managers can use to define an organization's future state?

Accepted Answer

Action research is a strategy focused on applying scientific principles to the analysis of social systems, with the goal of identifying problems and implementing solutions. This approach is used by managers to generate and acquire knowledge that can help in defining an organization's future state by actively engaging in problem-solving and continuous improvement processes.

Quiz 10: Types and Forms of Organizational Change