Question 1

Staff selection, and promotion processes, can be subtle but powerful ways to change and to maintain an organization's culture.

Accepted Answer

Staff selection and promotion processes can have a significant impact on an organization's culture, as they determine who is chosen to join or advance within the organization. The values, behaviors, and attitudes of those selected and promoted can influence and shape the overall culture of the organization. Therefore, these processes should be carefully designed and implemented to align with the desired culture and values of the organization.

Question 2

According to Barry Staw and Jerry Ross, the factor that leads to escalation resulting from self-justification biases in which having been personally responsible for a decision can lead to continued commitment in order to try to avoid being associated with losses is known as a(n):

Accepted Answer

The factor described in the question is related to psychological determinants, specifically self-justification biases, which lead to escalation of commitment. The other answer choices are not closely related to this concept.

Question 3

Anne Fisher uses the term _____ to describe those who display support in public but are resentful of the change and are waiting for the opportunity to return to the "old ways" of working to which they remain committed.

Accepted Answer

Anne Fisher uses the term "vicious compliance" to describe individuals who outwardly show support for changes but secretly hope to revert to previous methods.

Question 4

Changes tend to "stick" to an organization when new structures, processes, and working practices are no longer seen as "change".

Accepted Answer

When new structures, processes, and working practices become the norm for the organization, they are no longer seen as a temporary change but a part of the organization's standard operating procedures. This makes it easier for the changes to stick and become embedded in the culture of the organization.

Question 5

According to Kanter et al., which of the following is NOT a component of helpful metric measures?

Accepted Answer

According to Kanter et al., the three components of helpful metric measures are results measures, process measures, and people or cultural measures. Therefore, C (social measures) is not a component of helpful metric measures.

Question 6

Unanticipated outcomes are not a sign of management failure; in complex change processes, the unexpected is to be expected.

Accepted Answer

Unanticipated outcomes are common in complex change processes and do not necessarily indicate failure on the part of management. It is important to anticipate and plan for unexpected circumstances.

Question 7

Preventive maintenance involves action to sustain the status quo, to keep new working practices operating as intended, and to meet predetermined targets and objectives.

Accepted Answer

Preventive maintenance is a proactive approach where actions are taken to maintain the current state of systems, equipment, and processes to avoid unplanned downtime and ensure they perform as intended. It includes regular inspections, cleaning, lubrication, and replacement of worn-out parts to keep the assets in good working condition and meet the set performance goals.

Question 8

According to Barry Staw and Jerry Ross, _____ leads to escalation of commitment where the lack of progress is considered to be due to a temporary problem, or where additional funding is considered likely to be effective.

Accepted Answer

Project determinants lead to escalation of commitment when the lack of progress is seen as a temporary issue or when additional funding is believed to be effective.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT one of Mark Keil and Ramiro Montealegre's practices to avoid escalation of commitment?

Accepted Answer

Keil and Montealegre suggest hiring an external assessor for an independent view, not an internal assessor.

Question 10

According to Barry Staw and Jerry Ross, the factor that leads to escalation resulting from an attempt to save face by committing more resources at a project in an attempt to revive it and avoid being associated with failure is known as a(n):

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Barry Staw and Jerry Ross,...

Question 11

The benefits of change may result in the J-curve, in which:

Accepted Answer

The J-curve effect implies that there might be an initial decline in performance after a change is implemented, but over time, the benefits will become apparent and result in a significant improvement. Therefore, the best answer is A.

Question 12

David Nadler argues that at the very least, an organization should conduct a full-scale assessment within twenty-four months of the initiation of major change activities, and then bi-annually thereafter.

Accepted Answer

The answer of David Nadler argues that at the very...

Question 13

Measuring the overall success of a change initiative should be related to the timescale over which benefits are expected to be delivered.

Accepted Answer

Measuring the overall success of a change initiative should take into account the timescale over which benefits are expected to be delivered. It is important to evaluate the success of a change initiative over the short-term, medium-term, and long-term to determine if the benefits are sustainable and if the initiative has achieved its goals. Therefore, the statement is true.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT an action employed to sustain change?

Accepted Answer

Avoiding consistency in advocated actions is not an action employed to sustain change. In fact, consistency in advocated actions is important to ensure that the change is implemented successfully and the desired outcomes are achieved. Redesigning roles, redesigning reward systems, and linking selection decisions to change objectives are all actions that can help sustain change.

Question 15

Sustainability implies that new practices and processes are routinized until they become obsolete.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Sustainability implies that new practices and processes...

Question 16

There is likely to be nothing more damaging to the credibility of a change program than for the actions of the change advocates to be consistent with what they espouse.

Accepted Answer

The statement makes no sense as it contradicts itself. To maintain credibility, the actions of change advocates should definitely be consistent with what they espouse. Thus, the correct answer is B.

Question 17

Even in the best-managed situation, not all change outcomes are controllable or predictable.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true as even the most well-planned and carefully implemented changes can have unforeseen outcomes and unintended consequences. There are always external factors and variables that may impact the success or failure of a change initiative, making it difficult to fully control or predict the outcome.

Question 18

The J-curve does not help in managing the expectations of others with regard to justifying a deterioration in performance.

Accepted Answer

The J-curve is often used to explain and manage expectations regarding initial performance deterioration following a change before improvement occurs, helping stakeholders understand and justify the temporary decline.

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT one of Barry Staw and Jerry Ross's factors that lead to escalation?

Accepted Answer

Barry Staw and Jerry Ross identified project, psychological, and social determinants as factors that lead to escalation of commitment in their research. Economic determinants were not specifically categorized by them as a factor leading to escalation.

Question 20

Federal Express abandoned its new aircraft routing system after the implementation caused difficulties with the union. The difficulties included all of the following EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Federal Express abandoned its new aircraft routing...

Quiz 11: Sustaining Change Versus Initiative Decay