Question 1

Which of the following strands of OD influenced programs such as Six Sigma?

Accepted Answer

Quality and employee involvement is the strand of OD that influenced programs such as Six Sigma. Six Sigma is a quality control program that focuses on statistical measurements and data analysis to improve processes and reduce defects. This approach places a strong emphasis on employee involvement and engagement, which is a core principle of the quality strand of OD.

Question 2

Chris Argyris is noted as being a major contributor to the field of ______.

Accepted Answer

Chris Argyris is widely considered a leading contributor to the field of organizational learning. His work focused on understanding the ways in which organizations can improve their performance by learning from their experiences and adapting to changing circumstances. Argyris also studied the role that individual behavior and decision-making play in organizational learning, making significant contributions to the field of organizational behavior.

Question 3

Which of the following strands of OD influenced appreciative inquiry?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following strands of OD...

Question 4

Which well-known organization presently conducts an employee engagement survey called the Q12?

Accepted Answer

Gallup is the well-known organization that presently conducts the Q12 employee engagement survey. The Q12 survey includes 12 questions that are designed to measure employees' engagement levels in the workplace.

Question 5

Senge indicated organizations needed to build capacity in several areas, one of which relates to the choice to engage in and commit to a personal vision, goals, and development:

Accepted Answer

Senge's concept of personal mastery involves individuals committing to continuous personal growth and development, including the development of a personal vision and goals. Therefore, the capacity to engage in and commit to a personal vision, goals, and development is related to the area of personal mastery.

Question 6

Juran popularized the ______, the idea that explains 80 percent of quality defects by 20 percent of the causes.

Accepted Answer

Juran popularized the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, which states that 80 percent of quality defects are caused by 20 percent of the underlying root causes.

Question 7

OD practice continued to grow in the 1980s and 1990s. Which of the following labels was utilized?

Accepted Answer

All the above labels were utilized in the growth of OD practice in the 1980s and 1990s. Strategic change refers to planned interventions to align an organization's strategy with its environment, while change management focuses on managing the process of implementing change. Reengineering involves the radical redesign of processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Question 8

Which process of learning occurs in which we question or modify policies, objectives, or practices to prevent errors the next time?

Accepted Answer

Double-loop learning involves questioning or modifying policies, objectives, or practices to prevent errors from occurring again in the future. It involves reflecting on the underlying assumptions and values that led to the error and making changes to those underlying factors. Single-loop learning involves making incremental changes to existing policies or practices to improve performance, without questioning the underlying assumptions. Deutero-learning is a term used to describe learning about the learning process itself, while triple-loop learning involves reflection on the broader social and political contexts that shape the underlying assumptions and values.

Question 9

Which of the following terms refers to « the individual's involvement and satisfaction with as well as enthusiasm for work »?

Accepted Answer

Employee engagement refers to the individual's involvement and satisfaction with as well as enthusiasm for work. Organizational effectiveness refers to the extent to which an organization can achieve its goals. Employee satisfaction refers to the level of contentment that an employee experiences with their job. Organizational learning refers to the process of acquiring, interpreting, and applying knowledge to improve organizational performance.

Question 10

Many OD practitioners are now exchanging the term organizational development instead with ______.

Accepted Answer

Many OD practitioners are now using the term "organizational effectiveness" as it emphasizes the outcomes and results of development efforts rather than just the process.

Question 11

OD is

Accepted Answer

OD is a diverse field that draws on various methods, perspectives, approaches, and values to address organizational problems and enhance effectiveness. It is not a rigid or one-dimensional approach, but rather a flexible and collaborative process that emphasizes engagement, learning, and continuous improvement. While OD does aim to develop individual leadership and personal skills, it also aims to transform the systems and structures that shape organizational decision-making and performance.

Question 12

Which of the following terms can be defined as « the shared attitudes, values, beliefs, and customs of members of a social unit or organization »?

Accepted Answer

Culture refers to the shared attitudes, values, beliefs, and customs of members of a social unit or organization. Therefore, option C is the correct choice. Option A refers to a specific entity, option B refers to an action taken to improve a situation, and option D refers to a way of encouraging employees to participate in decision-making processes.

Question 13

Which of the following strands of OD is presently utilized, specifically in mergers and acquisitions?

Accepted Answer

Organizational culture is often utilized in mergers and acquisitions as it is important to understand and integrate the different cultures of two organizations coming together. This helps in creating a cohesive and unified culture post-merger.

Question 14

As firms realized that the ______ of a product strongly impacted the profitability and competitiveness of the organization, they began to pay attention to management styles that would increase workers' ability and motivation.

Accepted Answer

Quality of a product strongly impacts the profitability and competitiveness of the organization. Therefore, management styles that increase workers' ability and motivation to ensure high quality became important. The other options (ROI, defects, and capabilities) are not directly related to the impact of product quality on profitability and competitiveness.

Question 15

______ has now become both an evaluation mechanism of OD effectiveness and an intervention in itself.

Accepted Answer

Organizational learning has evolved to serve not only as a method for evaluating the effectiveness of Organizational Development (OD) but also as an intervention strategy in its own right. It emphasizes the importance of an organization's capacity to acquire, share, and apply knowledge to improve its performance and adapt to changes.

Question 16

Juran argued that quality had two main characteristics: fitness for use and ______.

Accepted Answer

Juran argued that quality had two main characteristics: fitness for use and freedom from defects.

Question 17

Which process of learning refers to correcting mistakes as they occur?

Accepted Answer

Single-loop learning involves correcting mistakes as they occur to improve future actions. It is the simplest form of learning that does not involve questioning assumptions or changing underlying values or frameworks.

Question 18

Which process of learning occurs when organizational members understand how and when they learn and develop an environment in which learning can occur?

Accepted Answer

Triple-loop learning involves not only understanding and adjusting actions and processes to improve outcomes, but also examining and modifying the underlying cultural and structural factors that influence those actions and processes. This requires a deep understanding of how individuals learn and creating a supportive environment for those learning processes to occur.

Question 19

Cultures perpetuate themselves through ______, particularly when new members to the culture are reprimanded for violating cultural norms or rewarded for assimilation.

Accepted Answer

Cultures are perpetuated through socialization, which is the process of transmitting cultural norms and values to new members. This may involve both formal and informal mechanisms, such as education, social norms, and rewards or punishments for behavior. Supervision may play a role in reinforcing cultural norms, but it is not the primary mechanism for perpetuating culture. Employee involvement and experimentation are unrelated to the concept of cultural perpetuation.

Question 20

Senge indicated organizations needed to build capacity in several areas, one of which relates to the leadership ability and responsibility to rally organizational members around a single vision that motivates them:

Accepted Answer

Building shared vision is the capacity to develop a shared sense of the future that people commit to, and it is achieved through effective leadership that motivates members towards one common goal.

Quiz 2: History of Organization Development