Management OB Chapter 6

21) The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is an example of which of the following forces of change? A) need changes B) technological changes C) external changes D) economic changes

21. C

22) Falling interest rates are an example of what external force? A) change in composition of workforce B) change in employee attitudes C) technological change D) economic change

22. D

23) Which of the following is NOT an internal force of change? A) technology B) strategy C) workforce D) employee attitudes

23. A

24) Which of the following is NOT an external force of change? A) changing consumer needs B) new governmental laws C) economic changes D) changes in workforce composition

24. D

25) Increasing the numbers of employed women and minorities forces managers to pay attention to what change factor? A) strategy B) workforce C) equipment D) technology

25.B

26) Labor strikes are an example of which of the following internal change factors? A) workforce composition B) equipment C) employee attitudes D) strategy

26. C

39) A company that decides to decentralize its sales procedures is managing ________ changes. A) technological B) people C) financial D) structural

39. D

40) Which type of change might include a shift from a functional to a product structure? A) a structural design change B) a structural component change C) a technological change D) a people change

40 .A

41) Competitive factors or new innovations within an industry often require managers to introduce ________. A) new equipment, tools, or operating methods B) new equipments, tools, or people C) new equipment, operating methods, or structure D) new equipment, people, or structure

41. D

42) When supermarkets and other retailers use scanners that provide instant inventory information, they are adopting ________ changes. A) technological B) people C) financial D) structural

42. A

27) The two metaphors commonly used to describe the two views of the change process are ________. A) running water and troubled water B) calm waters and white-water rapids C) marine water and freshwater D) muckwater and mudwater

27. B

28) In the ________ metaphor, change is normal and expected and managing it is a continual process. A) calm waters B) white-water rapids C) marine-waters D) freshwater

28. B

29) Lewin's theory is consistent with the ________ theory of organizational change. A) white-water rapids B) muckwater C) mudwater D) calm waters

29. D

30) According to Kurt Lewin, which of the following is a stage in the change process? A) restraining B) driving C) processing D) unfreezing

30. D

31) According to Kurt Lewin, increasing the driving forces is a means of ________. A) unfreezing B) changing C) restraining D) refreezing

31. A

32) The unfreezing step of the change process can be thought of as ________. A) changing to a new state B) sustaining a change over time C) changing the organizational structure D) preparing for the needed change

32. D

33) According to Lewin, which of the following is the objective of refreezing? A) directing behavior away from the status quo B) hindering the existing equilibrium C) eliminating the need for future change D) stabilizing the new situation

33. D

34) Organizational change is any alteration of ________. A) people, structure, or technology B) structure, management, or goals C) technology, goals, or management D) rules, procedures, or management

34. A

35) In organizations, people who act as catalysts and assume the responsibility for managing the change process are called ________. A) change masters B) change agents C) change champions D) change generators

35. B

36) Outside consultants are more likely to initiate ________ organizational changes than insiders. A) drastic B) mild C) contented D) trivial

36. A

37) Structural changes include ________. A) combining departmental responsibilities B) changing work processes C) changing attitudes D) changing behavior

37. A

38) Changes in work processes, methods, and equipment are a part of ________ changes. A) technological B) people C) financial D) structural

38. A

43) ________ is the term used to describe change methods that focus on people and the nature and quality of interpersonal work relationships. A) Commercial development B) Organizational development C) Facilities development D) Comprehensive development

43. B

44) If Kraft Foods hired a consultant to decrease group friction and enhance cooperative work relationships, this would be an example of managing ________ changes. A) technological B) people C) financial D) structural

44. B

45) ________ is a method of changing behavior through unstructured group interaction. A) Team building B) Intergroup development C) Survey feedback D) Sensitivity training

45. D

46) What organizational development technique involves changing the attitudes, stereotypes, and perceptions that work groups have about each other? A) team building B) intergroup development C) survey feedback D) sensitivity training

46. B

47) An individual is likely to resist change because of the feeling ________. A) of achievement B) of uncertainty C) of personal gain D) that the change is in the organization's best interest

47. B

48) Which of the following techniques for reducing resistance to change assumes that much of the resistance lies in misinformation? A) negotiation B) education and communication C) participation D) facilitation and support

48. B

49) ________ involves bringing individuals directly affected by the proposed change into the decision-making process. A) Participation B) Facilitation and support C) Negotiation D) Manipulation and co-optation

49. A

50) Which of the following techniques for reducing resistance to change includes employee counseling, therapy, new skills training, or a short paid leave of absence. A) negotiation B) facilitation and support C) manipulation and co-optation D) coercion

50. B

51) ________ involves exchanging something of value for an agreement to lessen the resistance to the change effort. A) Negotiation B) Manipulation and co-optation C) Coercion D) Education and communication

51. A

52) ________ involves distorting facts to make the change appear more attractive. A) Coercion B) Education and communication C) Participation D) Manipulation and co-optation

52. D

53) Which of the following is a favorable condition that will facilitate a cultural change? A) the organization has a huge workforce B) the organization has a long existence C) a dramatic crisis occurs D) a stable leadership exists

53. C

54) Cultural change is most likely to take place when ________. A) the organization is old B) the organization is large C) the culture is strong D) there is a leadership change

54. D

55) Which of the following is a strategy for managing cultural change? A) Support employees who remain devoted to the old values. B) Redesign socialization processes to align with the new values. C) Keep the reward system the same. D) Replace written norms with unwritten norms.

55. B

56) ________ is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure placed on them from extraordinary demands, constraints, or opportunities. A) Stereotyping B) Stress C) Innovation D) Creativity

56. B

57) A ________ prevents an individual from doing what he desires. A) constraint B) demand C) lien D) necessity

57. A

58) For ________, there must be uncertainty over the outcome, and the outcome must be important. A) uncertainty to become stress B) habit to become stress C) potential stress to become actual stress D) personal loss to become stress

58. C

59) ________ are factors related to an employee's job and include the design of a person's job, working conditions, and the physical work layout. A) Task demands B) Role demands C) Interpersonal demands D) Role ambiguity

59. A

60) ________ creates expectations that may be hard to reconcile or satisfy. A) Task ambiguity B) Role conflict C) Role overload D) Task demand

60. B

61) A ________ personality is characterized by chronic feelings of a sense of time urgency, an excessive competitive drive, and difficulty accepting and enjoying leisure time. A) Type X B) Type Y C) Type A D) Type B

61. C

62) Stress symptoms are grouped under the categories of ________. A) physical, economic, and legal B) physical, psychological, and behavioral C) physical, psychological, and cultural D) physical, political, and social

62. B

63) Which of the following is a physical symptom of stress? A) changes in metabolism B) changes in productivity C) job-related dissatisfaction D) job turnover

63. A

64) Which of the following is an example of a psychological symptom of stress? A) changes in metabolism B) increased heart and breathing rate C) irritability D) changes in productivity

64. C

65) Changes in eating habits are a ________ symptom of stress. A) physical B) psychological C) behavioral D) financial

65. C

66) Which of the following is true regarding reduction of employee stress? A) In order to reduce stress, managers should make sure that the employee's abilities match the job requirements. B) A realistic job preview during the selection process maximizes stress by reducing ambiguity over job expectations. C) Improved organizational communications maximizes ambiguity-induced stress. D) Job redesigns that increase opportunities for employees to participate in decisions and to gain social support increase stress.

66. A

67) Managers offer ________ to employees who want to talk to someone about their problems. A) wellness programs B) time management programs C) employee counseling D) performance planning programs

67. C

68) A ________ helps employees whose personal lives suffer from a lack of planning to sort out their priorities. A) time management program B) wellness program C) life insurance program D) health and wellness program

68. A

69) How can managers increase the likelihood of making change happen successfully? A) They should realize that they are just change agents not change leaders. B) They should discourage entrepreneurial mindsets. C) They should give individual employees a role in the change process. D) They should adapt the changes made by their competitors.

69. C

70) Which of the following is a characteristic of a change-capable organization? A) separates the present and the future B) makes controlling a way of life C) discourages mavericks D) shelters breakthroughs

70. D

71) A change capable organization ________. A) links the present and the future B) discourages diverse teams C) discourages mavericks D) follows its competitor's footsteps

71. A

72) ________ refers to the ability to combine ideas in a unique way or to make unusual associations between ideas. A) Innovation B) Alteration C) Creativity D) Diversity

72. C

73) ________ is the process of taking a creative idea and turning it into a useful product or work method. A) Innovation B) Inspiration C) Creativity D) Ingenuity

73. A

74) Which of the following is an example of a variable that fosters innovation? A) low job security B) organic structure C) scarce resources D) maximum time pressure

74. B

75) Which of the following is a cultural variable that supports innovation? A) work and nonwork support B) minimal time pressure C) acceptance of ambiguity D) high job security

75. C

76) An innovative culture is likely to have ________. A) high external controls B) low tolerance of risks C) closed-system focus D) tolerance of conflict

76. D

77) Which of the following human resource variables is supportive of organizational innovation? A) low commitment to training B) less creative people C) high job security D) abundant resources

77. C

78) ________ actively and enthusiastically support new ideas, build support, overcome resistance, and ensure that innovations are implemented. A) Idea champions B) Idea developers C) Idea generators D) Idea screeners

78. A

79) Most idea champions ________. A) have extremely high self-confidence B) are lethargic C) avoid risks D) are relenting

79. A

Although New Ideas, Inc., has been in business for 30 years, the company and its employees seemingly have been in a constant state of change. Louis Snyder has been President of New Ideas, Inc. for the last 15 years. During these 15 years, he has had to change the strategic focus of the company three times. The employees have started becoming vocal about the decrease in their bonus checks and their desire for increased profits. It seems as though his competition is always introducing new products into the market and his company's niche products have to be constantly changed in order to keep up with the competition. Moreover, the government has been active in passing new legislation to increase the control of the product packaging and product contents. The technology used to manufacture the products has also been continually changed to make the process more efficient. 80) The technology change in the manufacturing process of New Ideas, Inc.'s products to make the process more efficient is the result of a competitor lowering its price. Therefore, it was a(n) ________. A) external force of change B) internal force of change C) marketplace force of change D) economic force of change 81) Mr. Snyder has had to change the strategic focus of the company three times. The change in strategic focus of the New Ideas, Inc., is a(n) ________. A) external force of change B) internal force of change C) marketplace force of change D) economic force of change 82) When the employees express their concern about their bonus checks, which of the following types of forces of change is constraining Mr. Snyder? A) external force of change B) labor market force of change C) internal force of change D) social force of change 83) New Ideas, Inc., focuses on new ideas, uses technology that changes frequently, and has strong competition in the market. This situation describes what metaphor of change? A) a calm water metaphor B) a black-water rapid metaphor C) a rapid water metaphor D) a white-water rapids metaphor

80. A 81. B 82. C 83. D

Since the integration of two new stores in Littleville, U.S., Fred Fryer's Donuts, Inc., has recognized that there is a need for reengineering the entire organization. The main need is to install new state-of-the-art kitchen equipment in the seven remaining stores, and then dispose of all old equipment to a salvage dealer or else incur a loss. The employees will have to be trained to operate the new computer programmed equipment. Fred is setting up the main store as a training store. Employees from the other stores will train at the main store for five days while their respective store's equipment is being converted. The regular employees from the main store have the responsibility of instructing the classes or overseeing the installation of the new equipment and testing its operation before that store's employees return from training. The organization is also replacing the old employee reporting system. Ordering of materials will now be done by an intranet. Fred has promised that no one will lose his or her job because of the organizational changes. He estimates that when the employees get to the computer programming training, as many as 10 percent of the current employees will resign or retire. He also thinks that opening a new store in Nowhere, will absorb the excess employees. 84) The installation of the new equipment at Fred Fryer's Donuts, Inc., is an example of ________. A) people change B) management change C) technological change D) structural change 85) Which of the following courses of actions is best for Fred and the team leaders to practice if they need to overcome employee resistance? A) threaten the employees who resist the change B) present distorted facts to the employees C) terminate employees who resist the change D) educate employees and communicate with them

84. C 85. D

Colin was getting accustomed to his surroundings in a state government job. His efforts at getting people to accept change had met with little resistance due to his and the new director's efforts as well as the hard work of his subordinates. But now the hard part really started actually managing the change. What techniques could he and his agency's new director employ to most effectively implement changes that would result in increased productivity in his department? He considered changing three aspects of his agency: the structure, the technology, and the people. 86) If the new agency director decided to remove layers in the agency and increase the span of managerial control, this would be considered changing the ________. A) structural design B) selection process C) degree of centralization D) structural components 88) Colin decided his people will benefit from ________, a method of changing behavior through unstructured group interaction. A) survey feedback B) sensitivity training C) team building D) intergroup development 87) If the agency director decided to shift away from a functional to a product structure, this would be considered changing the ________. A) structural design B) selection process C) degree of centralization D) structural components

86.D 87. A 88. B

Kelly Rae works for an ophthalmologist's office where she has been employed as a technician for approximately one year. Kelly has been promoted to the position of clinic coordinator where she is responsible for ensuring operational efficiency and effectiveness by managing and training other technicians, overseeing the doctor's schedules, and coordinating activities between the scheduling desk, the technicians, the insurance office, and the optical shop. Upon her promotion she was given a mandate by the doctors to "clean house" in an effort to make fundamental changes to enhance productivity. 89) If Kelly were to consider enhancing productivity by giving greater authority to other technicians and increasing formalization, she would be considering ________ changes. A) structural B) technological C) people D) automatic 90) The two doctors at the practice have very different work habits. Each has his own team of technicians who are used to the doctors' preferences and are comfortable with their routines; they basically do the same thing every day. When Kelly suggested that they train all of the technicians to work with both doctors, this led to significant resistance from all of the parties involved. The technicians were concerned that they would no longer be able to perform their usual daily tasks. Their resistance came from their ________. A) belief that ambiguity would increase B) fear that they would be forced out of their habits C) concern over personal loss D) belief that Kelly's changes would harm the organization 91) Shelly, a technician, was particularly concerned about the changes. She had spent a number of years ingratiating herself with one of the doctors and, because of it, she had earned special privileges, such as taking extended lunches with her husband. Shelly's resistance to change came from her ________. A) belief that uncertainty would increase B) fear that she would be forced out of her habit C) concern over personal loss D) belief that Kelly's changes would harm the organization

89.A 90.B 91.C

Edwin Edwards is a team leader for Lightspeed.com, an e-business that has employees in every global time zone. Some of the factors that the team has to contend with are deadlines, strong work ethic, the creativity-innovation chain, high-speed turnaround, and professionalism. As team leader, Edwin sees team members via video conference only a few times per year. A frustration that he is encountering is that he works with all of these people and does not have control over their "actual" work or the few organizational rules, regulations, and policies. Yet, due to the position he is in, he feels he gets all of their complaints. The team does not deal well when a member offers an "off-the-wall" solution to a team problem; team members seem to have more trouble with this than any other team-conflict issue. What he likes most about leading the team is that they seem to prefer getting their objective accomplished instead of wasting time trying to decide who should be doing what. 92) When Edwin feels frustrated that he does not have control over team members' "actual" work or the organizational rules, regulations, and policies, he is contending with ________. A) external control B) diversity of opinions C) abundant resources D) unclear goals 93) When a member offers an "off-the-wall" solution to a team problem, Edwin has to contend with what cultural variable? A) tolerance of conflict B) tolerance of risk C) tolerance of the impractical D) focus on ends 94) The part Edwin likes the most is that the team seems to prefer getting their objective accomplished instead of wasting time, which indicates that the team is ________. A) tolerant of conflict B) an open-system focus team C) able to deal with high risk D) focused on ends rather than means

92. A 93. C 94. D

99) Why do people resist change?

Answer: An individual is likely to resist change for the following reasons: uncertainty, habit, concern over personal loss, and the belief that the change is not in the organization's best interest. Change replaces the known with uncertainty. For example, when quality control methods based on sophisticated statistical models are introduced into manufacturing plants, many quality control inspectors have to learn the new methods. Some inspectors may fear that they will be unable to do so and may, therefore, develop a negative attitude toward the change or behave poorly if required to use them. Another cause of resistance is that people do things out of habit. Every day, when going to work, people probably go the same way, whether walking, driving, or using mass transit. Usually, they find a single approach and use it regularly. People do not want to have to consider the full range of options for the hundreds of decisions they make every day. To cope with this complexity, they rely on habits or programmed responses. But when confronted with change, their tendency to respond in their accustomed ways becomes a source of resistance. The third cause of resistance is the fear of losing something already possessed. Change threatens the investment people have already made in the status quo. The more that people have invested in the current system, the more they resist change. They fear the loss of status, money, authority, friendships, personal convenience, or other economic benefits that they value. This is why older workers tend to resist change more than younger workers. Older employees have generally invested more in the current system and thus have more to lose by changing. A final cause of resistance is a person's belief that the change is incompatible with the goals and interests of the organization. For instance, an employee who believes that a proposed new job procedure will reduce product quality or productivity can be expected to resist the change. If the employee expresses his or her resistance positively, this actually can be beneficial to the organization.

104) List a few cultural characteristics that an innovative organization possesses.

Answer: An innovative organization has the following cultural characteristics: a. Accept ambiguity - Too much emphasis on objectivity and specificity constrains creativity. b. Tolerate the impractical - Individuals who offer impractical, even foolish, answers to what-if questions are not stifled. What at first seems impractical might lead to innovative solutions. c. Keep external controls minimal - Rules, regulations, policies, and similar organizational controls are kept to a minimum. d. Tolerate risk - Employees are encouraged to experiment without fear of consequences should they fail. Mistakes are treated as learning opportunities. Employees do not fear to put forth new ideas. e. Tolerate conflict - Diversity of opinions is encouraged. Harmony and agreement between individuals or units are not assumed to be evidence of high performance. f. Focus on ends rather than means - Goals are made clear, and individuals are encouraged to consider alternative routes toward meeting the goals. Focusing on ends suggests that several right answers might be possible for any given problem. g. Use an open-system focus - Managers closely monitor the environment and respond to changes as they occur. h. Provide positive feedback - Managers provide positive feedback, encouragement, and support so employees feel that their creative ideas receive attention. i. Exhibit empowering leadership - A leader of an innovative organization lets his subordinates know that the work they do is significant. He provides organizational members the opportunity to participate in decision making. He shows them that he is confident that they can achieve high performance levels and outcomes. This has a positive influence on creativity.

97) Explain organizational change and briefly discuss the three types of change

Answer: Most managers, at one point or another, will have to make changes in some aspects of their workplace. These changes are classified as organizational change, which is any alteration of people, structure, or technology. Organizational changes often need someone to act as a catalyst and assume the responsibility for managing the change process that is, a change agent. Change agents can be a manager within the organization, but could also be a nonmanager such as a specialist from the HR department or even an outside consultant. For major changes, an organization often hires outside consultants to provide advice and assistance. Managers face three main types of change: structure, technology, and people. Changing structure includes any change in structural variables such as reporting relationships, coordination mechanisms, employee empowerment, or job redesign. Changes in the external environment or in organizational strategies often lead to changes in the organizational structure. Because an organization's structure is defined by how work gets done and who does it, managers can alter one or both of these structural components. For instance, departmental responsibilities could be combined, organizational levels eliminated, or the number of persons a manager supervises could be increased. More rules and procedures could be implemented to increase standardization. Or employees could be empowered to make decisions so decision making could be faster. Another option would be to make major changes in the actual structural design. For instance product divisions can be dropped, merged, or expanded. Structural design changes also might include, for instance, a shift from a functional to a product structure or the creation of a project structure design. Today, technological changes usually involve the introduction of new equipment, tools, or methods; automation; or computerization. Competitive factors or new innovations within an industry often require managers to introduce new equipment, tools, or operating methods. Automation is a technological change that replaces certain tasks done by people with tasks done by machines. Changing people involves changing attitudes, expectations, perceptions, and behaviors. Organizational development is the term used to describe change methods that focus on people and the nature and quality of interpersonal work relationships.

98) Define Organizational Development (OD). List and explain the five most popular OD techniques.

Answer: Organizational Development (OD) is the term used to describe change methods that focus on people and the nature and quality of interpersonal work relationships. The five most popular OD techniques are: a. Sensitivity training It is a method of changing behavior through unstructured group interaction. b. Team building These refer to activities that help team members learn how each member thinks and works. c. Intergroup development This involves changing the attitudes, stereotypes, and perceptions that work groups have about each other. d. Process consultation Here, an outside consultant helps the manager understand how interpersonal processes are affecting the way work is being done. e. Survey feedback It is a technique for assessing attitudes and perceptions, identifying discrepancies in these, and resolving the differences by using survey information in feedback groups.

95) Identify some of the external and internal forces of change.

Answer: Some of the external forces of change are: a. Changing consumer needs and wants b. New governmental laws c. Changing technology d. Economic changes Some of the internal forces of change are: a. New organizational strategy b. Change in composition of workforce c. New equipment d. Changing employee attitudes

103) What are stressors? Discuss the five major categories of organizational stressors.

Answer: Stress is caused by personal factors and by job-related factors called stressors. Change of any kind-personal or job-related-has the potential to cause stress because it involves demands, constraints, or opportunities. The five major categories of organizational stressors are: task demands, role demands, interpersonal demands, organization structure, and organizational leadership. Task demands are factors related to an employee's job. They include the design of a person's job (autonomy, task variety, degree of automation), working conditions, and the physical work layout. Work quotas can put pressure on employees when their outcomes are perceived as excessive. The more the interdependence between an employee's tasks and the tasks of others, the greater is the potential for stress. Autonomy, on the other hand, tends to lessen stress. Jobs in which temperatures, noise, or other working conditions are dangerous or undesirable can increase anxiety. So, too, can working in an overcrowded room or in a visible location where interruptions are constant. Role demands relate to pressures placed on an employee as a function of the particular role he plays in the organization. Role conflicts create expectations that may be hard to reconcile or satisfy. Role overload is experienced when the employee is expected to do more than time permits. Role ambiguity is created when role expectations are not clearly understood and the employee is not sure what he has to do. Interpersonal demands are pressures created by other employees. Lack of social support from colleagues and poor interpersonal relationships can cause considerable stress, especially among employees with a high social need. Organization structure can increase stress. Excessive rules and an employee's lack of opportunity to participate in decisions that affect him or her are examples of structural variables that might be potential sources of stress. Organizational leadership represents the supervisory style of the organization's managers. Some managers create a culture characterized by tension, fear, and anxiety. They establish unrealistic pressures to perform in the short run, impose excessively tight controls, and routinely fire employees who do not measure up. This style of leadership filters down through the organization and affects all employees.

102) Write a short essay on stress.

Answer: Stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure placed on them from extraordinary demands, constraints, or opportunities. Stress is not always bad. Although it is often discussed in a negative context, stress does have a positive value, particularly when it offers a potential gain. However, stress is more often associated with constraints and demands. A constraint prevents an individual from doing what he desires. Demands refer to the loss of something desired. When an employee has his annual performance review at work, he feels stress because he confronts opportunity, constraints, and demands. A good performance review leads to a promotion, greater responsibilities, and a higher salary. But a poor review keeps him from getting the promotion. An extremely poor review might lead to him being fired. Just because the conditions are right for stress to surface, however, does not always mean it will. Two conditions are necessary for potential stress to become actual stress. First, there must be uncertainty over the outcome, and second, the outcome must be important.

Describe the "calm waters" view of organizational change.

Answer: The calm waters view of organizational change envisions the organization as a large ship crossing a calm sea. The ship's captain and crew know exactly where they are going because they have made the trip many times before. Change comes in the form of an occasional storm, a brief distraction in an otherwise calm and predictable trip. In the calm waters metaphor, change is seen as an occasional disruption in the normal flow of events. It is best illustrated by Kurt Lewin's 3-step description of the change process. According to Lewin, successful change can be planned and requires unfreezing the status quo, changing to a new state, and refreezing to make the change permanent. The status quo can be considered an equilibrium state. To move from this equilibrium, unfreezing is necessary. Unfreezing can be thought of as preparing for the needed change. It can be achieved by increasing the driving forces, which are forces pushing for change; by decreasing the restraining forces, which are forces that resist change and push behavior toward the status quo; or by combining the two approaches. Once unfreezing is done, the change itself can be implemented. However, merely introducing change does not ensure that it will take hold. The new situation needs to be refrozen so that it can be sustained over time. Unless this last step is done, there is a strong chance that employees will revert back to the old ways of doing things. The objective of refreezing, then, is to stabilize the new situation by reinforcing the new behaviors. Lewin's 3-step process treats change as a move away from the organization's current equilibrium state. It is a calm waters scenario where an occasional disruption means changing to deal with the disruption. Once the disruption has been dealt with, however, things can continue on under the new changed situation.

101) What are the conditions that facilitate cultural change?

Answer: The conditions that facilitate cultural change are: a. Occurrence of a dramatic crisis - An unexpected financial setback, the loss of a major customer, or a dramatic technological innovation by a competitor can weaken the status quo and make people start thinking about the relevance of the current culture. b. Change in leadership - New top leadership can provide an alternative set of key values and may be perceived as more capable of responding to the crisis than the old leaders were. c. Young and small organization - The younger the organization, the less entrenched is its culture. It is easier for managers to communicate new values in a small organization than in a large one. d. Weak culture - Weak cultures are more receptive to change than are strong ones.

100) List and explain the techniques for reducing resistance to change.

Answer: The various techniques for reducing resistance to change are: a. Education and communication - This helps reduce resistance to change by helping employees see the logic of the change effort. This technique assumes that much of the resistance lies in misinformation or poor communication. b. Participation - This involves bringing those individuals directly affected by the proposed change into the decision-making process. Their participation allows these individuals to express their feelings, increase the quality of the process, and increase employee commitment to the final decision. c. Facilitation and support - This involves helping employees deal with the fear and anxiety associated with the change effort. This help includes employee counseling, therapy, new skills training, or a short paid leave of absence. d. Negotiation - This involves exchanging something of value for an agreement to lessen the resistance to the change effort. This resistance technique is quite useful when the resistance comes from a powerful source. e. Manipulation and co-optation - This refers to covert attempts to influence others about the change. It involves distorting facts to make the change appear more attractive. f. Coercion - This involves the use of direct threats or force against the resisters.

10) Coercion involves exchanging something of value for an arrangement to lessen the resistance to the change effort. T/F

FALSE

11) Manipulation involves the use of direct threats against the resisters. T/F

FALSE

15) Cultural change is easier when the organizational culture is strong. T/F

FALSE

2) In the "white-water rapids" metaphor of change, change is seen as an occasional disruption in the normal flow of events. T/F

FALSE

4) Managers exclusively play the role of change agents. T/F

FALSE

6) Sensitivity training refers to activities that help team members learn how each member thinks and works. T/F

FALSE

7) One reason people resist change in an organization is that their future has been set and cannot be changed. T/F

FALSE

9) Negotiation refers to covert attempts to influence others about a change by distorting the facts to make the change appear more attractive. T/F

FALSE

1) The "calm waters" metaphor of change is consistent with Lewin's concept of unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. T/F

TRUE

12) A disadvantage of coercion is that it is illegal and undermines the change agent's credibility. T/F

TRUE

13) Cultural change is likely to take place when a dramatic crisis occurs. T/F

TRUE

14) A leadership change can facilitate cultural change. T/F

TRUE

16) Stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure placed on them from extraordinary demands, constraints, or opportunities. T/F

TRUE

17) Stress can be caused by personal factors and by job-related factors.

TRUE

18) Stress symptoms can be categorized as physical, psychological, and behavioral. T/F

TRUE

19) A realistic job preview during the selection process minimizes stress by reducing ambiguity over job expectations. T/F

TRUE

20) Creativity refers to the ability to combine ideas in a unique way or to make unusual associations between ideas. T/F

TRUE

3) Organizational change can be any alteration of people, structure, or technology. T/F

TRUE

5) Changing structure includes any change in structural variables such as reporting relationships, coordination mechanisms, employee empowerment, or job redesign. T/F

TRUE

8) People may resist change based on habit. T/F

TRUE