Ch. 18 Organizational Change and Stress Management

________ is a change process based on systematic collection of data and selection of a change action based on what the analyzed data indicate.

Action research

Appreciative inquiry (AI) is an organizational development technique. Which of the following statements is true regarding appreciative inquiry?

It consists of four steps including discovery, dreaming, design, and destiny.

If individuals resisting change are included in making change decisions in an attempt to gain their support, this approach is called ________.

cooptation

Which of the following is an example of an individual source of resistance to change?

fear of the unknown

During the design step of appreciative inquiry, participants ________.

find a common vision of how the organization will look in the future

Which of the following types of jobs is least likely to create stress and reduce satisfaction?

jobs that provide a high level of feedback

Which of the following is an example of an organizational source of resistance to change?

limited focus of change

The application of direct threats or force upon resisters is called ________.

coercion

Which of the following resistances to change is overt and immediate?

complaint

The deemphasizing of hierarchical authority and control in organizational development is referred to as ________.

power equalization

In order to make their firm a learning organization, managers should ________.

redesign the organizational structure

Who built on Lewin's three-step model to create a more detailed eight-step plan for implementing change?

John Kotter

Who developed a three-step model for change that included unfreezing, movement, and refreezing?

Kurt Lewin

________ is a collection of change methods that seek to improve organizational effectiveness and employee well-being.

Organizational development

________ is a method of changing behavior through unstructured group interaction.

Sensitivity training

Benny is stressed with the new corporate reorganization. He now reports to a foreign office that has usurped many of his responsibilities, including the contract labor for his projects. Therefore, he's working with new and less qualified contractors with whom he doesn't have a relationship. However, the managers of the other departments find themselves in the same boat, and every day they are able to laugh over lunch about their new managerial impotence. ________ is helping Benny handle his stress.

Social support

________ is a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an opportunity, demand, or resource related to what the individual desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important.

Stress

Cooptation combines manipulation and participation.

TRUE

The single factor most consistently related to stress in the workplace is the amount of work that needs to be done, followed closely by the presence of looming deadlines.

TRUE

Underscoring the importance of social context, other work shows that even individuals who are generally resistant to change will be more willing to accept new and different ideas when they feel supported by their coworkers and believe the environment is safe for taking risks.

TRUE

Where the allostatic load is too great and too prolonged, we may experience psychological or physiological stress symptoms.

TRUE

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument that Fony Corp. should upgrade its technology?

The technology which the company is considering adopting was recently developed and has not yet been successfully implemented in a real business context.

An example of change in competition is ________.

U.S. manufactured Toyota vehicles

Brian's team just had a research breakthrough. They'll need several thousands of dollars to complete the project. Brian has called a series of meetings in which he's promoting the significance of the new discovery, explaining the economic benefits that will result from the final project, and answering questions. Brian is a(n) ________ within his company.

idea champion

Which of the following resistances to change is implicit?

increased error

________ are persons who act as catalysts and assume the responsibility for managing refinement activities.

Change agents

Which of the following is the first step in Kotter's eight-step plan for implementing change?

Establish a sense of urgency by creating a compelling reason for why change is needed.

________ is one way to achieve unfreezing of an organization's status quo.

Increasing the driving forces directing behavior away from the status quo

Which of the following statements is not true regarding organizational approaches to managing stress?

Managers should consider decreasing employee involvement in decision making because evidence clearly shows that decreases in employee empowerment reduce psychological strain.

________ involves correcting errors using past routines and present policies.

Single-loop learning

Risa has to work long hours and sometimes weekends, losing out on family time. Risa doesn't find her long hours overly stressful, but rather she sees it as her contribution to maintaining her family's equilibrium and well-being and bettering her children's future. In which country is Risa most likely employed?

Venezuela

Tescra Education is an educational publishing company that provides textbooks in the area of higher education. The company has been in business for almost 20 years now and has earned substantial profits during this period. Which of the following trends, if true, would drive the company to change its business strategy?

a need for learning environments where students feel safe to apply the knowledge they've acquired in the classroom to real-life situations

Experience on the job tends to be positively related to work stress.

FALSE

Compare and contrast challenge stressors and hindrance stressors.

Recently, researchers have argued that challenge stressors—or stressors associated with workload, pressure to complete tasks, and time urgency—operate quite differently from hindrance stressors—or stressors that keep you from reaching your goals (for example, red tape, office politics, confusion over job responsibilities). Although research is just starting to accumulate, early evidence suggests challenge stressors produce less strain than hindrance stressors. A meta-analysis of responses from more than 35,000 individuals showed role ambiguity, role conflict, role overload, job insecurity, environmental uncertainty, and situational constraints were all consistently negatively related to job performance. There is also evidence that challenge stress improves job performance in a supportive work environment, whereas hindrance stress reduces job performance in all work environments.

What are the various organizational approaches toward managing stress?

Several factors that cause stress—particularly task and role demands—are controlled by management and thus can be modified or changed. The various organizational approaches toward managing stress are: a) Selection and placement: Certain jobs are more stressful than others but, as already noted, individuals differ in their response to stressful situations. We know individuals with little experience or an external locus of control tend to be more prone to stress. Selection and placement decisions should take these facts into consideration. b) Goal setting: Individuals perform better when they have specific and challenging goals and receive feedback on their progress toward these goals. Goals can reduce stress as well as provide motivation. Employees who are highly committed to their goals and see purpose in their jobs experience less stress because they are more likely to perceive stressors as challenges rather than hindrances. c) Redesigning jobs: Redesigning jobs to give employees more responsibility, more meaningful work, more autonomy, and increased feedback can reduce stress because these factors give employees greater control over work activities and lessen dependence on others. d) Increasing employee involvement: Role stress is detrimental to a large extent because employees feel uncertain about goals, expectations, how they'll be evaluated, and the like. By giving these employees a voice in the decisions that directly affect their job performance, management can increase employee control and reduce role stress. e) Organizational communication: Increasing formal organizational communication with employees reduces uncertainty by lessening role ambiguity and role conflict. Given the importance that perceptions play in moderating the stress-response relationship, management can also use effective communications as a means to shape employee perceptions.

Discuss some of the psychological consequences of stress and describe some of the individual approaches to managing stress.

Stress can cause dissatisfaction. Job-related stress can cause job-related dissatisfaction. Other psychological states include tension, anxiety, irritability, boredom, and procrastination. Jobs that make multiple and conflicting demands or that lack clarity about the employee's duties, authority, and responsibilities increase both stress and dissatisfaction. Similarly, the less control people have over the pace of their work, the greater the stress and dissatisfaction. Although more research is needed to clarify the relationship, jobs that provide a low level of variety, significance, autonomy, feedback, and identity appear to create stress and reduce satisfaction and involvement in the job. Not everyone reacts to autonomy in the same way, however. For those who have an external locus of control, increased job control increases the tendency to experience stress and exhaustion. Individual strategies that have proven effective include implementing time-management techniques, increasing physical exercise, relaxation training, and expanding the social support network. An understanding and utilization of basic time management principles can help individuals better cope with tensions created by job demands. A few of the best-known time-management principles are (1) making daily lists of activities to be accomplished, (2) prioritizing activities by importance and urgency, (3) scheduling activities according to the priorities set, and (4) knowing your daily cycle and handling the most demanding parts of your job when you are most alert and productive. Physicians have recommended noncompetitive physical exercise, such as aerobics, walking, jogging, swimming, and riding a bicycle, as a way to deal with excessive stress levels. Individuals can teach themselves to reduce tension through relaxation techniques such as meditation, hypnosis, and biofeedback. Talking with friends, family, or work colleagues provides an outlet when stress levels become excessive. Expanding your social support network provides someone to hear your problems and offer a more objective perspective on the situation than your own.

Discuss the various individual approaches toward managing stress.

The various individual approaches toward managing stress are: a) Time-management techniques: An understanding and utilization of basic time-management principles can help individuals better cope with tensions created by job demands. A few of the best-known time-management principles are (1) making daily lists of activities to be accomplished, (2) prioritizing activities by importance and urgency, (3) scheduling activities according to the priorities set, and (4) knowing your daily cycle and handling the most demanding parts of your job when you are most alert and productive. b) Physical exercise: Physicians have recommended noncompetitive physical exercise, such as aerobics, walking, jogging, swimming, and riding a bicycle, as a way to deal with excessive stress levels. c) Relaxation techniques: Individuals can teach themselves to reduce tension through relaxation techniques such as meditation, hypnosis, and biofeedback. d) Social support network: Expanding your social support network provides someone to hear your problems and offer a more objective perspective on the situation than your own.

Excessive smoking, substance abuse, and sleep disorders are all examples of ________ symptoms of stress.

behavioral

Political uncertainties, economic uncertainties, and technological change are examples of the ________ factors of potential stress.

environmental

Elaine is very good at what she does, but she is constantly stressed by internal deadlines assigned to co-workers, obligatory meetings, and time lost in unrelated idle cubicle chatter. Today, after a meeting with her supervisor, she has been given more responsibility for her work, is able to set her own deadlines, decline attendance to various department meetings, and telecommute two days a week. Elaine's boss is using which of the following organizational strategies to reduce her stress?

job redesign

Jerry is feeling very stressed because his boss expects a project to be delivered to the client within a very unreasonable deadline. Jerry has to work nights and weekends to make the deadline. Jerry is feeling stress due to a(n) ________ factor.

organizational

Family issues, economic problems, and personality characteristics are examples of the ________ factor of potential stress.

personal

Rudolf is dealing with impending layoffs at work. Yesterday, at a pharmacy, he measured his blood pressure and it was high. He also notices that when he thinks about the future, his heart rate accelerates. Rudolf is demonstrating ________ symptoms of stress.

physiological

Louise is overwhelmed with the new tasks that she has been assigned after the department merger. Each day, she arrives at work and makes a list of the new tasks, writes a number next to each one according to the urgency of completion, and schedules a time to complete each one. Although she's still stressed, Louise is able to get most of the work done and feels better at the end of the day. Louise is using ________ techniques to reduce her stress.

time-management

Organizationally supported programs that focus on the employee's total physical and mental condition, such as helping them quit smoking or control alcohol use, are called ________ programs.

wellness

Which of the following steps in Kotter's eight-step plan for implementing change represents the refreezing stage in Lewin's three-step model?

Reinforce the changes by demonstrating the relationship between new behaviors and organizational success.

Double-loop learning is an error correction process that relies on past routines and present policies.

FALSE

Learning organizations use single-loop learning.

FALSE

Sensitivity training emphasizes changing behavior through structured group interaction.

FALSE

Short tenure in management is associated with innovation.

FALSE

Which of the following is the last step in Kotter's eight-step plan for implementing change?

Reinforce the changes by demonstrating the relationship between new behaviors and organizational success.

Describe the process of appreciative inquiry (AI).

Appreciative inquiry (AI) accentuates the positive. Rather than looking for problems to fix, it seeks to identify the unique qualities and special strengths of an organization, which members can build on to improve performance. That is, AI focuses on an organization's successes rather than its problems. The AI process consists of four steps, discovery, dreaming, design, and destiny, often played out in a large-group meeting over a two- or three-day time period and overseen by a trained change agent. Discovery sets out to identify what people think are the organization's strengths. Employees recount times they felt the organization worked best or when they specifically felt most satisfied with their jobs. In dreaming, employees use information from the discovery phase to speculate on possible futures, such as what the organization will be like in five years. In design, participants find a common vision of how the organization will look in the future and agree on its unique qualities. For the fourth step, participants seek to define the organization's destiny or how to fulfill their dream, and they typically write action plans and develop implementation strategies.

Compare and contrast the AI strategy for managing change and the double-loop learning organization focused on creating change. How are they similar and different?

Appreciative inquiry (AI) accentuates the positive. Rather than looking for problems to fix, it seeks to identify the unique qualities and special strengths of an organization, which members can build on to improve performance. That is, AI focuses on an organization's successes rather than its problems. The AI process consists of four steps, discovery, dreaming, design, and destiny, often played out in a large-group meeting over a two- or three-day time period and overseen by a trained change agent. Discovery sets out to identify what people think are the organization's strengths. Employees recount times they felt the organization worked best or when they specifically felt most satisfied with their jobs. In dreaming, employees use information from the discovery phase to speculate on possible futures, such as what the organization will be like in five years. In design, participants find a common vision of how the organization will look in the future and agree on its unique qualities. For the fourth step, participants seek to define the organization's destiny or how to fulfill their dream, and they typically write action plans and develop implementation strategies. In double-loop learning, organizations correct errors by modifying objectives, policies, and standard routines. Double-loop learning challenges deeply rooted assumptions and norms. It provides opportunities for radically different solutions to problems and dramatic jumps in improvement. It's one in which people put aside their old ways of thinking, learn to be open with each other, understand how their organization really works, form a plan or vision everyone can agree on, and work together to achieve that vision. AI and double-loop learning are similar in that they both have management's support for explicit, positive change. Although AI doesn't necessarily flatten the organization's structure, it reaches out to all levels of the organization for ideas, creating a team-like structure which is characteristic of the double-loop learning organization. However, double-loop learning creates a more innovative culture and rewards failures, whereas with AI, although all suggestions are listened to, it is up to management which ideas actually get implemented.

Who are change agents?

Change agents are the people in an organization who are responsible for presenting and managing change activities. They see a future for the organization that others have not identified, and they are able to motivate, invent, and implement this vision. Change agents can be managers or nonmanagers, current or new employees, or outside consultants.

Define change agent and describe where change is most likely to come from. Compare who is most likely to be an agent of change and who is most likely to resist change. Explain your answer.

Change agents are the people in an organization who are responsible for presenting and managing change activities. They see a future for the organization that others have not identified, and they are able to motivate, invent, and implement this vision. Change agents can be managers or nonmanagers, current or new employees, or outside consultants. Because change invariably threatens the status quo, it inherently implies political activity. Politics suggests the impetus for change is more likely to come from outside change agents, employees new to the organization (who have less invested in the status quo), or managers slightly removed from the main power structure. Managers who have spent their entire careers with a single organization and achieved a senior position in the hierarchy are often major impediments to change. It is a very real threat to their status and position and, therefore, they are the most likely to resist organizational change. When forced to introduce change, longtime power holders tend to implement incremental changes. Radical change is too threatening.

John Kotter built on Lewin's three-step model to create a more detailed approach for implementing change. Which of the following steps in Kotter's eight-step plan for implementing change represents the unfreezing stage in Lewin's three-step model?

Create a new vision to direct the change and strategies for achieving the vision.

________ involves correcting errors by modifying the organization's objectives, policies, and standard routines.

Double-loop learning

Appreciative inquiry involves identifying and fixing problems.

FALSE

Appreciative inquiry refers to a change process based on the systematic collection of data and selection of a change action based on what the analyzed data indicates.

FALSE

Change is not as inevitable for companies as it is for individuals.

FALSE

Companies with dominant market share are less susceptible to the forces of change than smaller businesses.

FALSE

Fony Corp., headquartered in China, is a leading manufacturer of electronic devices and solutions intended for professional markets. The company is considering upgrading the technology currently being used at Fony's manufacturing facility, located in Guangdong, that specializes in producing lithium-ion batteries, which are used to power laptops, cameras, cell phones, and other similar gadgets. The new technology is expected to increase efficiency levels and will also allow for greater adherence to quality standards. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument that Fony Corp. should upgrade its technology?

Fony's main client account is at risk after the client had to recall nearly 2 million notebooks owing to defective batteries.

Which of the following statements is true regarding innovation in organizations?

Innovative organizations reward both successes and failures.

Describe Lewin's three-step model used for managing change.

Kurt Lewin argued that successful change in organizations should follow three steps: unfreezing the status quo, movement to a desired end state, and refreezing the new change to make it permanent. Before implementing a change, organizations tend to be in an equilibrium state. To move from equilibrium—to overcome the pressures of both individual resistance and group conformity—unfreezing must happen in one of three ways. The driving forces, which direct behavior away from the status quo, can be increased. The restraining forces, which hinder movement away from equilibrium, can be decreased. A third alternative is to combine the first two approaches. Research on organizational change has shown that to be effective, change has to happen quickly. Organizations that build up to change do less well than those that get to and through the movement stage quickly. Once change has been implemented, to be successful the new situation must be refrozen so it can be sustained over time. Without this last step, change will likely be short-lived and employees will attempt to revert to the previous equilibrium state.

What is organizational development? What are the various values on which the organizational development techniques are based?

Organizational development (OD) is a collection of change methods that try to improve organizational effectiveness and employee well-being. OD methods value human and organizational growth, collaborative and participative processes, and a spirit of inquiry. The underlying values in most OD efforts are: 1. Respect for people. Individuals are perceived as responsible, conscientious, and caring. They should be treated with dignity and respect. 2. Trust and support. An effective and healthy organization is characterized by trust, authenticity, openness, and a supportive climate. 3. Power equalization. Effective organizations deemphasize hierarchical authority and control. 4. Confrontation. Problems should be openly confronted, not swept under the rug. 5. Participation. The more engaged in the decisions they are, the more people affected by a change will be committed to implementing it.

Which of the following steps in Kotter's eight-step plan for implementing change represents the movement stage in Lewin's three-step model?

Plan for, create, and reward short-term "wins" that propel the organization toward the new vision.

Describe the organizational factors that create stress and discuss how they compare to the factors of resistance to change. How are they similar and different? Are the methods for managing change useful for managing stress caused by organizational factors?

Pressures to avoid errors or complete tasks in a limited time, work overload, a demanding and insensitive boss, and unpleasant co-workers are examples of organizational factors that cause stress. These factors are based on task, role, and interpersonal demands. Task demands relate to a person's job. They include the design of the job (its degrees of autonomy, task variety, degree of automation), working conditions, and the physical work layout. Role demands relate to pressures placed on a person as a function of the particular role he or she plays in the organization. Role conflicts create expectations that may be hard to reconcile or satisfy. Role overload occurs when the employee is expected to do more than time permits. Interpersonal demands are pressures created by other employees. Lack of social support from colleagues and poor interpersonal relationships can cause stress, especially among employees with a high social need. A rapidly growing body of research has also shown that negative co-worker and supervisor behaviors, including fights, bullying, incivility, racial harassment, and sexual harassment, are especially strongly related to stress at work. Organizational change is threatening to people and they often resist. Employees latch onto whatever data they can find that suggests they are okay and don't need to change, because change causes stress. Employees who have negative feelings about a change cope by not thinking about it, increasing their use of sick time, and quitting. However, resistance to change, like stress, can be a positive factor. Stress is positive as it can challenge a person and make them rise to an occasion. Resistance to change is positive if it leads to open discussion and debate. Both change and stress are coped with by education and communication, abundance of resources, and wide social support. Other tactics for handling resistance to change, such as manipulation, would lead to increased stress and do not have a positive effect on stress factors.

What are the various structural variables that facilitate innovation?

Structural variables have been the most studied potential source of innovation. A comprehensive review of the structure-innovation relationship leads to the following conclusions. First, organic structures positively influence innovation. Because they're lower in vertical differentiation, formalization, and centralization, organic organizations facilitate the flexibility, adaptation, and cross-fertilization that make the adoption of innovations easier. Second, long tenure in management is associated with innovation. Managerial tenure apparently provides legitimacy and knowledge of how to accomplish tasks and obtain desired outcomes. Third, innovation is nurtured when there are slack resources. Having an abundance of resources allows an organization to afford to purchase innovations, bear the cost of instituting them, and absorb failures. Finally, interunit communication is high in innovative organizations. These organizations are high users of committees, task forces, cross-functional teams, and other mechanisms that facilitate interaction across departmental lines.

Belonging creates paradoxes between establishing a sense of collective identity and acknowledging our desire to be recognized and accepted as unique individuals.

TRUE

Employees are more accepting of changes when they are committed to the organization as a whole.

TRUE

In the case of process consultation, the consultants do not solve the organization's problems but rather guide or coach the client to solve his or her own problems after jointly diagnosing what needs improvement.

TRUE

Intergroup development seeks to change groups' attitudes, stereotypes, and perceptions that groups have of each other.

TRUE

Organizational development (OD) is a collection of change methods that try to improve organizational effectiveness and employee well-being.

TRUE

Paradox theory states the key paradox in management is that there is no final optimal status for an organization.

TRUE

Passion for change among entrepreneurs is greatest when work roles and the social environment encourage them to put their creative identities forward.

TRUE

Resistance to change can be positive if it leads to open discussion and debate.

TRUE

Strum Services provides content management services to major educational publishers. Due to low morale, the level of employee output has been below par, which has caused a backlog in work. Which of the following, if true, would strengthen the argument to use coercive techniques in this situation?

The company is on a tight deadline to complete a major project for an important client.

Which of the following, if true, would weaken the argument to use coercive techniques in this situation?

The company just finished its peak season, during which employees were required to work overtime and on weekends.

List the eight steps in Kotter's eight-step plan for implementing change.

The eight steps in Kotter's eight-step plan for implementing change are: 1. Establish a sense of urgency by creating a compelling reason for why change is needed. 2. Form a coalition with enough power to lead the change. 3. Create a new vision to direct the change and strategies for achieving the vision. 4. Communicate the vision throughout the organization. 5. Empower others to act on the vision by removing barriers to change and encouraging risk taking and creative problem solving. 6. Plan for, create, and reward short-term "wins" that move the organization toward the new vision. 7. Consolidate improvements, reassess changes, and make necessary adjustments in the new programs. 8. Reinforce the changes by demonstrating the relationship between new behaviors and organizational success.

What are the various forces that make it necessary for organizations to change?

The six specific forces for change are the nature of the workforce, technology, economic shocks, competition, social trends, and world politics. a) The nature of the workforce includes multicultural environment, demographic changes, immigration, and outsourcing. b) Technology is continually changing jobs and organizations. c) The housing and financial sectors recently have experienced extraordinary economic shocks, leading to the elimination, bankruptcy, or acquisition of several companies. d) Competition is changing. Competitors are as likely to come from across the ocean as from across town. Successful organizations will be fast on their feet, capable of developing new products rapidly and getting them to market quickly. e) Social trends don't remain static. Consumers now meet and share information in chat rooms and blogs. Companies must continually adjust product and marketing strategies to be sensitive to changing social trends. f) World politics is changing. The opening of China and Southeast Asia and the rise of Muslim fundamentalism are examples of changing world politics.

What are the various individual sources of resistance to change?

The various individual sources of resistance to change are: a) Habit: To cope with life's complexities, we rely on habits or programmed responses. But when confronted with change, this tendency to respond in our accustomed ways becomes a source of resistance. b) Security: People with a high need for security are likely to resist change because it threatens feelings of safety. c) Economic factors: Changes in job tasks or established work routines can arouse economic fears if people are concerned that they won't be able to perform the new tasks or routines to their previous standards, especially when pay is closely tied to productivity. d) Fear of the unknown: Change substitutes ambiguity and uncertainty for the unknown. e) Selective information processing: Individuals are guilty of selectively processing information in order to keep their perceptions intact. They hear what they want to hear, and they ignore information that challenges the world they've created.

What are the various organizational development techniques?

The various organizational development techniques are: a) Sensitivity training: It refers to an early method of changing behavior through unstructured group interaction. b) Survey feedback: The survey feedback approach provides one tool for assessing attitudes held by organizational members, identifying discrepancies among member perceptions, and solving these differences. c) Process consultation: The purpose of process consultation is for an outside consultant to assist a client to perceive, understand, and act upon process events with which he or she must deal. These might include workflow, informal relationships among unit members, and formal communication channels. d) Team building: Team building utilizes high-interaction group activities to increase trust and openness among team members. e) Intergroup development: Intergroup development seeks to change the attitudes, stereotypes, and perceptions that groups have of each other. f) Appreciative inquiry: Appreciative inquiry seeks to identify the unique qualities and special strengths of an organization, which can then be built upon to improve performance. That is, it focuses on an organization's successes rather than its problems.

What are the various organizational sources of resistance to change?

The various organizational sources of resistance to change are: a) Structural inertia: Organizations have built-in mechanisms—like their selection processes and formalized regulations—to produce stability. When an organization is confronted with change, this structural inertia acts as a counterbalance to sustain stability. b) Limited focus of change: Organizations are made up of a number of interdependent subsystems. One can't be changed without affecting the others. So limited changes in subsystems tend to be nullified by the larger system. c) Group inertia: Even if individuals want to change their behavior, group norms may act as a constraint. d) Threat to expertise: Changes in organizational patterns may threaten the expertise of specialized groups. e) Threat to established power relationships: Any redistribution of decision-making authority can threaten long-established power relationships within the organization. f) Threat to established resource allocations: Groups in the organization that control sizable resources often see change as a threat. They tend to be content with the way things are.

Describe the various ways of overcoming resistance to change.

The various ways of overcoming resistance to change are: a) Education and communication: Communicating the logic of a change can reduce employee resistance on two levels. First, it fights the effects of misinformation and poor communication: if employees receive the full facts and clear up misunderstandings, resistance should subside. Second, communication can help "sell" the need for change by packaging it properly. b) Participation: It's difficult to resist a change decision in which we've participated. Assuming participants have the expertise to make a meaningful contribution, their involvement can reduce resistance, obtain commitment, and increase the quality of the change decision. c) Building support and commitment: When employees' fear and anxiety are high, counseling and therapy, new-skills training, or a short paid leave of absence may facilitate adjustment. When managers or employees have low emotional commitment to change, they favor the status quo and resist it. So firing up employees can also help them emotionally commit to the change rather than embrace the status quo. d) Develop positive relationships: People are more willing to accept changes if they trust the managers implementing them. e) Implementing changes fairly: One way organizations can minimize negative impact is to make sure change is implemented fairly. Procedural fairness is especially important when employees perceive an outcome as negative, so it's crucial that employees see the reason for the change and perceive its implementation as consistent and fair. f) Manipulation and cooptation: Manipulation refers to covert influence attempts. Twisting facts to make them more attractive, withholding information, and creating false rumors to get employees to accept change are examples of manipulation. Cooptation, on the other hand, combines manipulation and participation. It seeks to "buy off" the leaders of a resistance group by giving them a key role, seeking their advice not to find a better solution but to get their endorsement. Both manipulation and cooptation are relatively inexpensive ways to gain the support of adversaries, but they can backfire if the targets become aware they are being tricked or used. g) Selecting people who accept change: Research suggests the ability to easily accept and adapt to change is related to personality—some people simply have more positive attitudes about change than others. Such individuals are open to experience, take a positive attitude toward change, are willing to take risks, and are flexible in their behavior. h) Coercion: Last on the list of tactics is coercion, the application of direct threats or force on the resisters. Examples of coercion are threats of transfer, loss of promotions, negative performance evaluations, and a poor letter of recommendation.

Rather than looking for problems, ________ seeks to identify the unique qualities and special strengths of an organization, which can then be built upon to improve performance.

appreciative inquiry

Which of the following tactics for overcoming resistance to change is most likely to be beneficial when employees' fear and anxiety are high?

building support and commitment

You have threatened to eliminate positions and even to close down the company if your sales personnel don't change their attitudes. The method for overcoming resistance that you have chosen is ________.

coercion

"Buying off" the leaders of a resistance group by giving them a key role and seeking their advice not to find a better solution but to get their endorsement is an example of ________.

cooptation

An example of change in the nature of the workforce is an increase in ________.

cultural diversity

A(n) ________ resistance to change clouds the link between the change and the reaction to it and may surface weeks, months, or even years later.

deferred

The step in the action research process where information is gathered about problems, concerns, and needed changes is known as the ________ stage.

diagnosis

Which of the following steps of the appreciative inquiry attempts to identify what people think are the organization's strengths?

discovery

Which of the following is a step in the appreciative inquiry process?

dreaming

As a result of changing technology and unstable environment, your company is planning to undertake restructuring of the business. The employees in your company are worried about this upcoming change and many of them are anxious due to a fear that they will lose their jobs as a result of this change. But that is not the case. The company only wants to restructure its business units, and it is not planning to cut down on jobs. In such a situation, which of the following techniques is most likely to be used by your company to deal with the employees' resistance to change?

education and communication

Which tactic for overcoming resistance to change basically assumes that the source of resistance lies in misinformation?

education and communication

Your company, Johnson Farm Products, has decided to expand its traditional business serving farm owners in order to include home gardeners in its customer base. This change is not met with enthusiasm by the sales personnel who have had good long-term relationships with area farmers. You know that the change will be difficult to implement if you cannot overcome the resistance of the sales personnel and obtain their cooperation. You have brought in the local extension agent to explain demographics and the changing nature of the area in which you live. The method for overcoming resistance that you have chosen is ________.

education and communication

Selective information processing is a major source of resistance to change. It indicates that ________.

individuals hear what they want to hear and they ignore information that challenges the world they've created

Which of the following types of changes involves a new idea being applied to initiating or improving a product, process, or service?

innovation

Management of a company threatens to close a manufacturing plant in the company whose employees are resisting an across-the-board pay cut. But this threat is actually untrue. In this case, which of the following tactics of overcoming resistance to change is being used by the management?

manipulation

Using covert influence to overcome resistance to change is called ________.

manipulation

Which tactic to overcome resistance to change is a relatively inexpensive way to gain the support of adversaries, but may backfire if the targets become aware of the tactic?

manipulation

Which of the following is one of the three steps in the Lewin's three-step change model?

movement

Which of the following reactions from employees is preferable as a response to change?

open discussion

Limited focus of change is a major source of resistance to change that originates from an organizational source. It indicates that ________.

organizations consist of a number of interdependent subsystems and one can't be changed without affecting the others

It is easiest for management to deal with resistance when it is ________.

overt

You have decided to involve the sales personnel in planning for the change and in stocking appropriate new items to sell to gardeners. The method for overcoming resistance that you have chosen is ________.

participation

A paper sales company designs and offers a new method of purchasing and shipping commercial quantities of paper through its Web site. The company used to do its business through its sales representative. This is an example of a(n) ________ change.

planned

Which of the following stressors is likely to produce less strain than the other stressors?

pressure to complete tasks

Which of the following is an organizational development technique that involves an outsider assisting a manager to identify what to improve and how?

process consultation

One of Carl's department employees was severely injured on the job. Carl has called in psychological counselors to talk to the other employees and scheduled a series of safety trainings for the department to be completed by the end of the week. He has also asked the HR personnel to talk to the department about the disability insurance that the company offers and make sure that his employees know what is available. Carl is using ________ to help cope with the stress caused by his employee's injury.

resources

Bart has a new idea for a way to cut costs in his department, but he is not willing to share his idea with his boss because the last department head that tried new cost cutting methods was recently fired because the new methods could not achieve expected results. Based on the example, how can Bart's company improve the culture to create innovation?

reward both successes and failures

Which of the following actions can extinguish risk taking and innovation?

rewarding for the absence of failures rather than for the presence of successes

Organizations are increasingly adjusting their processes and positioning their products as environment friendly and sustainable in order to increase their appeal to consumers. This is a response to changes in ________.

social trends

After restructuring, your division has had trouble filling the open positions with appropriate candidates. The selection processes used by human resources have not yet adjusted to the new criteria required for the restructured job positions. This problem is an example of which kind of resistance to change?

structural inertia

Organizations have built-in mechanisms—like their selection processes and formalized regulations—to produce stability. When an organization is confronted with change, these mechanisms act as a counterbalance to sustain stability. Which of the following organizational sources of resistance to change is represented by these mechanisms?

structural inertia

Procedural fairness while implementing changes is especially important when ________.

the employees perceive the outcome as negative

Idea champions display characteristics associated with ________ leadership.

transformational

During the dreaming step of appreciative inquiry, participants ________.

use information from the discovery phase to speculate on possible futures