Chapter 14

Which of the following is TRUE about organizational change? Question options: A) Change occurs more informally through social networks. B) Groups of people with different degrees of commitment to the change contribute most to the success of public sector organizational change. C) Change agents work best when they lead the initiative alone. D) Guiding coalitions that lead organizational change are limited to the executive team.

Change occurs more informally through social networks.

Senior executives at a large retail organization want employees to become more customer-friendly. Employees think they are serving customers well enough and the company is a dominant player in the market. What should the executives do to create an urgency to change in this situation? Question options: A) Keep pushing employees to change even though they don't see the need to change and attempt to replace the existing change agent. B) Inform employees about the driving forces in the external environment indicating that the company's dominant position will be threatened unless they become more customer-friendly. C) Stop trying to convince employees that they should change their behavior and use other strategies to gain market share. D) Introduce punishments for employees who do not become more customer-friendly.

Inform employees about the driving forces in the external environment indicating that the company's dominant position will be threatened unless they become more customer-friendly.

Which of the following statements is TRUE concerning Lewin's force field model in the context of changes in other cultures? Question options: A) Lewin's model, like the Western perspective on change, often views change as linear. B) Lewin's model decreases the presence of ethical concerns often associated with change in other cultures. C) Lewin's model is equally applicable in any cultural setting. D) Lewin's model views change as a harmonious process revolving around in equilibrium.

Lewin's model, like the Western perspective on change, often views change as linear.

Which of the following statements is TRUE concerning Lewin's force field model in the context of changes in other cultures? Question options: A) Lewin's model, like the Western perspective on change, often views change as linear. B) Lewin's model views change as a harmonious process revolving around in equilibrium. C) Lewin's model is equally applicable in any cultural setting. D) Lewin's model decreases the presence of ethical concerns often associated with change in other cultures.

Lewin's model, like the Western perspective on change, often views change as linear.

Action research is Question options: A) the theoretical foundation for appreciative inquiry. B) a form of team-building activity. C) a highly participative process. D) a social structure created alongside the formal organization for the purpose of refreezing the desired conditions.

a highly participative process.

Action research is Question options: A) an anticipatory relationship formed to diagnose the need for change. B) a positive approach to change. C) a closed systems view. D) a process that diagnoses the need for change, introduces the intervention, and then evaluates and stabilizes the desired changes.

a process that diagnoses the need for change, introduces the intervention, and then evaluates and stabilizes the desired changes.

Information systems are important in the change process because they Question options: A) create fear of the unknown. B) act as conduits for feedback. C) facilitate the reward systems. D) generally raise stress levels.

act as conduits for feedback.

Refreezing refers to Question options: A) getting one's own way in organizational politics. B) aligning an organization's systems with the desired behaviors to support and reinforce the new role patterns. C) repeating the change process to obtain better organizational outcomes and employee performance. D) a management practice used to discourage newcomers from engaging in organizational politics.

aligning an organization's systems with the desired behaviors to support and reinforce the new role patterns.

According to the action research model, which of the following occurs during the "diagnose the need for change" step? Question options: A) analysis of data B) determination of the change effectiveness C) establishment of new conditions D) establishment of client-consultant relationship

analysis of data

According to the action research model, which of the following occurs during the "diagnose the need for change" step? Question options: A) analysis of data B) establishment of new conditions C) establishment of client-consultant relationship D) determination of the change effectiveness

analysis of data

Which of the following strategies to reduce the restraining forces should be used only if all other strategies fail? Question options: A) communication B) negotiation C) stress management D) coercion

coercion

Which of the following strategies to reduce the restraining forces should be used only if all other strategies fail? Question options: A) negotiation B) coercion C) communication D) stress management

coercion

All of the following are ethical issues that arise from organizational change activities EXCEPT Question options: A) some change activities potentially increase management's power by inducing compliance and conformity in organizational members. B) conflict and competition is encouraged among employees to create a new status quo. C) some organizational change interventions undermine the individual's self-esteem. D) the risk of violating individual privacy rights.

conflict and competition is encouraged among employees to create a new status quo.

Companies A and Z are both large manufacturers of personal computers. Neither company had provided any type of support for their systems once customers had owned them for 30 days. Company A decided to offer free "live person" support for 90 days and for a minimal fee thereafter. Company Z noticed a dip in sales almost immediately and an increase in customer complaints. According to Lewin's force field analysis model, "evolving client expectations" would be a ________ pushing Company Z toward a new state of affairs. Question options: A) restraining force B) driving force C) future condition D) coercive action

driving force

Which of these forces push organizations toward a new state of affairs? Question options: A) driving forces B) equilibrium forces C) process forces D) restraining forces

driving forces

Which of these forces push organizations toward a new state of affairs? Question options: A) restraining forces B) process forces C) equilibrium forces D) driving forces

driving forces

Based on the four elements of the MARS model, all of the following are the most commonly cited reasons why people resist change EXCEPT Question options: A) fear of failure. B) breaking routines. C) negative valence of change. D) not-invented-here syndrome.

fear of failure.

BusCorp. wants to introduce a new procedure for processing customer requests. If this change will require employees to break old routines and adopt new role patterns, the preferred strategy for dealing with such resistance to change Question options: A) learning. B) communication. C) negotiation. D) stress management.

learning

In the organizational change process, strategic visions Question options: A) should be suppressed as the change process might require an alternate strategy. B) form the second stage of action research. C) minimize fear of the unknown. D) could decrease the resistance to change.

minimize fear of the unknown.

XYZ Office Supplies is about to introduce a new customer service program that will affect all its 355 sales and service employees. Job duties will be changed, and the employee rewards system will be altered to fit this new customer focus. Moreover, the company wants to improve the efficiency of work processes, thereby removing some of the comfortable (and often leisurely) routines that employees have followed over the years. Top management is concerned about the different types of forces resisting change that the company will potentially experience during this change process. The employees at XYZ discreetly weaken the new customer service program to prove that the decision is wrong and that the new program is not effective. Which of the following reasons to resist change is depicted in this scenario? Question options: A) negative valence of change B) breaking routines C) fear of the unknown D) not-invented-here syndrome

not-invented-here syndrome

Change is inevitable and often continuous because Question options: A) change always follows a logical linear sequence. B) if the internal environment becomes stagnant, then conflict arises among employees and management. C) executives need to prove their worth. D) organizations need to remain aligned with the dynamic external environment.

organizations need to remain aligned with the dynamic external environment.

Which of these forces are commonly called resistance to change? Question options: A) process forces B) driving forces C) restraining forces D) parallel learning structures

restraining forces

According to Lewin's model, ________ occurs when the driving and restraining forces are roughly in equilibrium. Question options: A) stability B) appreciative inquiry C) action research D) coercion

stability

Employee involvement is almost an essential part of the change process unless Question options: A) the benefits of change are unknown to an employee. B) an organization is looking for a gradual change. C) the employee strength of an organization is huge. D) the change must occur quickly in an organization.

the change must occur quickly in an organization.