Ch 14: Building and Sustaining Quality and Performance Excellence

How much money did performance excellence tools save Corning over an eight-year period? a. $10 million b. $1 billion c. $1.5 billion d. $5 billion

$1.5 billion

With respect to American Express's change process, which of the following steps answers the question "How are we going to manage the effort on an ongoing basis?" a. Drive commitment b. Create vision c. Sustain momentum d. Accelerate the transition

Accelerate the transition

_____ refers to consistency of plans, processes, information, resource decisions, actions, results, and analyses to support key organization-wide goals. a. Creativity b. Alignment c. Sustainability d. Perseverance

Alignment

Which of the following statements regarding Stage 3 of the Baldrige Roadmap to Performance Excellence is true? a. At this stage, approaches and processes of leadership, such as values deployment and culture building, begin to link and align with the operational processes of the organization. b. At this stage, projects succeed often enough for most of the organizations, but the overall culture does not change, and system-wide performance excellence is elusive. c. At this stage, senior leaders begin to experience traction on their organizational transformation strategies. d. At this stage, organizations opt to wait for mandates and regulations, and they implement change when required to maintain compliance.

At this stage, approaches and processes of leadership, such as values deployment and culture building, begin to link and align with the operational processes of the organization.

Which of the following statements regarding Stage 0 of the Baldrige Roadmap to Performance Excellence is true? a. At this stage, organizations commit to a proactive approach to improvement. b. At this stage, organizations opt to wait for mandates and regulations, and they implement change when required to maintain compliance. c. At this stage, senior leaders begin to experience traction on their organizational transformation strategies. d. At this stage, approaches and processes of leadership, such as values deployment and culture building, begin to link and align with the operational processes of the organization.

At this stage, organizations opt to wait for mandates and regulations, and they implement change when required to maintain compliance.

Which of the following statements regarding Stage 1 of the Baldrige Roadmap to Performance Excellence is true? a. At this stage, projects succeed often enough for most of the organizations, but the overall culture does not change, and system-wide performance excellence is elusive. b. At this stage, approaches and processes of leadership, such as values deployment and culture building, begin to link and align with the operational processes of the organization. c. At this stage, organizations opt to wait for mandates and regulations, and they implement change when required to maintain compliance. d. At this stage, senior leaders begin to experience traction on their organizational transformation strategies.

At this stage, projects succeed often enough for most of the organizations, but the overall culture does not change, and system-wide performance excellence is elusive.

Which of the following statements regarding Stage 2 of the Baldrige Roadmap to Performance Excellence is true? a. At this stage, projects succeed often enough for most of the organizations, but the overall culture does not change, and system-wide performance excellence is elusive. b. At this stage, approaches and processes of leadership, such as values deployment and culture building, begin to link and align with the operational processes of the organization. c. At this stage, organizations opt to wait for mandates and regulations, and they implement change when required to maintain compliance. d. At this stage, senior leaders begin to experience traction on their organizational transformation strategies.

At this stage, senior leaders begin to experience traction on their organizational transformation strategies.

With respect to American Express's change process, which of the following steps answers the question "What will the change look like?" a. Drive commitment b. Create a vision c. Sustain momentum d. Accelerate the transition

Create a vision

_____ is an organization's value system and its collection of guiding principles. a. Strategy b. Governance c. Culture d. Emotional intelligence

Culture

Within GE, Six Sigma includes a diverse population of technical and nontechnical people, managers, and others from key business areas who work together as a team to attack a problem using the _____ approach. a. DMAIC b. FADE c. TRIZ d. PDCA

DMAIC

With respect to the six stages of a quality life cycle, in which of the following stages has the quality initiative had a limited impact, is failing, and is awaiting termination? a. Limitation or stagnation b. Maturation c. Decline d. Adoption

Decline

Which of the following performance improvements resulting from Veridian Homes' quality initiatives is NOT stated accurately? a. Model homes sold cycle time was reduced from 32 to 15 days. b. Drafting time on models was reduced by more than 10 hours. c. Material variance went down by 20 percent for lumber, 24 percent for siding, and 38 percent for trim. d. Defects were cut in half.

Drafting time on models was reduced by more than 10 hours.

With respect to American Express's change process, which of the following steps answers the question "What needs to happen to make the change work?" a. Create a vision b. Sustain momentum c. Accelerate the transition d. Drive commitment

Drive commitment

With respect to the six stages of a quality life cycle, in which of the following stages is an existing quality initiative refocused and given new resources? a. Decline b. Stagnation c. Energizing d. Adoption

Energizing

_____ is the basis for Deming's plan-do-study-act cycle. a. Incremental gains b. Experimentation c. Stagnation d. Slow pace of change

Experimentation

A process focus is not a prerequisite for the effective implementation of Six Sigma within an organization. a. True b. False

False

All organizations must take the one best route to quality and performance excellence, which is Six Sigma. a. True b. False

False

An example of a dysfunctional culture is a high-tech company that stresses team rewards while innovation depends on individuality. a. True b. False

False

Impatient managers often find immediate positive results by adopting off-the-shelf quality programs and practices, or by imitating other successful organizations. a. True b. False

False

Process changes within an organization are the ones that impact the organization's culture the most rapidly. a. True b. False

False

Small organizations and nonprofits have generally been quick to adopt quality initiatives. a. True b. False

False

Strategic change is confined to a particular unit, division, or function, while process change motivates organization-wide changes in behavior. a. True b. False

False

The Six Sigma program provides two simple instruments called Are We Making Progress? (one for employees and one for leaders). a. True b. False

False

_____ refers to the harmonization of plans, processes, information, resource decisions, actions, results, and analyses to support key organization-wide goals. a. Interlinking b. Integration c. Perseverance d. Accountability

Integration

Which of the following phases of the Baldrige Roadmap is characterized by action on the feedback, usually by incorporating it into the strategic planning process? a. Traction (Stage 2) b. Integration (Stage 3) c. Sustaining (Stage 4) d. False starts (Stage 1)

Integration (Stage 3)

Which of the following concepts and assumptions are included in GE's virtuous teaching cycle (VTC)? a. Leadership at all levels b. Passive-aggressive behavior c. Rigid top-down process d. Boundary-laden, turf-oriented organization

Leadership at all levels

Which of the following is reflected in benchmarking practices? a. A slow pace of organizational process change b. Depleted organizational energy due to the change in organizational practices c. Learning from the experiences and best practices of others d. Avoiding change in routine practices and processes within an organization

Learning from the experiences and best practices of others

With respect to the six stages of a quality life cycle, in which of the following stages has quality not been strategically driven or aligned? a. Adoption b. Regeneration c. Limitation or stagnation d. Decline

Limitation or stagnation

Corning achieved a milestone in 1995 when its telecommunications products division received which of the following awards? a. Deming b. Six Sigma c. Malcolm Baldrige National Quality d. National Housing Quality

Malcolm Baldrige National Quality

With respect to the six stages of a quality life cycle, in which of the following stages is quality strategically aligned and deployed across the organization? a. Stagnation b. Maturation c. Regeneration d. Adoption

Maturation

With respect to the six stages of a quality life cycle, in which of the following stages is a new quality initiative used in conjunction with an existing one to give rise to new energy and impact? a. Stagnation b. Adoption c. Maturation d. Regeneration

Regeneration

Which of the following is NOT part of Corning's guidelines for performance excellence? a. Concentrate on cost advantage. b. Preserve and enhance the historic culture of innovation that had been the guiding light of everything the company accomplished. c. Require 20 weeks of classroom instruction. d. Ensure that the continuous improvement system was the best in its class.

Require 20 weeks of classroom instruction.

With respect to American Express's change process, which of the following steps answers the question "Why are we doing this?" a. Scope the change b. Drive commitment c. Create a vision d. Sustain momentum

Scope the change

In which of the following stages of the Baldrige Roadmap to Performance Excellence do visionary leaders recognize the inherent limitations of a project-based approach to performance improvement? a. Stage 1 b. Stage 4 c. Stage 0 d. Stage 3

Stage 1

Which of the following stages of the Baldrige Roadmap to Performance Excellence marks the transition from the singular focus on change through projects, however well executed, to systematic evaluation and improvement of leadership approaches? a. Stage 4 b. Stage 2 c. Stage 1 d. Stage 0

Stage 2

With respect to American Express's change process, which of the following steps answers the question "What have we learned and how can we leverage it?" a. Sustain momentum b. Drive commitment c. Create a vision d. Accelerate the transition

Sustain momentum

_____ is the ability to address current needs and have the agility and management skills and structure within an organization to prepare successfully for the future. a. Sustainability b. Integrity c. Self-assessment d. Accountability

Sustainability

Which of the following statements regarding Stage 4 of the Baldrige Roadmap to Performance Excellence is true? a. This project-focused phase brings new capabilities to execute initiatives that change routine practices and processes for the better. b. At this stage, organizations opt to wait for mandates and regulations, and they implement change when required to maintain compliance. c. This stage can result in continued improvement or decline as organizations lose focus or become distracted. d. At this stage, senior leaders begin to experience traction on their organizational transformation strategies.

This stage can result in continued improvement or decline as organizations lose focus or become distracted.

A major benefit of Baldrige is that it naturally provides a framework for organizational learning and, therefore, helps to enhance and sustain an organization, no matter what its current level of maturity. a. True b. False

True

A well-aligned organization has its processes focused on achieving a shared vision and strategy. a. True b. False

True

According to the observations of A. V. Feigenbaum and Donald S. Feigenbaum, quality has become one of the twentieth century's most important management ideas. a. True b. False

True

As performance excellence practices are used routinely within an organization, its people learn to believe in the underlying principles of total quality, and cultural changes can occur. a. True b. False

True

As the firm grows, the process of creating and disseminating the desired culture tends to become increasingly difficult because the entrepreneur is no longer involved in the day-to-day activities of the organization. a. True b. False

True

For quality and performance excellence to truly succeed in an organization, it must define and drive the culture of the organization. a. True b. False

True

Harry Hertz, former director of the Baldrige Program, noted that "Skills do not matter if there isn't a cultural fit." a. True b. False

True

In times of change, organizational learning benefits more from transformational leadership than from transactional leadership. a. True b. False

True

In viewing the three core principles of total quality (TQ), a focus on customers is clearly vital to small enterprises. a. True b. False

True

Learning organizations have become skilled in creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge and in modifying the behavior of their employees and other contributors to their enterprises. a. True b. False

True

Managers must take a positive approach to self-assessment findings, no matter how unpleasant they might appear. a. True b. False

True

Organizational changes resulting from strategy development and its implementation is called strategic change. a. True b. False

True

Sustainability requires continual learning. a. True b. False

True

The key to developing learning organizations is effective leadership. a. True b. False

True

The managers of small organizations and non-profits are wrapped up in entrepreneurial activities that typically focus on sales strategies and market growth, day-to-day cash flow problems, and routine firefighting. a. True b. False

True

Transferring knowledge quickly and efficiently throughout the organization is the basis for modern knowledge management practices. a. True b. False

True

Welch's process for continuous learning led to the discovery that business must simplify first, then automate best practices that have been designed for robust performance in the face of variation in business conditions. a. True b. False

True

With respect to the six stages of a quality life cycle, the implementation stage of a new quality initiative is called a. adoption. b. regeneration. c. maturation. d. energizing.

adoption

Research performed by H. James Harrington with Ernst & Young and the American Quality Foundation, called the International Quality Study (IQS), indicated that only _____ best practices are "universal," and the chances are _____ that they will improve performance. a. four; 5 percent b. five; 90 percent c. five; 95 percent d. seven; 75 percent

five; 95 percent

Culture is driven by a. process. b. attrition. c. leadership. d. quality.

leadership

A $50 million information system has been upgraded by a health care organization as it discovered weaknesses in the organization's ability to collect and analyze information. This is an example of a _____ change within the organization. a. policy b. strategic c. process d. tactical

process

The International Quality Study (IQS) performed by H. James Harrington with Ernst & Young and the American Quality Foundation indicated that all of the following best practices are "universal" EXCEPT a. cycle-time analysis. b. strategy simplification. c. process value analysis. d. formal supplier certification programs.

strategy simplification.

When organizational learning processes serve to refresh and reinforce current learning, _____ leadership is best suited to the task. a. transformational b. stagnant c. transactional d. declining

transactional

In times of change, organizational learning benefits more from _____ leadership. a. transactional b. transformational c. declining d. stagnant

transformational