OB - Chapter 14

What is the first step in increasing the chances of success in effecting a cultural change? a. Changing the reward system b. Creating a sense of urgency c. Changing key players d. Role modeling

b. Creating a sense of urgency

Organization structure refers to a. the degree to which decision-making authority is concentrated at higher levels in the organization. b. the degree to which policies, procedures, job descriptions and rules are written and explicitly articulated. c. how work within an organization is formally coordinated between individuals and teams. d. the number of employees reporting to a single manager.

c. how work within an organization is formally coordinated between individuals and teams.

Which of the following is an external force that is creating change for organizations? a. Technology b. Workforce demographics c. Market conditions d. All of the above

d. All of the above

The practice of outsourcing as a response to the globalization of business has created which of the following changes for organizations? a. A need to deal with employee stress regarding job security. b. A need to restructure employee communication channels. c. A reduction in the reliance on skilled workers. d. A need to decentralize the organizational structure.

a. A need to deal with employee stress regarding job security.

_________ refers to the number of levels within an organization. a. Hierarchy b. Centralization c. Structure d. Departments

a. Hierarchy

Which of these statements is true regarding workplace demographics and their impact on change? a. More older workers in the workforce will create a need for new types of benefits. b. An older workforce will stop change; it's too difficult to "teach an old dog new tricks". c. An older workforce that chooses retirement may cause an increase in valuable knowledge for firms. d. Demographic shifts in the workforce will likely cause flexible work hours and job sharing to diminish as older people like the structure of set hours of work.

a. More older workers in the workforce will create a need for new types of benefits.

Organic structures a. are conducive to entrepreneurial activity and general innovativeness. b. maximize efficiency and minimize costs. c. are related to lower job satisfaction. d. have formal communication channels.

a. are conducive to entrepreneurial activity and general innovativeness.

The degree to which decision-making authority is concentrated at higher levels in an organization is a. centralization. b. departmentalization. c. formalization. d. hierarchical levels

a. centralization.

When unfreezing for planned change it is important to a. create a compelling vision for change. b. take things slowly; do not suggest a crisis is imminent. c. communicate regarding change only on a need-to-know basis. d. provide rewards.

a. create a compelling vision for change.

The COVID-19 pandemic is an example of what external force impacting organizational change? a. generational event that is unlikely to occur again in the near future b. technology adoption with mRNA vaccines c. workforce demographics dividing compliant employees and anti-maskers d. globalization of disease propagation

a. generational event that is unlikely to occur again in the near future

Which of the following is a good piece of advice to give to individuals who have multiple bosses in a matrix structured organization? a. Avoid situations where you have multiple managers as they produce more conflict than benefits. b. Make sure all managers are familiar with your overall workload. c. Set a schedule so that you work with one manager on certain days and the other manager on the other days. d. Keep conflicts you are experiencing to yourself.

b. Make sure all managers are familiar with your overall workload.

Which of the following statements regarding structure and change around the world is correct? a. France is relatively comfortable with change because it is low in uncertainty avoidance. b. The United States is more likely to use rational persuasion as an influence tactic than China. c. The United States is characterized by higher levels of centralization than firms in Singapore and Hong Kong. d. None of the above.

b. The United States is more likely to use rational persuasion as an influence tactic than China.

What advice would you give someone regarding overcoming resistance to their proposals? a. Listen only to those who are absolutely necessary to support the change. b. Understand the reasons for resistance, even if you might have to change your proposals. c. Do not listen to naysayers; haters gonna hate. d. Confront active resistance strongly and publicly; you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.

b. Understand the reasons for resistance, even if you might have to change your proposals.

A consumer good company was reorganized from specialized departments (such as Marketing and Manufacturing) into business units focused on product lines, such as Detergents, Dishwashing Soap, and Health and Beauty Aids. Marketing and manufacturing are separately managed within each business unit. What is the new type of structure and the probable reason behind the change? a. functional structure, with the goal of being more customer focused b. divisional structure, with the goal of being more customer focused c. matrix structure, with the goal of reducing costs d. mechanistic structure, with the goal of reducing costs

b. divisional structure, with the goal of being more customer focused

You are starting work as an assistant product manager at an organization where all the nonessential functions are outsourced. You work with 3rd party companies for product testing, manufacturing, marketing, and advertising. Your order fulfillment is handled by Amazon. You even take your HR and payroll questions to a PEO (Professional Employer Organization). The only functions actually done by employees are product design and pricing, component sourcing, and accounting. You should _______. a. get promoted quickly because of all the opportunities in this strategic alliance. b. focus on learning as much as you can about profitable product development because that seems to be the core competency of this modular organization. c. resign immediately because no business can survive for long by outsourcing so much of their work. d. learn to manage stress better because you'll face a lot of it in this matrix organization.

b. focus on learning as much as you can about profitable product development because that seems to be the core competency of this modular organization.

In a unionized organization, the labor contract is very explicit as to employee work rules, the tasks each individual employee will perform, the pay each individual will receive, how each individual can move from one position to another and so on. This is an example of a ____________ structure in the organization. a. departmentalized b. formalized c. centralized d. hierarchical

b. formalized

Two or more companies that find an area of collaboration and combine their efforts to create a partnership beneficial to both parties while maintaining their status as separate entities is a a. matrix organization. b. strategic alliance. c. modular organization. d. learning organization.

b. strategic alliance.

The subreddit "Malicious Compliance" contains stories such as this one: A new manager was looking to make their mark by quickly showing results. They felt the production line was being run too slowly, so they directed the line leader to increase its speed setting. The line leader informed the manager that the line speed here may seem slow, but it can't be run faster because the downstream packers would be overwhelmed. The manager says "Look, I don't want to hear excuses. I want results. Speed up the line." So, the line leader says "Ok, tell me when to stop..." and starts to increase the speed setting. The manager smiles and finally says that's good as the cans of soda move by at a much quicker pace. About 3 minutes later the Emergency Stop alarm sounds, drowning out the sounds from the packing end of the line: shouting mixed with can-crumpling and soda whooshing and fizzing. The line leader's conformance would be more accurately termed as what type of response to change? a. Actual compliance, because the line leader did what was asked. b. Passive resistance, because the line leader didn't actually refuse. c. Active resistance, because the line leader warned the new manager what would happen, and then went along only to show the disaster that would result from the bad idea. d. Enthusiastic support, because the line leader really wanted to say, "I told you so."

c. Active resistance, because the line leader warned the new manager what would happen, and then went along only to show the disaster that would result from the bad idea.

Georgio just returned from a meeting where his boss informed everyone of the new procedures to use in requesting reimbursement for travel. Georgio says, "I just figured out how to fill the other one out and now they are changing things again. Oh, well. I guess I'll have to start my expense reports sooner now." This is what kind of a reaction to change? a. Boomer attitude. b. Active resistance c. Compliance d. Passive resistance

c. Compliance

The new CEO of IDK Corporation has developed a plan that will call for the restructuring of the organization from a functional structure to a matrix one. In his meeting with his subordinates, manager Ervin says, "This will be great. You will still work in this area for me, but you will have variety in that you will also all be reporting to a second manager for various projects to which you will be assigned. This new structure will only help grow our value with this company." This is what kind of a reaction to change? a. Compliance b. Passive resistance c. Enthusiastic support d. Active resistance

c. Enthusiastic support

Which of the following is true regarding tall structures? a. They provide employees with a more role ambiguity. b. They provide employees with more opportunities for self-actualization. c. They better satisfy employee needs for security. d. They require managers to exercise a greater span of control.

c. They better satisfy employee needs for security.

Functional structures a. tend to facilitate the effective performance of employees with general mental abilities. b. are most effective in dynamic environments. c. are cost-effective structures, particularly for shared resources such as marketing, human resources, and information technology departments of those companies. d. are most effective when an organization has a large number of products.

c. are cost-effective structures, particularly for shared resources such as marketing, human resources, and information technology departments of those companies.

The fundamental idea behind the Lean approach to manufacturing, is a. standardization in systems and processes so employees can be transferred and utilized across the operation, resulting in good production even when understaffed. b. centralized decision-making and structured projects across the business. c. empowering frontline employees to coordinate efforts and make changes to eliminate waste that provides no customer value. d. perfect quality at all costs.

c. empowering frontline employees to coordinate efforts and make changes to eliminate waste that provides no customer value.

The "Waterfall" approach to software development involves several steps between the requirements elicitation and functional deployment, each of which may take several months. The "Agile" approach is designed to have small iterative deployments starting very soon after the initial requirements are defined, but the efforts may continue for years without ever completing all of the requirements. Which of these is more likely to be seen as a successful implementation of change according to Kotter's Eight-step Process for Leading Change? a. Agile, because everyone understands that there is no real hurry to complete the project anyway. b. Waterfall, because the deployment only needs to be done once and the change is complete. c. Waterfall, because the monthly review meetings eliminate the need for a guiding coalition. d. Agile, because the end users are likely to interpret the frequent releases as small / short-term wins.

d. Agile, because the end users are likely to interpret the frequent releases as small / short-term wins.

Which of the following is seen as a more ethical alternative to downsizing? a. Early retirement programs b. Job sharing c. Hiring freezes d. All of the above

d. All of the above

Which of the following components is part of Toyota's TPS manufacturing system? a. Kaizen, the idea of continuous improvement. b. Kanban, just-in-time production. c. Andon Cord, employees can stop the operation if they see an issue. d. All of the above.

d. All of the above.

Which of the following statements is true regarding performance and organizational change? a. Successful companies often have special practices in place to keep the organization working toward the status quo. b. 'Nothing fails like success' is a saying with very little accuracy when it comes to organizational change. c. More successful firms find it easier to change than those performing poorly. d. Boards of Directors of poor-performing companies commonly change top management as a method to initiate significant organization-wide change.

d. Boards of Directors of poor-performing companies commonly change top management as a method to initiate significant organization-wide change.

Which of these is NOT a way to seek advancement at an organization with a flat structure? a. Mentor other employees b. Redefine role at the company to include more responsibilities c. Seek a lateral move d. Work closely with only your direct supervisor

d. Work closely with only your direct supervisor

Centralized operations are typically more efficient and cost-effective, while decentralized operations are typically a. better equipped to deal with a crisis. b. more productive. c. more responsive to investors needs. d. more customer service oriented and employee friendly.

d. more customer service oriented and employee friendly.

All of the following statements regarding reasons employees resist change are correct EXCEPT a. those who feel they can perform well under a new system will be more committed than those who have lower b. confidence in their ability to perform. we are creatures of habit. c. feelings of uncertainty create stress. d. people with a negative self-concept view change as an opportunity to improve because there is nowhere to go but up.

d. people with a negative self-concept view change as an opportunity to improve because there is nowhere to go but up.