Chapter 7; Management
The top management at Phoenix Inc. planned to shift their corporate office to a bigger and better facility about four streets away from the current location. The top managers knew that their decision would meet with considerable employee resistance, so they informed all the employees well in advance of the advantages of moving to the new office. This minimized the employees' resistance. Which of the following techniques of overcoming resistance is illustrated in the scenario? a) Deskilling b) Education c) Micromanagement d) Specialization e) Risk propensity
B
Which of the following is a possible diagnostic activity in organization development? a) Enterprise resource planning b) Attitude surveys c) Force-field analysis d) Job shadowing e) Reverse engineering
B
The normal process within an organization that leads to a system decline is known as _____. a) synergy b) reengineering c) entropy d) innovation e) process gain
C
_____ are changes in the way products or services are manufactured, created, or distributed. a) Operational innovations b) Mechanical innovations c) Radical innovations d) Process innovations e) Managerial innovations
D
Jenny runs a small boutique in New Orleans and has five employees working under her. Lately, she has noticed that her boutique has not been delivering customer orders on time, and she has realized that it is because of the rise in the number of customers and insufficient manpower. She has decided to employ another five employees. Which step of the change process is illustrated in the scenario? a) Selection of an appropriate change technique b) Implementing the change c) Diagnosis of relevant variables d) Evaluation and follow-up e) Planning for implementation of change
A
_____ is an example of an external force that affects an organization. a) Surplus capital b) New government regulations c) Production costs d) Employee motivation e) High employee turnover
B
Blue Bells Inc. is a software services firm. Lately, the company's HR department noticed that its employees' performance levels have plummeted, and a survey conducted by the firm indicated that this was due to low employee satisfaction levels. This prompted the HR department to introduce a new incentive system in the company. This is an example of change in the area of _____. a) general environment b) task environment c) people d) technology and operations e) regulatory systems
C
Gamma Corp. is planning to bring in new internal standards for all the products it manufactures. The new standards will ensure better quality and will also help the company gain a competitive advantage. However, the factors that stand in the way of the change are increased workload on employees and the need for skill development among employees. To minimize these factors that hinder the change, Gamma has decided to motivate its employees through a reward system. Which of the following concepts is illustrated in the scenario? a) Participation b) Specialization c) Force-field analysis d) Micromanagement e) Job deskilling
C
Managers can overcome resistance to change by: a)letting employees know about the change only after it has been successfully implemented. b) limiting the involvement of employees in the change process. c) announcing the change much in advance. d) not letting employees know about the change. e) minimizing communication during the change process.
C
Ron, a manager at a hardware components manufacturing unit, has recently learned from a subordinate's report that the production rates in his firm have gone down immensely because of poor employee morale. Ron has realized that he needs to implement a change in the organization that will motivate employees. Which of the following steps in the comprehensive approach to change is illustrated in the scenario? a) Implementing the change b) Setting goals for the change c) Recognizing the need for change d) Selecting a change technique e) Understanding how to implement the change
C
The first step of the change process involves: a) selecting a change technique. b) choosing a change leader. c) recognizing the need for change. d) implementing the change. e) overcoming resistance to change.
C
The radical redesign of all aspects of an organization in order to achieve major gains in cost reduction, service delivery, or reduction in order-processing time is known as _____. a) system change b) innovation c) reengineering d) process change e) entropy
C
Wendy is reluctant to accept a new job offer because she's worried about her ability to meet new job demands. The most likely reason for such employee resistance to change is _____. a) facilitation b) feelings of loss c) uncertainty d) participation e) threatened self-interests
C
_____ is change that is designed and implemented in an orderly and timely fashion in anticipation of future events. a) Reactive change b) Crisis change c) Planned change d) Organic change e) Involuntary change
C
Image LLC, an advertising company, has recently received several long-term projects from leading companies. Image has decided to switch from functional departmentalization to cross-functional work teams to be able to perform better. This is an example of change in the area of _____. a) people b) technology and operations c) social structure d) organization structure and design e) task environment
D
Unions negotiating for higher wages is an example of a(n) _____ force for change. a) technical b) internal c) legal d) external e) managerial
D
Watches.com, an online watch store, recently adopted a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to help keep track of the company's inventory and to deliver customers' orders on time. The company's adoption of the new ERP system reflects a change in the area of _____. a) departmentalization b) people c) job design d) technology and operations e) organization culture
D
When Beta Inc. acquired Redd Communications, there was a huge uproar by the staff of Redd Communications as there were rumors of staff reductions and operations closures. _____ was the cause for this reaction by the Redd Communications staff. a) Facilitation b) Process loss c) Synergy d) Uncertainty e) Process gain
D
Which of the following can help make the business change process more effective? a) Refraining from changing company strategies b) Limiting communication channels c) Refraining from creating a sense of urgency in the organization d) Starting the process with a new, clean slate e) Limiting employee involvement in the process
D
Which of the following exemplifies the first step in the comprehensive organization change model? a) Planning meetings to help employees understand the procedures in the company's new quality program b) Investigating different techniques for enhancing employee job satisfaction c) Determining the probable causes of a recently detected drop in the level of employee job satisfaction d) Noticing that the pension fund has less cash than needed to provide the guaranteed employee benefits e) Setting standards for a new absenteeism control procedure
D
Which of the following is a cause for the resistance to change that a worker might feel because the worker disagrees with the management that the change will be best for the organization in the long-run? a) Risk propensity b) Feelings of loss c) Participation d) Different perceptions e) Threatened self-interests
D
Which of the following is true of business process changes? a) Employee participation should be minimal during a business process change. b) Business process change should not be carried out during a phase of entropy. c) Centralization must be adopted by the top management for the business process change to be successful. d) Business process change requires a careful blend of top-down and bottom-up involvement. e) Successful business process change is not accompanied by a sense of urgency.
D
Consumer tastes and preferences are _____ forces that influence an organization's product line. a) managerial b) political c) internal d) technical e) external
E
In general, the biggest cause of worker resistance to change is _____. a) regret b) satisfaction c) different perceptions d) feelings of loss e) uncertainty
E
Which of the following can help make the reengineering process more effective? a) Limiting communication b) Refraining from making extensive changes c) Limiting employee involvement in the process d) Adopting a highly centralized organizational structure e) Creating a sense of urgency in the organization
E
Which of the following forces for change is present in the task environment of an organization? a) Political changes in the country in which the organization operates b) The number of employees in the organization c) Availability of resources in the organization d) Overhead production costs of the organization e) Prices at which suppliers sell raw materials
E
Which of the following is an effective way of overcoming resistance to change? a) Minimizing communication b) Limiting employee involvement in the change process c) Using micromanagement techniques d) Using deskilling techniques e) Using facilitation techniques
E
A(n) _____ is a person who actually conceives of and develops the new idea, product, or service by means of the creative process. a) inventor b) product champion c) angel investor d) sponsor e) venture capitalist
A
Alba Inc. replaced old equipment with new and advanced production equipment in all its plants. This is an example of a change in the area of a) technology and operations b) people c) organization culture d) line-staff structure e) job design
A
Alpha Corp. has divided its business into a number of sub units. This organization change is an example of change in the area of _____. a) structure and design b) people c) operations d) organization mission e) social responsibility
A
Omega Software Inc. is currently running a training program for employees to upgrade their software skills so that they are able to design more efficient software programs. Omega Software is attempting to make a change in the area of _____. a) people b) organization culture c) enterprise resource planning d) work processes e) overall design
A
Robin Plastics Inc. recently set up a new strategic business unit. The company made changes in the area of _____. a) organization structure and design b) task environment c) people d) social structure e) technology and operations
A
The top management at Omega Inc. recently initiated an employee motivation drive to improve employee morale and in turn decrease turnover rates. It has now commissioned a statistics firm to check the effect of its initiative on the employees' morale. Which step of the comprehensive approach to change is illustrated in the scenario? a) Evaluation and follow-up b) Diagnosis of relevant variables c) Selection of appropriate change technique d) Actual implementation e) Planning for implementation of change
A
To overcome resistance to change, the top management of a company discusses with its employees the new employee policies and procedures that it proposes to bring in and also seeks their involvement in the change process. This scenario illustrates the _____ technique that helps reduce resistance to change. a) participation b) deskilling c) greenwashing d) risk propensity e) synergy
A
When a firm decides to decrease the number of first-line managers it has, and thus increase the span of management of first-line managers, it is making a change in the area of _____. a) organization structure and design b) task environment c) social structure d) technology and operations e) people
A
When the top management at Venus Corp. sought to change the organization design, form more work teams, and decrease the managers' span of management, it met with great resistance from the managers. This was because the managers feared that their power within the company would decrease. The managers' reaction to change was brought about by _____. a) threatened self-interests b) low self-confidence c) unfamiliarity with company procedures d) participation e) Uncertainty
A
_____ is a piecemeal response to circumstances as they develop. a) Reactive change b) Natural change c) Programmed change d) Premeditated change e) Planned change
A
Consumer tastes and preferences are _____ forces that influence an organization's product line. a) technical b) external c) managerial d) political e) internal
B
Martin is trying to adopt more automated equipment in his soda bottling facility, and workers are resisting the change. When Martin decides to hold a meeting to explain to workers how the change will be beneficial to them, he is using _____ as a means of overcoming resistance to change. a) micromanagement b) education c) entropy d) deskilling e) specialization
B
When organizational change involves planned alteration of work sequence or work activities, the change primarily occurs in the area of _____. a) social responsibility b) organizational structure and design c) technology and operations d) people e) strategy
B
A change in an organization's culture is an example of change in the area of _____. a) work processes b) organizational operations c) organization structure d) information technology e) organizational control systems
C
In most change situations, there are factors that make the change process more difficult and others that seem to ease the process. The process by which a manager identifies these factors and then tries to tip the balance so that the factors facilitating the change outweigh those hindering the change is called _____. a) facilitation b) participative development c) force-field analysis d) implementation e) education
C
A company has recently undergone a transformation from using a highly centralized approach to a much more decentralized approach for managing its operations. This change represents a change in the area of _____. a) work processes b) work sequences c) technology d) organization structure e) enterprise resource planning
D
A(n) _____ is a top-level manager who approves of and supports a project. This person may fight for the budget needed to develop an idea, overcome arguments against a project, and use organizational politics to ensure the project's survival. a) innovation champion b) investor c) product champion d) sponsor e) inventor
D
Alpha Motors Inc. was affected by the recession in 2008. The company had to make extensive changes to its organizational structure and design. This scenario illustrates how _____ forces affect organizations. a) internal b) legal c) technical d) external e) managerial
D
The top executives at Delta Inc. have decided to reorganize the corporation from product divisions into geographic sectors. This is a(n) _____ force for change. a) political b) technical c) external d) internal e) environmental
D
A(n) _____ is a change in the appearance or performance of a product or service or of the physical processes through which a product or service is manufactured. a) managerial innovation b) incremental innovation c) mechanical innovation d) radical innovation e) technical innovation
E
An example of a force for change in the task environment of an organization is _____. a) employee turnover rates b) production costs c) employee motivation d) capital availability e) pricing strategies of competitors
E
