OB-exercise19

Chapter 19 Organizational Change and Stress Management

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. An example of change in the nature of the work force is an increase in_____.

a. college attendance

b. mergers and consolidations

c. capital equipment

d. divorce rates

e. cultural diversity of employees

Forces For Change

2. Which of the following is not a primary force for change in organizations?

a. technology

b. economic shocks

c. decreasing skill sets

d. social trends

e. the nature of the workforce

3. Phrases such as “more cultural diversity,” “many new entrants with inadequate skills,” and

“increase in aging workers” are all examples of what force for change?

a. technology

b. world politics

c. nature of the work force

d. social trends

e. competition

4. An example of change in the nature of competition is _____.

a. growth of e-commerce

b. collapse of Enron Corporation

c. Iraq–U.S. war

d. increased interest in urban living

e. a decrease in interest rates

Managing Planned Change

5. Change activities that _____ are and goal oriented are termed planned change.

a. intentional

b. discretionary

c. random

d. reflexive

e. restorative

6. If an organization used an outside consultant as opposed to an insider as a change agent, the

result would probably be more _____.

a. conservative and risk averse

b. reflective of the organization’s history and culture

c. objective

d. reflective of the fact that change agents must live with the consequences of their actions

e. prone to bias

7. Which factor in choosing an outside consultant as change agent is likely to result in more drastic

changes?

a. the cost

b. internal members’ resistance to outsiders

c. the lack of repercussions after the change

d. an objective perspective

e. all of the above

8. If an organization used an insider as a change agent, as opposed to an outside consultant, the

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change would _____.

a. probably be more cautious

b. probably be more drastic

c. probably be more objective

d. most likely be second order

e. most likely be tertiary

Resistance to Change

9. Resistance to change can be positive because _____.

a. it provides a degree of stability to behavior and productivity

b. without some resistance, OB would take on characteristics of chaotic randomness

c. resistance can be a source of functional conflict

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

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

a. covert

b. deferred

c. passive

d. implicit

e. overt

11. Managing resistance to change that is _____ is extremely challenging.

a. passive

b. resolute

c. deferred

d. explicit

e. overt

12. An example of a source of individual resistance to change is _____.

a. inertia

b. structural inertia

c. a habit

d. threat to expertise

e. a policy conflict

13. Which of the following is not a source of individual resistance to change?

a. habit

b. security

c. fear of the unknown

d. inertia

e. economic factors

14. All of the following are sources of organizational resistance to change except _____.

a. structural inertia

b. security

c. limited focus of change

d. threat to established power relationships

e. group inertia

15. _____ is a source of organizational resistance.

a. structural motion

b. security

c. unlimited focus of change

d. support of established power relationships

e. threat to resource allocations

16. Which one of the following is not listed as a tactic for dealing with resistance to change?

a. acceleration

b. manipulation

c. participation

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d. cooptation

e. education

17. Which tactic for overcoming resistance to change basically assumes that the source of resistance

lies in misinformation?

a. training and development

b. facilitation and support

c. education and communication

d. teaching and advancement

e. cooptation and manipulation

18. Exchanging something of value for a lessening of resistance to change is best defined by which

of the following tactics?

a. conciliation

b. negotiation

c. cooptation

d. manipulation

e. reifying

19. Which tactic to overcome resistance to change is a relatively easy way to gain the support of

adversaries, but may backfire if the targets become aware of the tactic?

a. negotiation

b. conciliation

c. manipulation

d. coercion

e. cooptation

20. If individuals resisting change are included in making change decisions in an attempt to gain their

support, this approach is called _____.

a. cooptation

b. exploitation

c. manipulation

d. coercion

e. education

21. Using covert influence to overcome resistance to change is called _____.

a. negotiation

b. cooptation

c. education

d. coercion

e. manipulation

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

a. exploitation

b. cooptation

c. manipulation

d. coercion

e. destruction

23. Politics suggest that the impetus for change is more likely to come from _____.

a. outside change agents

b. employees who are new to the organization

c. managers slightly removed from the main power structure.

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

24. Managers who have spent their entire careers with an organization and are high in the hierarchy

are _____.

a. good change agents

b. generally the impetus for change

c. often impediments to change

d. usually focused on radical change

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e. none of the above

Approaches to Managing Organizational Change

25. _____ is one way to achieve unfreezing of an organization’s status quo.

a. Increasing the driving forces directing behavior away from the status quo

b. Decreasing the restraining forces which hinder movement from inequality

c. Increasing employee investment in the status quo

d. Decreasing management’s investment in change

e. Increasing the rigidity of the organizational hierarchy

26. Who developed a three-step model for change that included unfreezing, movement, and

refreezing?

a. John Kotter

b. David McClelland

c. Douglas Surber

d. Lawrence Summers

e. Kurt Lewin

27. Who built upon the three-step model to create a more detailed approach for implementing change?

a. John Kotter

b. David McClelland

c. Douglas Surber

d. Lawrence Summers

e. Kurt Lewin

28. To move from equilibrium, Lewin suggests _____ forces.

a. decreasing restraining

b. increasing compelling

c. decreasing driving

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

29. _____ is a change process based on systematic collection of data and selection of a change

action based on what the analyzed data indicate.

a. Organizational development

b. Action research

c. Planned change

d. Process consultation

e. Organizational restructuring

30. The step in the action research process where information is gathered about problems, concerns,

and needed changes is known as the _____ stage.

a. feedback

b. evaluation

c. diagnosis

d. action

e. prognosis

31. All of the following are steps in the process of action research except _____.

a. diagnosis

b. forming

c. feedback

d. action

e. evaluation

32. The action research process closely resembles _____.

a. political research

b. the scientific method

c. organizational development

d. appreciative inquiry

e. an economic paradigm

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33. In the process of action research, diagnosis is followed by _____.

a. feedback

b. analysis

c. action

d. evaluation

e. re-evaluation

34. Which of the following is considered a benefit of action research for an organization?

a. Employees can carry out the specific actions to correct the problems identified.

b. It is problem focused.

c. It is solution centere

d.

d. It is simple to implement.

e. It has no financial costs associated with it.

35. _____ encompasses a collection of planned-change interventions built on humanistic-democratic

values that seek to improve organizational effectiveness and employee well-being.

a. Organizational development

b. Reflected change

c. Process consultation

d. Action research

e. Economic validity

36. Which of the following is not considered an underlying value in organizational development?

a. participation

b. confrontation

c. implementation

d. respect

e. trust

37. The de-emphasis of hierarchical authority and control in organizational development is referred to

as _____.

a. participation

b. power equalization

c. trust and support

d. respect for people

e. vertical blending

38. Which of the following is not true of organizational development?

a. Problems should be condensed.

b. Problems should be openly confronted.

c. Effective organizations are characterized by trust.

d. People should be treated with dignity and respect.

e. All of the above are true.

39. T-groups are also known as _____.

a. action research teams

b. appreciative inquiry training groups

c. team building groups

d. sensitivity training groups

e. focus groups

40. _____ is a method of changing behavior through unstructured group interaction.

a. Action research

b. Planned change

c. Process consultation

d. Sensitivity training

e. Psychoanalysis

41. _____ is a tool for assessing attitudes held by organizational members, identifying discrepancies

among member perceptions, and solving these differences.

a. Sensitivity training

b. Survey feedback

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c. Process consultation

d. Intergroup development

e. MBWA

42. The purpose of _____ is for an outside consultant to assist a client, usually a manager, to

perceive, understand, and act upon process events with which the manager must deal.

a. a change agent

b. survey feedback

c. process consultation

d. action research

e. social reinforcement

43. The activities included in team building include all of the following except _____.

a. goal setting

b. personal development

c. team process analysis

d. role analysis

e. defining priorities

44. 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.

a. appreciative inquiry

b. action research

c. team building

d. process consultation

e. social reinforcement

45. Which of the following is not a step in the appreciative inquiry process?

a. discovery

b. dreaming

c. devising

d. destiny

e. design

Contemporary Change Issues for Today’s Managers

46. _____ is a new idea applied to initiating or improving a product, process, or service.

a. A continuous improvement process

b. Double-loop learning

c. Innovation

d. Process reengineering

e. Organizational streaming

47. Which of the following has been the most studied potential source of innovation?

a. cultural variables

b. structural variables

c. human resource factors

d. champions

e. brainstorming

48. An organization that has developed the continuous capacity to adapt and change is termed a(n)

_____.

a. maladapted mechanism

b. continuous improvement process

c. innovative organization

d. double-loop learning organization

e. learning organization

49. _____ involves correcting errors using past routines and present policies.

a. Process reengineering

b. Single-loop learning

c. Double-loop learning

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d. Continuous improvement process

e. Organizational reaction

50. Errors that are corrected by modifying the organization’s objectives, policies, and standard

routines are part of _____.

a. single-loop learning

b. double-loop learning

c. process reengineering

d. the continuous improvement process

e. tertiary continuance

51. Which of the following is a characteristic of a learning organization? Its employees _____.

a. have standard ways of doing their jobs

b. pursue projects of interest

c. focus on breaking down barriers created by hierarchical levels

d. think in terms of independent relationships

e. have high levels of technical knowledge

52. Which of the following is not a characteristic of a learning organization?

a. There is a shared vision upon which everyone agrees.

b. People sublimate their personal self-interest to work together to achieve the organization’s

shared vision.

c. Members integrate old ways of thinking with new ideas.

d. People openly communicate with each other.

e. There is consensus on the direction of the organization.

53. Which is not a strategy for managers to make their firms learning organizations?

a. Establish a strategy that makes management’s commitment to innovation explicit.

b. Redesign the organization’s structure by f lattening the structure and increasing the use of

cross-functional teams.

c. Reshape the organization’s culture by emphasizing risk taking and openness.

d. Systematically collect data and then select a change action based on the analyzed data.

e. Make it clear that people high in the organization are behind any proposed change.

Work Stress and Its Management

54. For potential stress to become actual stress, _____ and _____ must be present.

a. people; organizations

b. ambiguity; importance

c. uncertainty; risk

d. importance; uncertainty

e. longing; loss

55. Which of the following is most likely to turn potential stress into actual stress?

a. An outcome is difficult to achieve.

b. The situation is complex.

c. An outcome is uncertain.

d. The situation involves competition.

e. Failure is certain.

56. Which of the following is not an organizational factor related to stress?

a. economic conditions

b. task demands

c. role demands

d. interpersonal demands

e. none of the above

57. Political uncertainties, economic uncertainties, and technological change are examples of which

category of potential sources of stress?

a. economic

b. environmental

c. organizational

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d. group

e. social

58. Family issues, economic problems, and personality characteristics are examples of the _____

factor of potential stress.

a. social

b. environmental

c. personnel

d. psychological

e. personal

59. Consequences of stress can surface as _____ symptoms.

a. physiological

b. psychological

c. behavioral

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

60. Which of the following characteristics is most likely to be associated with high stress?

a. considerable job experience

b. external locus of control

c. a high sense of competence

d. type B behavior

e. a positive outlook

61. Symptoms of stress such as increased blood pressure and increased heart rate are _____

symptoms.

a. psychological

b. physiological

c. behavioral

d. personal

e. reactive

62. Which of the following is not a psychological consequence of stress?

a. anxiety

b. low self-esteem

c. frustration

d. high blood pressure

e. a mood disorder

63. Excessive smoking, substance abuse, accident proneness, and appetite disorders are all

examples of _____ consequences of stress.

a. personal

b. psychological

c. behavioral

d. physiological

e. pathological

64. The most widely studied pattern in the stress-performance literature is the _____ relationship.

a. self-efficacy

b. reverse-inverted

c. inverted-U

d. double-loop

e. single-loop

65. _____ is an example of an individual approach to stress reduction.

a. Selection and placement

b. Redesigning jobs

c. Goal setting

d. Relaxation training

e. all of the above

66. Organizationally supported programs that focus on the employee’s total physical and mental

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condition are called _____ programs.

a. job redesign

b. relaxation

c. employee involvement

d. organizational development

e. wellness

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