Question 1

When trying to change a problem culture, management should undertake such steps as

Accepted Answer

A)  selecting a team of key employees to lead the culture change effort and design a plan for cultural change. 
B)  identifying which aspects of the present culture are supportive of good strategy execution and which ones are not. 
C)  drawing up an action plan to change the present culture and then persuading company personnel why this plan of action is good and will be successful. 
D)  conducting an employee survey to determine the organization's cultural norms and what company personnel like and dislike about the current culture. 
E)  employing a consultant with expertise in culture change and following his/her advice on how to proceed. 
A)  selecting a team of key employees to lead the culture change effort and design a plan for cultural change. 
B)  identifying which aspects of the present culture are supportive of good strategy execution and which ones are not. 
C)  drawing up an action plan to change the present culture and then persuading company personnel why this plan of action is good and will be successful. 
D)  conducting an employee survey to determine the organization's cultural norms and what company personnel like and dislike about the current culture. 
E)  employing a consultant with expertise in culture change and following his/her advice on how to proceed. B

Question 2

Leading the strategy execution process requires

Accepted Answer

A)  senior managers to be out in the field, seeing for themselves how well operations are going. 
B)  company managers to be diligent and adept in ferreting out problems and issues. 
C)  managers to push for better results when the strategy execution effort is not going well. 
D)  managers to have good business judgment in deciding what actions to take when corrective actions are necessary. 
E)  All of the above. 
A)  senior managers to be out in the field, seeing for themselves how well operations are going. 
B)  company managers to be diligent and adept in ferreting out problems and issues. 
C)  managers to push for better results when the strategy execution effort is not going well. 
D)  managers to have good business judgment in deciding what actions to take when corrective actions are necessary. 
E)  All of the above. E

Question 3

A useful guideline in designing strategy-facilitating policies and operating procedures is

Accepted Answer

A)  to prescribe enough policies to give organizational members clear direction in implementing strategy and to place desirable boundaries on their actions, then empower them to act within these boundaries however they think makes sense. 
B)  that strictly enforced policies work better than loosely enforced policies. 
C)  that more policies/procedures work better than few policies/procedures and that strict enforcement always beats lax enforcement. 
D)  to let individuals act in an empowered and self-directed way, subject only to the constraint that their actions and behavior be ethical and in step with the corporate culture. 
E)  to prescribe enough policies and procedures that little is left to chance in performing value chain activities; employees should have no leeway to do things in a manner that deviates from the company's best practices standard. 
A)  to prescribe enough policies to give organizational members clear direction in implementing strategy and to place desirable boundaries on their actions, then empower them to act within these boundaries however they think makes sense. 
B)  that strictly enforced policies work better than loosely enforced policies. 
C)  that more policies/procedures work better than few policies/procedures and that strict enforcement always beats lax enforcement. 
D)  to let individuals act in an empowered and self-directed way, subject only to the constraint that their actions and behavior be ethical and in step with the corporate culture. 
E)  to prescribe enough policies and procedures that little is left to chance in performing value chain activities; employees should have no leeway to do things in a manner that deviates from the company's best practices standard. A

Question 4

Which one of the following is a substantive culture-changing action that a company's managers can undertake to alter a problem culture?

Accepted Answer

A)  Identifying aspects of the present culture that pose problems 
B)  Revising policies and procedures in ways that will help drive cultural change and replacing senior executives who may be stonewalling needed organizational and cultural changes 
C)  Empowering employees to adopt whatever new work practices they believe will be an improvement 
D)  Making a concerted effort to turn the company's core competencies into distinctive competencies 
E)  Shifting from decentralized to centralized decision making so as to give senior executives more authority and control in driving cultural change 
A)  Identifying aspects of the present culture that pose problems 
B)  Revising policies and procedures in ways that will help drive cultural change and replacing senior executives who may be stonewalling needed organizational and cultural changes 
C)  Empowering employees to adopt whatever new work practices they believe will be an improvement 
D)  Making a concerted effort to turn the company's core competencies into distinctive competencies 
E)  Shifting from decentralized to centralized decision making so as to give senior executives more authority and control in driving cultural change

Question 5

The backbone of identifying, studying, and implementing best practices is

Accepted Answer

A)  business process reengineering. 
B)  a corporate culture that has a core value of operating excellence. 
C)  benchmarking. 
D)  Six Sigma quality control techniques. 
E)  innovative application of TQM techniques. 
A)  business process reengineering. 
B)  a corporate culture that has a core value of operating excellence. 
C)  benchmarking. 
D)  Six Sigma quality control techniques. 
E)  innovative application of TQM techniques.

Question 6

Once company managers have decided on a strategy, the emphasis turns to

Accepted Answer

A)  converting the strategy into actions and good results. 
B)  empowering employees to revise and reorganize value chain activities to match the strategy. 
C)  establishing policies and procedures that instruct company personnel in the ways and means of executing the strategy. 
D)  developing a detailed implementation plan that sets forth exactly what every department and every manager needs to do to proficiently execute the company's strategy. 
E)  building the core competencies and competitive capabilities needed to execute the strategy. 
A)  converting the strategy into actions and good results. 
B)  empowering employees to revise and reorganize value chain activities to match the strategy. 
C)  establishing policies and procedures that instruct company personnel in the ways and means of executing the strategy. 
D)  developing a detailed implementation plan that sets forth exactly what every department and every manager needs to do to proficiently execute the company's strategy. 
E)  building the core competencies and competitive capabilities needed to execute the strategy.

Question 7

Which one of the following statements about a high-performance culture is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  High-performance cultures are characterized by a pride in doing things right and a no-excuses sense of accountability. 
B)  High-performance cultures often have a low regard for high ethical standards, a strong preference for high-risk strategies, and a slow and methodical approach to responding to changes in the marketplace. 
C)  The challenge in creating a high-performance culture is to inspire high loyalty and dedication on the part of employees, such that they are energized to do things right. 
D)  In a high-performance culture, there's a razor sharp focus on what needs to be done. 
E)  In high-performance cultures, there's a strong sense of involvement on the part of company personnel and emphasis on individual initiative and creativity. 
A)  High-performance cultures are characterized by a pride in doing things right and a no-excuses sense of accountability. 
B)  High-performance cultures often have a low regard for high ethical standards, a strong preference for high-risk strategies, and a slow and methodical approach to responding to changes in the marketplace. 
C)  The challenge in creating a high-performance culture is to inspire high loyalty and dedication on the part of employees, such that they are energized to do things right. 
D)  In a high-performance culture, there's a razor sharp focus on what needs to be done. 
E)  In high-performance cultures, there's a strong sense of involvement on the part of company personnel and emphasis on individual initiative and creativity.

Question 8

For decentralized decision making to be successful it is predicated on a belief that

Accepted Answer

A)  top executives should establish a collegial, collaborative culture where decisions are made by general consensus on what to do and when. 
B)  strict enforcement of detailed procedures backed by rigorous managerial oversight is necessary because company personnel cannot be counted on to act wisely or keep costs to a bare-bones level. 
C)  decision-making authority should be pushed down to the lowest organizational level capable of making timely, informed, competent decisions. 
D)  most company personnel have neither the time nor the inclination to direct and properly control the work they are performing and that they lack the knowledge and judgment to make wise decisions about how best to do their work. 
E)  lower-level managers and employees should go up the ladder of command for approval on most all strategic and operating issues of much importance. 
A)  top executives should establish a collegial, collaborative culture where decisions are made by general consensus on what to do and when. 
B)  strict enforcement of detailed procedures backed by rigorous managerial oversight is necessary because company personnel cannot be counted on to act wisely or keep costs to a bare-bones level. 
C)  decision-making authority should be pushed down to the lowest organizational level capable of making timely, informed, competent decisions. 
D)  most company personnel have neither the time nor the inclination to direct and properly control the work they are performing and that they lack the knowledge and judgment to make wise decisions about how best to do their work. 
E)  lower-level managers and employees should go up the ladder of command for approval on most all strategic and operating issues of much importance.

Question 9

The character of a company's corporate culture is a product of

Accepted Answer

A)  the company's core values and business principles. 
B)  its style of operating and ingrained behaviors and attitudes. 
C)  the "chemistry" that permeates its work environment. 
D)  the work practices and behaviors that define "how we do things around here." 
E)  All of these. 
A)  the company's core values and business principles. 
B)  its style of operating and ingrained behaviors and attitudes. 
C)  the "chemistry" that permeates its work environment. 
D)  the work practices and behaviors that define "how we do things around here." 
E)  All of these.

Question 10

The overriding aim in building a management team should be to

Accepted Answer

A)  select people who are committed to decentralizing decision making and empowering employees. 
B)  assemble a critical mass of talented managers who can function as agents of change and further the cause of first-rate strategy execution. 
C)  choose managers experienced in controlling costs and flattening the organization structure. 
D)  select people who have similar management styles, leadership approaches, business philosophies, and personalities. 
E)  choose managers who believe in having a strong corporate culture and deeply ingrained core values. 
A)  select people who are committed to decentralizing decision making and empowering employees. 
B)  assemble a critical mass of talented managers who can function as agents of change and further the cause of first-rate strategy execution. 
C)  choose managers experienced in controlling costs and flattening the organization structure. 
D)  select people who have similar management styles, leadership approaches, business philosophies, and personalities. 
E)  choose managers who believe in having a strong corporate culture and deeply ingrained core values.

Question 11

The single most visible factor that distinguishes successful culture-change efforts from failed attempts is

Accepted Answer

A)  forceful management actions to empower employees to adopt new operating practices. 
B)  competent leadership at the top. 
C)  de-layering the management hierarchy. 
D)  developing a new values statement that inspires company personnel to put forth their best efforts to achieve performance targets. 
E)  convincing employees that top management is genuinely committed to high ethical standards and the exercise of corporate social responsibility. 
A)  forceful management actions to empower employees to adopt new operating practices. 
B)  competent leadership at the top. 
C)  de-layering the management hierarchy. 
D)  developing a new values statement that inspires company personnel to put forth their best efforts to achieve performance targets. 
E)  convincing employees that top management is genuinely committed to high ethical standards and the exercise of corporate social responsibility.

Question 12

The rationale for making strategy-critical value chain activities the primary building blocks in a company's organizational chart is based on

Accepted Answer

A)  the much shorter time it takes to build core competencies and competitive capabilities. 
B)  the benefit such an organizational scheme has in reducing costs. 
C)  the benefit such an organizational scheme has in improving the productivity of geographically scattered organizational units. 
D)  the thesis that if activities crucial to strategic success are to have the resources, decision-making influence, and organizational impact they need, they have to be centerpieces in the organizational scheme. 
E)  the benefit such an organizational scheme has in making the empowerment of employees more effective. 
A)  the much shorter time it takes to build core competencies and competitive capabilities. 
B)  the benefit such an organizational scheme has in reducing costs. 
C)  the benefit such an organizational scheme has in improving the productivity of geographically scattered organizational units. 
D)  the thesis that if activities crucial to strategic success are to have the resources, decision-making influence, and organizational impact they need, they have to be centerpieces in the organizational scheme. 
E)  the benefit such an organizational scheme has in making the empowerment of employees more effective.

Question 13

Some of the most important nonmonetary approaches to enhancing motivation and helping drive successful strategy execution include

Accepted Answer

A)  adopting promotion from within policies and acting on suggestions from employees. 
B)  providing attractive perks and fringe benefits. 
C)  creating a work atmosphere in which there is genuine sincerity, caring, and mutual respect among employees and management. 
D)  using frequent words of praise to recognize employees for commendable performance. 
E)  All of these. 
A)  adopting promotion from within policies and acting on suggestions from employees. 
B)  providing attractive perks and fringe benefits. 
C)  creating a work atmosphere in which there is genuine sincerity, caring, and mutual respect among employees and management. 
D)  using frequent words of praise to recognize employees for commendable performance. 
E)  All of these.

Question 14

Building dynamic capabilities and core competencies

Accepted Answer

A)  is best and most cost-effectively accomplished by forming alliances with outsiders. 
B)  generally requires recalibration of existing ones and adding new capabilities and competencies when necessary. 
C)  entails developing more breadth and depth in a company's knowledge base and stock of intellectual capital than rivals have. 
D)  can be done quickest by creating a new department and assigning it the task of imitating the desired capabilities that one or more rivals (or even companies outside the industry) have already developed. 
E)  entails hiring a cadre of people with the right talent and expertise and letting them lead the effort to establish a strong corporate culture that features the desired competence or capability. 
A)  is best and most cost-effectively accomplished by forming alliances with outsiders. 
B)  generally requires recalibration of existing ones and adding new capabilities and competencies when necessary. 
C)  entails developing more breadth and depth in a company's knowledge base and stock of intellectual capital than rivals have. 
D)  can be done quickest by creating a new department and assigning it the task of imitating the desired capabilities that one or more rivals (or even companies outside the industry) have already developed. 
E)  entails hiring a cadre of people with the right talent and expertise and letting them lead the effort to establish a strong corporate culture that features the desired competence or capability.

Question 15

Which one of the following is not a fundamental part of a company's culture?

Accepted Answer

A)  The work practices and behaviors that define "how we do things around here" 
B)  The "chemistry" that permeates its work environment 
C)  The company's core values and business principles 
D)  The company's strategic vision, strategic intent, and strategy 
E)  The style of operating and ingrained behaviors and attitudes 
A)  The work practices and behaviors that define "how we do things around here" 
B)  The "chemistry" that permeates its work environment 
C)  The company's core values and business principles 
D)  The company's strategic vision, strategic intent, and strategy 
E)  The style of operating and ingrained behaviors and attitudes

Question 16

Total quality management (TQM) emphasizes all but which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  100% accuracy in performing tasks 
B)  Continuous improvement in all phases of operations 
C)  Widespread adoption of industry standard operating practices 
D)  Benchmarking and total customer satisfaction 
E)  Empowerment of employees and team-based work design 
A)  100% accuracy in performing tasks 
B)  Continuous improvement in all phases of operations 
C)  Widespread adoption of industry standard operating practices 
D)  Benchmarking and total customer satisfaction 
E)  Empowerment of employees and team-based work design

Question 17

Building an organization capable of good strategy execution entails

Accepted Answer

A)  staffing the organization, building core competencies and competitive capabilities, and structuring the organization and work effort. 
B)  decentralizing authority for performing strategy-critical value chain activities, establishing at least two distinctive competencies, and hiring talented employees. 
C)  investing heavily in employee training, using an empowered organization design and organization structure in order to maximize labor productivity, and employing effective incentive compensation systems. 
D)  centralizing authority in the hands of a chief strategy implementer so as to create the leadership authority for driving implementation forward at a rapid pace. 
E)  empowering employees, maximizing internal operating efficiency, and optimizing core competencies. 
A)  staffing the organization, building core competencies and competitive capabilities, and structuring the organization and work effort. 
B)  decentralizing authority for performing strategy-critical value chain activities, establishing at least two distinctive competencies, and hiring talented employees. 
C)  investing heavily in employee training, using an empowered organization design and organization structure in order to maximize labor productivity, and employing effective incentive compensation systems. 
D)  centralizing authority in the hands of a chief strategy implementer so as to create the leadership authority for driving implementation forward at a rapid pace. 
E)  empowering employees, maximizing internal operating efficiency, and optimizing core competencies.

Question 18

Which of the following is not a common trait of an unhealthy company culture?

Accepted Answer

A)  A politicized internal environment 
B)  Hostility to change and a wariness of people who champion new ways of doing things 
C)  An aversion to looking outside the company for best practices, new managerial approaches, and innovative ideas 
D)  An aversion to incentive compensation, failure to recruit the best and brightest employees, subpar support for employee training, overemphasis on working in teams, and low ethical standards 
E)  A disregard for high ethical standards and an overzealous pursuit of wealth and status on the part of key executives 
A)  A politicized internal environment 
B)  Hostility to change and a wariness of people who champion new ways of doing things 
C)  An aversion to looking outside the company for best practices, new managerial approaches, and innovative ideas 
D)  An aversion to incentive compensation, failure to recruit the best and brightest employees, subpar support for employee training, overemphasis on working in teams, and low ethical standards 
E)  A disregard for high ethical standards and an overzealous pursuit of wealth and status on the part of key executives

Question 19

In moving to alter a problem culture, management should

Accepted Answer

A)  identify which aspects of the present culture are supportive of good strategy execution and which ones are not. 
B)  specify what new actions, behaviors, and work practices should be prominent in the "new" culture. 
C)  talk openly about the problems of the present culture and how new behaviors will improve performance. 
D)  employ visible, forceful actions-both substantive and symbolic-to ingrain a new set of behaviors, practices, and cultural norms. 
E)  All of these. 
A)  identify which aspects of the present culture are supportive of good strategy execution and which ones are not. 
B)  specify what new actions, behaviors, and work practices should be prominent in the "new" culture. 
C)  talk openly about the problems of the present culture and how new behaviors will improve performance. 
D)  employ visible, forceful actions-both substantive and symbolic-to ingrain a new set of behaviors, practices, and cultural norms. 
E)  All of these.

Question 20

Operating systems that support company strategies and value-creating internal processes include all of the following except

Accepted Answer

A)  customer database systems. 
B)  information systems to track supplier/partner/collaborative ally data. 
C)  human resources systems that maintain employee data. 
D)  systems to record and report financial performance data. 
E)  data management systems for undertaking benchmarking, TQM, and Six Sigma quality control. 
A)  customer database systems. 
B)  information systems to track supplier/partner/collaborative ally data. 
C)  human resources systems that maintain employee data. 
D)  systems to record and report financial performance data. 
E)  data management systems for undertaking benchmarking, TQM, and Six Sigma quality control.

When trying to change a problem culture, management should undertake such steps as

Leading the strategy execution process requires

A useful guideline in designing strategy-facilitating policies and operating procedures is

Which one of the following is a substantive culture-changing action that a company's managers can undertake to alter a problem culture?

The backbone of identifying, studying, and implementing best practices is

Once company managers have decided on a strategy, the emphasis turns to

Which one of the following statements about a high-performance culture is false?

For decentralized decision making to be successful it is predicated on a belief that

The character of a company's corporate culture is a product of

The overriding aim in building a management team should be to

The single most visible factor that distinguishes successful culture-change efforts from failed attempts is

The rationale for making strategy-critical value chain activities the primary building blocks in a company's organizational chart is based on

Some of the most important nonmonetary approaches to enhancing motivation and helping drive successful strategy execution include

Building dynamic capabilities and core competencies

Which one of the following is not a fundamental part of a company's culture?

Total quality management (TQM) emphasizes all but which one of the following?

Building an organization capable of good strategy execution entails

Which of the following is not a common trait of an unhealthy company culture?

In moving to alter a problem culture, management should

Operating systems that support company strategies and value-creating internal processes include all of the following except

What Is Strategy and Why Is It Important

Charting a Companys Direction: Vision and Mission, Objectives, and Strategy

Evaluating a Companys External Environment

Evaluating a Companys Resources, Cost Position, and Competitiveness

The Five Generic Competitive Strategies

Supplementing the Chosen Competitive Strategy-Other Important Strategy Choices

Strategies for Competing in International Markets

Corporate Strategy: Diversification and the Multibusiness Company

Strategy, Ethics, and Corporate Social Responsibility

Filters

Exam 10: Superior Strategy Execution-Another Path to Competitive Advantage

When trying to change a problem culture, management should undertake such steps as

Leading the strategy execution process requires

A useful guideline in designing strategy-facilitating policies and operating procedures is

Which one of the following is a substantive culture-changing action that a company's managers can undertake to alter a problem culture?

The backbone of identifying, studying, and implementing best practices is

Once company managers have decided on a strategy, the emphasis turns to

Which one of the following statements about a high-performance culture is false?

For decentralized decision making to be successful it is predicated on a belief that

The character of a company's corporate culture is a product of

The overriding aim in building a management team should be to

The single most visible factor that distinguishes successful culture-change efforts from failed attempts is

The rationale for making strategy-critical value chain activities the primary building blocks in a company's organizational chart is based on

Some of the most important nonmonetary approaches to enhancing motivation and helping drive successful strategy execution include

Building dynamic capabilities and core competencies

Which one of the following is not a fundamental part of a company's culture?

Total quality management (TQM) emphasizes all but which one of the following?

Building an organization capable of good strategy execution entails

Which of the following is not a common trait of an unhealthy company culture?

In moving to alter a problem culture, management should

Operating systems that support company strategies and value-creating internal processes include all of the following except

What Is Strategy and Why Is It Important

Charting a Companys Direction: Vision and Mission, Objectives, and Strategy

Evaluating a Companys External Environment

Evaluating a Companys Resources, Cost Position, and Competitiveness

The Five Generic Competitive Strategies

Supplementing the Chosen Competitive Strategy-Other Important Strategy Choices

Strategies for Competing in International Markets

Corporate Strategy: Diversification and the Multibusiness Company

Strategy, Ethics, and Corporate Social Responsibility

Filters