Deck 10: Change Management, Processual, and Contingency Approaches

Question 1

What is the first step in Kotter's eight-stage model of transformational change?

A) Establishing a sense of urgency
B) Ensuring there is a powerful change group to guide the change
C) Institutionalizing new approaches
D) Empowering staff to act on a vision

Answer 1

A

Question 2

According to Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton, which of the following is one of the four steps to be taken by change managers in order to ensure fast and effective change?

A) Ensuring staff satisfaction with the status quo of an organization
B) Focusing on whom to blame for a management mess
C) Engaging in relentless communication in order to direct staff
D) Refraining from communicating the monetary uncertainties involved in the change to staff

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The contingency change management approach is underpinned by the _____ image of managing change.

A) director
B) follower
C) interpreter
D) caretaker

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is the main difference between Prosci's ADKAR change model and McKinsey's change checklist approach?

A) Unlike ADKAR's change model approach, McKinsey's approach lays emphasis on leadership and management behaviors.
B) Unlike ADKAR's change model approach, McKinsey's approach lays emphasis on individuals who will be involved in and affected by change.
C) The circulation of rumors or misinformation has a greater effect on successful transformational change in the McKinsey's approach than in ADKAR's approach.
D) Unlike ADKAR's approach, McKinsey's approach is based on the premise that organizations change by changing one person at a time.

Question 5

_____ change theorists and practitioners take an "it depends" approach in which the style of change, especially the style of leadership, is dependent on the scale of the proposed change and the readiness of the staff to receive it.

A) Compulsion
B) Contingency
C) Processual
D) None of these

Question 6

Process theories see change unfolding over time in a messy and iterative way and thus rely more heavily on the image of a change manager as a(n)_____.

A) director
B) navigator
C) interpreter
D) caretaker

Question 7

Which of the following is a True statement about the duration, integrity, commitment, and effort (DICE) model developed by the Boston Consulting Group?

A) It advises change managers to calculate scores for any two of the four DICE factors.
B) It takes into account the years of experience of change managers.
C) It includes as a factor the amount of time between reviews or milestones.
D) It reveals whether a project is in the win zone, the worry zone, or the woe zone depending on a single factor's score.

Question 8

In the context of Kurt Lewin's stage model of change management, which of the following is involved in the unfreezing stage?

A) Changing attitudes by making people feel uncomfortable about the way things are because they could be improved
B) Embedding or institutionalizing the new behaviors to prevent people from drifting back to previous ways of doing things
C) Implementing the change to move to the desired new state
D) Preparing ground for change to take over through extensive communication

Question 9

What is the final step in Kotter's eight-stage model of transformational change?

A) Empowering staff to act on a vision
B) Ensuring there are short-term wins
C) Consolidating gains and producing more change
D) Institutionalizing new approaches

Question 10

In the context of Kurt Lewin's stage model of change management, embedding or institutionalizing the new behaviors to prevent people from drifting back to previous ways of doing things is called:

A) moving.
B) approaching.
C) unfreezing.
D) refreezing.

Question 11

Which of the following companies developed the awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement (ADKAR) model of change?

A) Prosci
B) Apple
C) McKinsey
D) Gartner

Question 12

Which of the following is a probable reason for the popularity of the checklist approach with professional bodies and management consultancies?

A) The lack of criticisms faced by this "rational linear" model of change
B) The codification of an otherwise messy and iterative management process
C) The monopoly exercised by a change manager in determining the chances of success
D) The non-linear nature of the checklist approach

Question 13

Which of the following is one of "the seven Cs of change" developed by the UK Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development?

A) Capturing learning
B) Criticizing stakeholders
C) Canceling communication
D) Capitalizing on losses

Question 14

Which of the following is one of the four factors in the DICE model developed by the Boston Consulting Group as part of the change by checklist approach?

A) Commitment
B) Innovation
C) Diligence
D) Efficiency

Question 15

According to Kotter's eight-stage model of transformational change, during the stage in which management would ensure that there is a powerful change group to guide the change, the actions taken would include:

A) performing market analysis.
B) forming a powerful guiding coalition.
C) removing organizational policies and structures that inhibit achievement of the vision of an organization.
D) rewarding "wins" to help provide motivation.

Question 16

According to the text, which of the following is the main reason for British Airways employees going on a strike in 2003?

A) To protest against the introduction of swipe cards for electronic clocking-in
B) To protest against the strict security measures implemented due to concerns about terrorism
C) To declare their concerns about how the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic might affect their safety
D) To strategically affect the governmental elections in Britain

Question 17

Which of the following laws that states that change often looks like a failure in the middle is invoked by Kurt Lewin's second stage of change?

A) Aitken's law
B) Kanter's law
C) Benford's law
D) Gossen's law

Question 18

Which of the following is a limitation of the processual perspective of change?

A) It tends to overly focus on individuals as proactive "movers and shakers" rather than on organizational processes.
B) It involves the danger of change being presented as overly simple.
C) It offers advice that covers only those issues to which change management should be sensitive.
D) It recognizes change as a static or time-bound event and not a dynamic one.

Question 19

The processual approaches is similar to contingency theory in that both assume that:

A) change unfolds differently over time and according to the context in which the organization finds itself.
B) change should not and cannot be solidified.
C) change should be seen as a series of linear events that occur within a given period of time.
D) change is inevitable, and therefore, strategic planning is a massive waste of time and resources.

Question 20

According to the text, which of the following is a strength of the processual perspective on change?

A) It recognizes the complexity of change, draws attention to the interaction between many factors at different levels, and shapes the nature, direction, and consequences of change.
B) It recognizes change as a static or time-bounded event or as a discrete series of events.
C) It highlights the personal nature of organizations and change and emphasizes the importance of the personal skill of the change manager.
D) It portrays individuals involved in change as proactive "movers and shakers" in a broad sequence of events.

Question 21

Which of the following is a disadvantage of the change management style of inviting participation?

A) It normally leads to poorer decisions than does deciding on one's own.
B) It tends to conflict with the concept of management accountability, and the management loses some control over outcomes.
C) It uses little of the available information to manage change.
D) It leads to lower commitment from staff who share ownership of the decision-making process.

Question 22

According to Dunphy and Stace, the style of change adopted when an organization needs major adjustments to meet environmental conditions, where there is little time for participation, and where there is support for radical change is called:

A) forced evolution.
B) focused transition.
C) charismatic transformation.
D) participative evolution.

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT one of Dawson and Andriopoulos's "general lessons" concerning change management practice?

A) Change leaders need to be politically sensitive and astute as change is a political process.
B) It is important to learn from both positive and negative experiences.
C) Communication is fundamentally important in steering processes in desired directions.
D) Many assumptions can be taken for granted, and time should not be wasted questioning these assumptions.

Question 24

According to the processual approach, external context includes:

A) administrative structures and human resources.
B) market and legislation.
C) Both of these
D) Neither of these

Question 25

The primary role of a change manager is to direct staff during complex situations.

Question 26

In the context of the scale of change identified by the Stace-Dunphy contingency matrix, which of the following best defines corporate transformation?

A) It refers to strategic change throughout an organization, to structures, systems, procedures, mission, values, and power distribution.
B) It refers to refining methods, policies, and procedures, typically at the level of the division or department.
C) It refers to distinct modifications to strategies, structures, and management processes, but not radical enough to be described as strategic.
D) It refers to restructuring departments and divisions, potentially radical, but at the level of parts of the organization and not the whole.

Question 27

One of the main criticisms of the contingency approach is that:

A) it may lead to resentment and rarely produces lasting behavior.
B) it is more ambiguous and difficult to explain than the simpler "off the shelf" competition from checklists and stage models.
C) it may not encourage collaboration and spread of change across business units.
D) it may lead to over-focusing on individual work groups rather than on how they may operate as part of a larger, corporate collective.

Question 28

According to John Kotter, transformational changes often fail because the changes are not embedded and because victory is declared too soon.

Question 29

According to Marco Gardini et al., change is said to be successful if:

A) there is hiring of new talent that can contribute to the change process.
B) there is a change in the organization's management once the need for change is realized.
C) it starts with a fresh set of already existing staff who are remotely associated with the activities that need to be improved.
D) a comprehensive program with clear and meaningful goals that links those in pivotal roles with the changes that the rest of the organization has to make is designed.

Question 30

Contingency approaches are still underpinned by the director image, but they do not claim to have discovered "the one best approach" for all types of organizational change.

Question 31

Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton advise change managers to create satisfaction among employees to make them welcome change better.

Question 32

The focus of the awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement (ADKAR) change model lies with the individuals who will be involved in and affected by change.

Question 33

Checklist approaches to change management assume that the process is logical and linear, and can therefore be controlled by planning and then following the correct set of steps.

Question 34

The Hope Hailey-Balogun change kaleidoscope is a context-sensitive approach to the design and implementation of change.

Question 35

The disadvantage of the "tell and sell" management style is that it may be seen as cosmetic, especially if consequences for staff are negative and serious.

Question 36

The first step in Kotter's eight-stage model of transformational change is to develop the vision for change.

Question 37

According to Patrick Dawson, to understand change, organizations must consider:

A) replacing old staff with new ones.
B) only the future context in which organizations are expected to function.
C) the substance of the change itself.
D) only the present context in which organizations function.

Question 38

Andrew Pettigrew cautioned against looking for single causes and for simple explanations for change; he instead pointed to the individual, group, organizational, social, and political factors that can affect the nature and outcomes of change.

Question 39

Which of the following pairs of researchers have developed a contingency matrix approach that begins by establishing a scale of change from "fine-tuning" to "corporate transformation"?

A) Drucker and Deming
B) Mento, Jones and Dirndorfer
C) Dunphy and Stace
D) Ghoshal and Bartlett

Question 40

According to Dunphy and Stace, the style of change where there is limited employee involvement in setting goals relevant to areas of responsibility is known as the:

A) collaborative stage.
B) coercive stage.
C) directive stage.
D) consultative stage.