Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 12e (Robbins/Judge)
Chapter 17 Organizational Change and Stress Management
1) Each of the following is most likely to result in the changing nature of the workforce except
________.
A) immigration
B) outsourcing
C) multicultural environment
D) demographic changes
E) changing literacy levels
2) The recent bankruptcy of auto manufacturers General Motors and Chrysler were caused due to
________.
A) changes in the social trend
B) political instability
C) changes in legal requirements
D) economic shocks
E) changing nature of the workforce
3) Organizations are increasingly adjusting their processes and positioning their products as
environment friendly and sustainable in order to increase their appeal to consumers. This is a
response to changes in ________.
A) demographic trends
B) social trends
C) cultural trends
D) legal requirements
E) nature of the workforce
4) Consumers now meet and share information in chat rooms and blogs. This is an example of
changes in the ________.
A) competition
B) nature of the workforce
C) social trends
D) legal requirements
E) economy
5) It is easiest for management to deal with resistance when it is ________.
A) covert
B) deferred
C) passive
D) implicit
E) overt
6) A(n) ________ resistance to change clouds the link between the change and the reaction to it
and may surface weeks, months, or even years later.
A) overt
B) immediate
C) active
D) explicit
E) deferred
7) Which of the following resistances to change is overt and immediate?
A) loss of loyalty
B) increased absenteeism
C) loss of motivation
D) increased error
E) complaint
8) Which of the following resistance to change is implicit?
A) strike
B) increased error
C) resignation
D) complaint
E) work slowdown
9) Organizations have built-in mechanisms—like their selection processes and formalized
regulations—to produce stability. When an organization is confronted with change, these
mechanisms act as a counterbalance to sustain stability. Which of the following organizational
sources of resistance to change is represented by these mechanisms?
A) group inertia
B) selective information processing
C) employee orientation
D) structural inertia
E) product orientation
10) Which of the following reactions from employees is preferable as a response to change?
A) silence
B) apathy
C) resignation
D) open discussion
E) increase in the use of sick time
11) Which of the following is an example of a source of individual resistance?
A) limited focus of change
B) product orientation
C) fear of the unknown
D) structural inertia
E) employee orientation
12) Which of the following is an example of an individual source of resistance to change?
A) structural inertia
B) selective information processing
C) limited focus of change
D) threat to established power relationships
E) group inertia
13) Which of the following is an example of an organizational source of resistance to change?
A) limited focus of change
B) security
C) fear of the unknown
D) selective information processing
E) economic factors
14) Limited focus of change is a major force for resistance to change that originates from an
organizational source. It indicates that ________.
A) groups in the organization that control sizable resources often resist change
B) changes in organizational patterns may threaten the expertise of specialized groups so these
groups tend to resist change
C) organizations have structural inertia that acts as a counterbalance to sustain stability
D) limited changes in subsystems tend to be nullified by the larger system
E) even if individuals want to change their behavior, group norms may act as a constraint
15) Selective information processing is a major force for resistance to change. It indicates that
________.
A) changes in organizational patterns may threaten the expertise of specialized groups so these
groups tend to resist change
B) individuals hear what they want to hear and they ignore information that challenges the world
they’ve created
C) limited changes in subsystems tend to be nullified by the larger system
D) groups in the organization that control sizable resources often resist change
E) even if individuals want to change their behavior, group norms may act as a constraint
16) After restructuring, your division has had trouble filling the open positions with appropriate
candidates. The selection processes used by human resources have not yet adjusted to the new
criteria required for the restructured job positions. This problem is an example of which kind of
resistance to change?
A) structural inertia
B) limited focus of change
C) group inertia
D) threat to expertise
E) threat to established power relationships
17) Which one of the following is not listed as a tactic for dealing with resistance to change?
A) acceleration
B) manipulation
C) participation
D) cooptation
E) education
18) Which tactic for overcoming resistance to change basically assumes that the source of
resistance lies in misinformation?
A) implementing changes fairly
B) participation
C) education and communication
D) coercion
E) cooptation and manipulation
19) Using covert influence to overcome resistance to change is called ________.
A) negotiation
B) cooptation
C) education
D) coercion
E) manipulation
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) Which tactic to overcome resistance to change is a relatively inexpensive 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) arbitration
22) “Buying off” the leaders of a resistance group by giving them a key role and seeking their
advice not to find a better solution but to get their endorsement is an example of ________.
A) coercion
B) cooptation
C) procedural fairness
D) distributive bargaining
E) operant conditioning
23) Which of the following tactics for overcoming resistance to change is most likely to be
beneficial when employees’ fear and anxiety are high?
A) education
B) building support and commitment
C) participation
D) implementing changes fairly
E) coercion
24) Procedural fairness while implementing changes is especially important when ________.
A) the organization is facing intense competition
B) the employees have participated in the decision making process
C) employees perceive the outcome as negative
D) the environment in which the business operates is dynamic
E) the employees are resisting the change due to group inertia
25) The management of a firm threatens to close a manufacturing plant whose employees are
resisting an across-the-board pay cut. If the threat is untrue, the management is using ________.
A) coercion
B) cooptation
C) education
D) manipulation
E) procedural fairness
26) The application of direct threats or force upon resisters is called ________.
A) negotiation
B) cooptation
C) manipulation
D) coercion
E) arbitration
27) 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
28) Who built on Lewin’s 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) Henry Mintzberg
29) Which of the following is the first step in the Kotter’s eight-step plan for implementing
change?
A) Create a new vision to direct the change and strategies for achieving the vision.
B) Establish a sense of urgency by creating a compelling reason for why change is needed.
C) Plan for, create, and reward short-term “wins” that move the organization toward the new
vision.
D) Form a coalition with enough power to lead the change.
E) Communicate the vision throughout the organization.
30) Which of the following is the last step in the Kotter’s eight-step plan for implementing
change?
A) Form a coalition with enough power to lead the change.
B) Establish a sense of urgency by creating a compelling reason for why change is needed.
C) Communicate the vision throughout the organization.
D) Reinforce the changes by demonstrating the relationship between new behaviors and
organizational success.
E) Consolidate improvements, reassess changes, and make necessary adjustments in the new
programs.
31) John Kotter built on Lewin’s three-step model to create a more detailed approach for
implementing change. Which of the following steps in the Kotter’s eight-step plan for
implementing change represents the “unfreezing” stage in the Lewin’s three-step model?
A) Plan for, create, and reward short-term “wins” that move the organization toward the new
vision.
B) Consolidate improvements, reassess changes, and make necessary adjustments in the new
programs.
C) Create a new vision to direct the change and strategies for achieving the vision.
D) Empower others to act on the vision by removing barriers to change and encouraging risk
taking and creative problem solving.
E) Reinforce the changes by demonstrating the relationship between new behaviors and
organizational success.
32) Which of the following steps in the Kotter’s eight-step plan for implementing change
represents the “movement” stage in the Lewin’s three-step model?
A) Establish a sense of urgency by creating a compelling reason for why change is needed.
B) Plan for, create, and reward short-term “wins” that move the organization toward the new
vision.
C) Form a coalition with enough power to lead the change.
D) Create a new vision to direct the change and strategies for achieving the vision.
E) Reinforce the changes by demonstrating the relationship between new behaviors and
organizational success.
33) Which of the following steps in the Kotter’s eight-step plan for implementing change
represents the “refreezing” stage in the Lewin’s three-step model?
A) Plan for, create, and reward short-term “wins” that move the organization toward the new
vision.
B) Consolidate improvements, reassess changes, and make necessary adjustments in the new
programs.
C) Create a new vision to direct the change and strategies for achieving the vision.
D) Empower others to act on the vision by removing barriers to change and encouraging risk
taking and creative problem solving.
E) Reinforce the changes by demonstrating the relationship between new behaviors and
organizational success.
34) ________ is a collection of change methods that seek to improve organizational
effectiveness and employee well-being.
A) Organizational development
B) Appreciative inquiry
C) Groupthink
D) Action research
E) Economic validity
35) 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
36) Which of the following is an organizational development technique that involves an outsider
assisting a manager to identify what to improve and how?
A) action research
B) intergroup development
C) appreciative inquiry
D) process consultation
E) social reinforcement
37) 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
38) Which of the following is a step in the appreciative inquiry process?
A) analysis
B) dreaming
C) inferring
D) classifying
E) collaboration
39) Appreciative inquiry (AI) is an organizational development technique. Which of the
following statements is true regarding appreciative inquiry?
A) It tries to identify discrepancies among member perceptions and solve these differences.
B) It uses high-interaction group activities to increase trust and openness among team members,
improve coordinative efforts, and increase team performance.
C) It involves an outside consultant who helps the manager to analyze processes within his or her
unit and identify what to improve and how.
D) It consists of four steps including discovery, dreaming, design, and destiny.
E) It seeks to change groups’ attitudes, stereotypes, and perceptions about each other.
40) Which of the following steps of the appreciative inquiry attempts to identify what people
think are the organization’s strengths?
A) dreaming
B) destiny
C) collaboration
D) inferring
E) discovery
41) During the “dreaming” step of appreciative inquiry, participants ________.
A) identify the organization’s strengths
B) use information from the discovery phase to speculate on possible futures
C) find a common vision of how the organization will look in the future
D) write action plans and develop implementation strategies
E) recount times they felt the organization worked best
42) During the “design” step of appreciative inquiry, participants ________.
A) find a common vision of how the organization will look in the future
B) use information from the discovery phase to speculate on possible futures
C) identify the organization’s strengths
D) recount times they felt the organization worked best
E) write action plans and develop implementation strategies
43) Idea champions display characteristics associated with ________ leadership.
A) narcissistic
B) transformational
C) autocratic
D) transactional
E) laissez-faire
44) Which of the following actions can extinguish risk taking and innovation?
A) long tenure in management
B) encouraging experimentation
C) rewarding for the absence of failures rather than for the presence of successes
D) using organic organizational structures
E) using an organizational structure that scores low on vertical differentiation, formalization, and
centralization
45) ________ 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