Instructor Resource
Burke, Organization Change, 5th edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
13
D. reinforcement of beliefs
26. Basic and underlying assumptions, according to Schein, ______.
A. tend to be nonconfrontational and non-debatable
B. extremely difficult to change
C. A and B
D. none of these
27. The two keys to successful cultural change are ______.
A. the management of the large amounts of anxiety that accompany relearning
B. the assessment of whether genetic potential for new learning is present
C. applying unlimited resources to the change effort
D. A and B
Instructor Resource
Burke, Organization Change, 5th edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
28. A communication principle inherent in any organizational change effort is ______.
A. establishment of a weekly newsletter
B. closely controlling disclosure of new information
C. communicating what will remain the same
D. engaging outside PR
29. The metaphor used in the British Airways culture change was that of a three-legged
stool, the legs of which were ______.
A. reason, tradition, and instruction
B. managing people first, performance appraisal, and pay for performance
C. people, places, and things
D. revenue, expenses, and savings
30. The primary aspects of culture are ______.
A. values and norms
B. deeply held beliefs and attitudes
C. long standing historical precedent
D. all of these
31. Of values, attitudes, or behavior, behavior is ______.
A. the easiest of the three to tackle
B. the result of values and attitudes
C. a consistent expression of beliefs
D. none of these
32. The difficulty with underlying assumptions is ______.
A. expressing them in a concrete way
B. gaining consensus on what they are
C. you cannot see them
D. all of the above
33. An intervention into a system causes ______.
A. disequilibrium
B. an effort to seek equilibrium
C. resistance
D. all these
34. Characteristics of an adaptive culture according to the work of Cotter and Heskett
include ______.
A. emphasis on underlying problems before they occur
B. focus on innovation
C. emphasis on trust
D. all of these
35. Of the three primary sources or concepts labeled by Schein, ______.
A. artifacts are what are first encountered
B. espoused beliefs and values are the last to be encountered
C. dependent on basic underlying assumptions
D. all of these
Instructor Resource
Burke, Organization Change, 5th edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
True/False
1. The most difficult aspect of organization change is changing an organization’s
culture.
2. Inefficiency is inferred from artifacts but for the observer it is an interpretation of what
one sees.
3. Social validation starts when a group is first formed to solve a problem, a leader or
two will emerge and come up with a solution, and the group will take some joint action
to believe that the leaders’ action and solution to the problem works.
4. The three legs of the stool represent the following: managing people first, manager
performance appraisals, and pay for performance.
5. Change should begin with the hardest part of an organizations culture, such as its
values.
6. Long-term focus is a big part of an adaptive culture according to Kotter and Heskett.
7. “What we stand for” is a very important belief in company culture and can shape the
company’s environment.
8. With respect to values, attitudes, and behavior, those three qualities as the order
listed also increase in difficulty to change when it comes to organizational culture.
9. An organization’s culture is a transformational.
10. To change the culture of an organization, it is most efficient when we attempt to
change at the outset espoused beliefs and values and basic underlying assumptions
that have not been yet determined or understood.
Short Answer
1. Describe British Airways’ “Managing People First” (MPF) programs. Explain the
symbolic significance of calling the program a “stool with three legs.”
2. List six (or more) characteristics of an adaptive culture, according to Kotter and
Heskett (1992). What did they learn about adaptive organizations that make being
adaptive desirable?
3. If you were in charge of an organization change initiatives, should your behaviors or
values matter first, according to Burke? Why? How would you proceed changing the
organization, starting with the new culture and proceeding to changing managers’
behaviors?
4. Until a group has taken some joint action that turns out to be successful, the
members will then believe that what they did actually works. Schein called this common
belief and acting “social validation.” Explain what he means.
5. The conceptualization of the British Airways change effort using the metaphor of a three-legged stool
was implemented by the head of human resources at the time. The second leg of the stool concerned
the performance appraisals for all managers. Why was the second leg described in the change effort
different?
6. Schein referred to one of the levels of cultural diagnoses as “espoused beliefs and
values. Describe what he meant and why it is useful.