Instructor Resource
Burke, Organization Change, 5th edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Chapter 16: Organization Change: Summary and Integration
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. Gladwell’s (2000) book, The Tipping Point, suggests ways of understanding
organization change ______.
A. as contagious
B. as small events can have large consequences
C. both A and B
D. neither A nor B
2. “Connectors” are ______.
A. people who make sure the change message sticks
B. the arrows that designate the direction of change on an organization change model
C. the interim activities between change phases
D. none of these
3. The prelaunch phase starts off with ______.
A. determining the content
B. determining the process
C. taking the heat
D. training the people who will spread the message
4. Launching the initial key activities should occur during the ______ phase.
A. prelaunch
B. launch
C. postlaunch
D. sustaining
5. Repeating the message and using multiple leverage should occur during the ______
phase.
A. prelaunch
B. launch
C. postlaunch
D. sustaining
6. Dealing with unanticipated consequences ______.
A. may be the most important ingredient in sustaining organization change
B. requires leader intuition about new initiatives followed by quick data collection on the
consequences of the initiatives
C. requires changing approaches as needed to continue the change
D. all of these
7. What is the first thing to observe and analyze when considering organization change?
A. the culture
B. potential resistance
C. the external environment
D. none of these
8. Which of the following is/are commonalities that O’Toole (1995) found when he
researched successful organization change initiatives?
A. change had top-down management
B. the specifics of change were imposed from the top
C. the guts of the organization remained intact
D. all of these
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9. Positive organization change refers to ______.
A. change that moves forward, not backward
B. change that begins with stating problems and weaknesses before discussing positive
alternatives
C. an affirmative bias in change efforts that emphasizes strengths, capabilities, and
possibilities
D. applauding achievements toward the desired change
10. What is the paradox of positive organization change?
A. change moves forward, not backward
B. negative factors have a stronger impact on behavior than positive factors
C. applauding achievements can backfire during change
D. people prefer to be negative
11. For positive organization change to occur, it is best to ______.
Instructor Resource
Burke, Organization Change, 5th edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
6
A. use negative interventions (to counteract the paradox of organization change)
B. use only positive interventions
C. use both positive and negative interventions
D. not use any interventions
12. For positive organization to occur, it is best to ______.
A. keep a balance of positive and negative emphasis
B. overemphasize the positive
C. overemphasize the negative
D. emphasize the positive but do not overemphasize it
13. In order to survive in today’s constantly changing environment, ______.
A. organizations should determine and follow the type of change effort that is most
suitable for their own organization’s mission and goals
B. organizations should be focusing on evolutionary change
Instructor Resource
Burke, Organization Change, 5th edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
7
C. organizations should be focusing on revolutionary change
D. organizations should look for and stick with the latest organization change model that
incorporates the most up-to-date research and practice
14. According to Lawler and Worley (2006), the way for an organization to last in today’s
changing environment is to ______.
A. be prepared for emergencies
B. have a contingency plan
C. be designed and operated for change
D. routinely use the latest organization change model and undergo constant change
15. Which one of the following is not a category that Burke includes in his process list of
what we need to know more about as organization change agents?
A. size of organizational units
B. momentum
C. chaos during transition
Instructor Resource
Burke, Organization Change, 5th edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
D. communication
16. Which one of the following is not a category that Burke includes in his organizational
structure list of what we need to know more about as organization change agents?
A. self-directed groups
B. action learning
C. centralization/decentralization
D. cells
17. How should organizational performance be defined?
A. financial success
B. mission accomplishment
C. how well it adapts
D. in multiple ways
18. According to Burke, what is currently at the top of his list of priorities of
understanding more about organization change?
A. continuous change
B. evolutionary change
C. organization structure
D. transformational leadership
19. Which of the following theories does Burke believe holds promise for understanding
organizational change experiences that begin positively but end unsuccessfully?
A. closed versus open systems
B. organic systems
C. loosely coupled versus tightly couple systems
D. political systems
20. Tightly coupled systems are ______.
A. highly interdependent
B. highly independent
C. loosely interdependent
D. none of these
21. In changing an organization, utilizing an open system theory will ______.
A. be more direct
B. create negative entropy
C. take into account that systems survival is dependent on the external environment
D. B and C
22. In changing an organization, maintaining ideas about patterns automatic changes,
structure, and process will help us ______.
A. see the parallels between a cell, human being, and the organization
B. note that the parallels are not perfect but are sufficient as models for understanding
C. increase the speed of change
D. A and B
23. In changing an organization, keeping in mind the differences between continuous
and discontinuous change will ______.
A. have implications for how we plan the change
B. keep salient the attempt to affect the deep structure of the system
C. ensure the success of the change
D. A and B
24. In changing organizations, understanding level differences is important because
______.
A. it helps us determine how to deal with resistance
B. it is inherent in our plan for change
C. it determines our focus as to the individual, group, or system as a whole
D. all of these
25. In changing an organization, Alpha change is ______.
A. a difference among some relatively stable dimension of reality
B. recalibration of the intervals
C. the first step in any change
D. none of these