“Going native,” or becoming so close to the organization that the consultant is blind to
some of the issues is one _______ of being an _________ consultant.
a. advantage; internal
b. disadvantage; internal
c. advantage; external
d. disadvantage; external
Answer:
One advantage of doing interviews is that:
a. A large number of people can be contacted in a short period of time.
b. Important issues can be explored in depth.
c. They are quick and easy to accomplish.
d. Analysis is faster than other methods.
Answer:
Most clients will describe ____ problems, but the goal of the OD practitioner is to
discover the ____ problems.
a. personal; ambiguous
b. underlying; relationship
c. presenting; underlying
d. deep structure; symptomatic
Answer:
Which of the following is true about the matrix structure?
a. It can cause conflict when individuals have multiple managers.
b. It is easier to implement than other structures.
c. It is a good choice when the work is straightforward and there is a single area of
focus.
Answer:
The U.S. is generally known as a collective culture on the individualism-collectivism
dimension.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Which of the following practices is recommended to help sustain change? (mark all that
apply)
a. Periodic meetings to review how the change is going.
b. Reward systems that reinforce the change.
c. Large group gatherings to gather information about what is working and what
organizational members are struggling with.
d. Regular visits from outside observers to provide an objective examination of the
change.
Answer:
The ‘second generation” shift in OD came about when:
a. OD started to pay attention to the psychological needs of individuals.
b. OD recognized the importance of management and leadership practices.
c. OD began to look at systemic, systemwide concerns.
d. A new generation of OD practitioners took over after founding scholars retired.
Answer:
Coaching follows a process similar to the OD process we have learned, including
contracting, data gathering, diagnosis, feedback, and so on.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Coaching, like therapy or other psychological relationships, involves a deep
understanding of the client’s past, history, motives, and more.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Which of the following would likely be considered a team?
a. Four sales consultants who independently work on their own customer accounts.
b. Nine students who are all taking the same sociology course.
c. Three technicians who each take a step in the process of building custom computers.
d. All of the above.
Answer:
One ethical challenge that can occur in the contracting stage is:
a. The consultant misrepresents his or her qualifications to take on the project.
b. The consultant asks too many questions.
c. The consultant brings up the topic of his/her role or needs.
d. The consultant fails to issue a guarantee that he/she can fix the problem.
Answer:
The major finding described by Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory was that:
a. People were more often dissatisfied by the lack of promotions than any other
dissatisfier.
b. What people find dissatisfying at work was not usually associated with the job, but
conditions surrounding the job.
c. Those with greater benefits and job security were the most motivated.
d. Good environmental conditions at the job are associated with greater job satisfaction
than factors related to the work itself.
Answer:
Which of the following theories was influenced by studies and observations of Japanese
management styles, which began to be adopted in the U.S. in the 1970s and 1980s?
a. Theory X
b. Theory Y
c. Theory Z
d. Managerial Grid
Answer:
360 Feedback is an intervention where participants answer 360 questions about their
own personal style, leadership preferences, communication skills, and more so that they
receive a comprehensive view of their own skills and abilities.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Why are individual interventions sometimes insufficient for achieving organizational
change?
a. Individuals work in organizational systems that may resist their attempts to change.
b. Individuals rarely achieve successful change when it is forced on them.
c. Other individuals may not support the individual who tried to change.
d. All of the above.
Answer:
Which of the following describes a low power distance culture?
a. Organizational members will do what is asked and avoid taking risks.
b. Organizational members prefer a competitive environment where status and
achievement are important.
c. There is less emotional resistance to change and less emphasis on hierarchical
structures.
d. Organizational members take care of one another as in a family.
Answer:
When using an inductive data gathering strategy, the OD consultant should:
a. Use general labels like “leadership” and “teamwork” rather than specific examples.
b. Always use a model to help organize the data.
c. Organize a list of “headlines” along with supplementary descriptions or quotes.
d. Support the conclusions by providing the client with all raw data gathered.
Answer:
“People support what they help create” is a good summary of the OD value of:
a. Groups and teams
b. Participation and Involvement
c. Authenticity and trust
d. Growth, development and learning
Answer:
Which model of organizational change characterizes the organization as a set of inputs,
processes and outputs?
a. Systems theory
b. Social construction
c. Complex adaptive systems theory
d. Feedback theory
Answer:
Which of the following is the “deepest” element of organizational culture on this list
(less visible and most difficult to change)?
a. Language and jargon
b. Architecture and office layout
c. Decision-making styles
d. Assumptions and values
Answer:
Why do organization designers pay attention to lateral capability?
a. Lateral capability works to improve skill gaps created when members do not
understand the organization’s strategy.
b. Lateral capability improves the information technology needs across groups.
c. Lateral capability helps share information across boundaries created by the structure.
d. Lateral capability clarifies the roles and responsibilities in the structure.
Answer:
During the contracting meeting, it is important for the OD practitioner to:
a. Listen actively and carefully and let clients have the opportunity to express
themselves
b. Be direct, asking questions such as “Why haven’t you done something about this
sooner?”
c. Spend most of the time describing past successes dealing with similar problems for
similar clients
d. Fully describe one’s resume and educational background
Answer:
The recommendation to consider “depth” of intervention means:
a. Most interventions should reach the depth of the interpersonal psyche.
b. Practitioners should intervene at the appropriate level, no deeper than necessary.
c. Few changes can successfully be accomplished at the level of work content.
d. The newer the group, the deeper the intervention needed.
Answer:
If a client wants to exclude certain organizational members from the engagement
because they are likely to make him/her look bad, the consultant should consider this an
_____ practice of _____.
a. ethical; contracting
b. unethical; collusion
c. ideal; data gathering
d. unethical; breach of confidentiality
Answer:
When we agree to solve a client’s presenting problem without data to determine the
underlying problem, we are likely to experience a failed intervention. Why?
a. The change agent is not skilled.
b. We solved the wrong problem.
c. The client does not support the change.
d. The organization lacks readiness to change.
Answer:
Which of the following is an accurate assumption of Theory Y?
a. The average human being prefers to be directed and has little ambition.
b. In contemporary organizations, most people’s capabilities are only partially utilized.
c. Most people dislike and will avoid hard work.
d. Maximum productivity comes when employees fear getting fired if they do not
perform.
Answer:
One reason why the doctor-patient model of consulting is flawed is that:
a. It puts the consultant in the role of making the diagnosis without client buy in.
b. Responsibility for implementation rests with the consultant.
c. Clients have the responsibility of doing all data gathering.
d. Few consultants have medical degrees.
Answer:
Before developing a team intervention, many practitioners start with a _____ to better
understand what team issues need to be addressed.
a. team diagnostic survey
b. confrontation meeting
c. team startup meeting
d. role negotiation
Answer:
One difference between an OD (Action) approach to data analysis and an academic
(research) approach to data analysis is that an OD approach:
a. Is interested in a description of all the factors that impact the situation.
b. Requires completeness and comprehensiveness at every step.
c. Tries to eliminate bias and personal judgment.
d. Requires client involvement.
Answer:
What is a benefit of appreciative inquiry as a team intervention?
a. Team members are not bogged down by negativity but instead focus on their
strengths.
b. The intervention addresses opportunities, gaps, and action plans to solve pervasive
problems.
c. Past problems are solved through a disciplined process of inquiry, investigation, and
measurement.
Answer: