Organizational Behavior, 17e (Robbins)
Chapter 18 Organizational Change and Stress Management
1) An example of change in the nature of the workforce is an increase in ________.
A) college attendance
B) mergers and consolidations
C) capital investment
D) divorce rates
E) cultural diversity
2) 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
3) Tescra Education is an educational publishing company that provides textbooks in the area of
higher education. The company has been in business for almost 20 years now and has earned
substantial profits during this period. Which of the following trends, if true, would drive the
company to change its business strategy?
A) a rise in the cost of electronic products such as iPads and e-book readers and subscription
charges for educational apps
B) an upward trend in students’ preference for face-to-face interaction with instructors using
traditional classroom learning techniques
C) a need for learning environments where students feel safe to apply the knowledge they’ve
acquired in the classroom to real-life situations
D) a decrease in the number of people going back to school to upgrade their skills, due to an
economic boom
E) an increase in the number of laws and regulations related to intellectual property
Fony Corp., headquartered in China, is a leading manufacturer of electronic devices and
solutions intended for professional markets. The company is considering upgrading the
technology currently being used at Fony’s manufacturing facility, located in Guangdong, that
specializes in producing lithium-ion batteries, which are used to power laptops, cameras, cell
phones, and other similar gadgets. The new technology is expected to increase efficiency levels
and will also allow for greater adherence to quality standards.
4) Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument that Fony Corp. should
upgrade its technology?
A) The market for consumer electronics such as laptops, cameras, cell phones, and other similar
gadgets is in the late maturity stage.
B) Fony will be able to recover the cost of the new technology within eight years.
C) Fony’s main client account is at risk after the client had to recall nearly 2 million notebooks
owing to defective batteries.
D) The existing technology is currently functioning at the optimal level and the cost of
maintenance is minimal.
E) Fony last upgraded its technology six years ago and it has an adequate budget to fund the
acquisition.
5) Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument that Fony Corp. should
upgrade its technology?
A) Employees fear that the new technology will render them obsolete.
B) The company will be able to recover the cost of the technology within four years of
implementation.
C) The new technology is expected to reduce the company’s overall cost of production.
D) The company’s main client is threatening legal action after it had to recall nearly 2 million
notebooks owing to defective batteries.
E) The technology which the company is considering adopting was recently developed and has
not yet been successfully implemented in a real business context.
6) An example of change in competition is ________.
A) U.S. manufactured Toyota vehicles
B) collapse of Enron Corporation
C) Iraq-U.S. war
D) increased interest in urban living
E) a decrease in interest rates
7) A paper sales company designs and offers a new method of purchasing and shipping
commercial quantities of paper through its Web site. The company used to do its business
through its sales representative. This is an example of a(n) ________ change.
A) accidental
B) secondary
C) planned
D) cognitive
E) integrated
8) ________ are persons who act as catalysts and assume the responsibility for managing
refinement activities.
A) Early adopters
B) Free riders
C) Laggards
D) Change agents
E) Whistle-blowers
9) Management of a company threatens to close a manufacturing plant in the company whose
employees are resisting an across-the-board pay cut. But this threat is actually untrue. In this
case, which of the following tactics of overcoming resistance to change is being used by the
management?
A) procedural fairness
B) negotiation
C) conciliation
D) manipulation
E) arbitration
10) Companies with dominant market share are less susceptible to the forces of change than
smaller businesses.
11) Change is not as inevitable for companies as it is for individuals.
12) What are the various forces that make it necessary for organizations to change?
13) Who are change agents?
14) Define change agent and describe where change is most likely to come from. Compare who
is most likely to be an agent of change and who is most likely to resist change. Explain your
answer.
15) 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
16) It is easiest for management to deal with resistance when it is ________.
A) concealed
B) deferred
C) passive
D) implicit
E) overt
17) 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
18) 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
19) Which of the following resistances to change is implicit?
A) strike
B) increased error
C) resignation
D) complaint
E) work slowdown
20) 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
21) Which of the following is an example of an individual source of resistance to change?
A) limited focus of change
B) product orientation
C) fear of the unknown
D) structural inertia
E) employee orientation
22) As a result of changing technology and unstable environment, your company is planning to
undertake restructuring of the business. The employees in your company are worried about this
upcoming change and many of them are anxious due to a fear that they will lose their jobs as a
result of this change. But that is not the case. The company only wants to restructure its business
units, and it is not planning to cut down on jobs. In such a situation, which of the following
techniques is most likely to be used by your company to deal with the employees’ resistance to
change?
A) implementing changes fairly
B) education and communication
C) participation
D) manipulation and cooptation
E) coercion
23) 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) habit
24) Limited focus of change is a major source of 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) organizations consist of a number of interdependent subsystems and one can’t be changed
without affecting the others
E) even if individuals want to change their behavior, group norms may act as a constraint
25) Selective information processing is a major source of 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
26) 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
27) 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
28) Which of the following tactics for overcoming resistance to change is most likely to be
beneficial when employees’ fear and anxiety are high?
A) manipulation
B) building support and commitment
C) participation
D) implementing changes fairly
E) coercion
29) 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) the 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
30) Using covert influence to overcome resistance to change is called ________.
A) negotiation
B) conciliation
C) education
D) coercion
E) manipulation
31) 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) arbitration
D) coercion
E) conciliation
32) 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
33) “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
34) The application of direct threats or force upon resisters is called ________.
A) negotiation
B) cooptation
C) manipulation
D) coercion
E) arbitration
Your company, Johnson Farm Products, has decided to expand its traditional business serving
farm owners in order to include home gardeners in its customer base. This change is not met with
enthusiasm by the sales personnel who have had good long-term relationships with area farmers.
You know that the change will be difficult to implement if you cannot overcome the resistance of
the sales personnel and obtain their cooperation.
35) You have brought in the local extension agent to explain demographics and the changing
nature of the area in which you live. The method for overcoming resistance that you have chosen
is ________.
A) education and communication
B) participation
C) negotiation
D) manipulation and cooptation
E) coercion
36) You have decided to involve the sales personnel in planning for the change and in stocking
appropriate new items to sell to gardeners. The method for overcoming resistance that you have
chosen is ________.
A) education and communication
B) participation
C) negotiation
D) manipulation
E) coercion
37) You have threatened to eliminate positions and even to close down the company if your sales
personnel don’t change their attitudes. The method for overcoming resistance that you have
chosen is ________.
A) education and communication
B) participation
C) negotiation
D) coercion
E) cooptation
Strum Services provides content management services to major educational publishers. Due to
low morale, the level of employee output has been below par, which has caused a backlog in
work.
38) Which of the following, if true, would strengthen the argument to use coercive techniques in
this situation?
A) The company is on a tight deadline to complete a major project for an important client.
B) The company is in its lean season and work volumes are low.
C) The company can afford to hire temp workers to handle the backlog and complete the work
on time.
D) The company’s workforce is comprised of employees with highly specialized skill sets.
E) Employees are demotivated because of the company’s stringent work culture.
39) Which of the following, if true, would weaken the argument to use coercive techniques in
this situation?
A) The company cannot afford to hire temp workers to handle the backlog and complete the
work on time.
B) The company has taken several efforts to improve the level of employee morale and
motivation.
C) The company’s current work volumes are quite high.
D) The company recently learned that one of its clients utilizes the services of a rival content
management firm.
E) The company just finished its peak season, during which employees were required to work
overtime and on weekends.
40) Underscoring the importance of social context, other work shows that even individuals who
are generally resistant to change will be more willing to accept new and different ideas when
they feel supported by their coworkers and believe the environment is safe for taking risks.
41) Resistance to change can be positive if it leads to open discussion and debate.
42) Cooptation combines manipulation and participation.
43) Employees are more accepting of changes when they are committed to the organization as a
whole.
44) What are the various individual sources of resistance to change?