End–of-Chapter Exercises
TOOLKIT EXERCISE 8.1
Critical Thinking Questions
See Zane Case (A) at the end of the book. Answer the following questions:
• Describe the health care environment in Massachusetts in the 1990s. What were the driving
forces for change that were pushing the industry? What impact did these forces have on New
England Medical Center?
• What’s wrong with Tufts-NEMC as Zane takes over as CEO in January 2004?
• Which type of change would you prefer to lead? Why?
Cawsey, Deszca, and Ingols: Organizational Change, 4e
• How did Zane evaluate the risk involved with the rebranding effort?
• What did Zane do to prepare for this emergency?
• How did Zane facilitate a solution?
• What do you think that you need to do to improve on your skills or create a situation
where you can be a successful change agent?
Cawsey, Deszca, and Ingols: Organizational Change, 4e
TOOLKIT EXERCISE 8.2
Myself as Change Agent
1. The following list of change agent attributes and skills represents an amalgam drawn from the
previous section. Rate yourself on the following dimensions:
Attributes of Change Leaders From Caldwell
Low 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 High
● Inspiring vision 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Entrepreneurship 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Integrity and honesty 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Learning from others 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Openness to new ideas 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Attributes of Change Managers From Caldwell
● Empowering others 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Team building 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Learning from others 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Adaptability and flexibility 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Problem solving 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Change Agent Attributes Suggested by Others
● Interpersonal skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Emotional resilience 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Tolerance for ambiguity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Tolerance for ethical conflict 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Flexibility 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Capacity to build trust 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Intelligence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
● Emotional intelligence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2. Do you see yourself as scoring high on some items compared to others? If so, you are more likely
to be comfortable in a change agent role. Lack of these attributes and skills does not mean you
could not be a change agent—it just means that it will be more difficult and it may suggest areas
for development.
4. Ask a mentor or friend to provide you feedback on the same dimensions. Does the feedback
confirm your self-assessment? If not, why not?
TOOLKIT EXERCISE 8.3
Your Development as a Change Agent
Cawsey, Deszca, and Ingols: Organizational Change, 4e
Novice change leaders often picture themselves as being in the right and those that oppose them as
somehow wrong. This certainty gives them energy and the will to persist in the face of such opposition.
It sets up a dynamic of opposition—the more they resist, the more I must try to change them, and so I
persuade them more, put more pressure on them, and perhaps resort to whatever power I have to force
change.
Or did you ask yourself, why would they hold the position they have? If you assume they are as
rational and as competent as you are, why would they think as they do? Think back to Table 8.2. Are
you at stage one, two, three, or four?
3. What are the implications of your self-assessment with respect to what you need to do to develop
yourself as a change agent?
TOOLKIT EXERCISE 8.4
What Is Your Change Agent Preference?
1. How comfortable are you with risk and ambiguity?
Do you seek order and stability or change and uncertainty?
2. How intuitive are you?
Do you use feelings and emotion to influence others? Or are you logical and systematic?
Why? What data do each have?
4. Given your responses to the above, how would you classify yourself? Are you:
● An emotional champion
● A continuous improver
5. How flexible or adaptive are you with respect to the approach you use?
Do you always adopt the same approach, or do you use other approaches, depending on the needs of the
situation?
TOOLKIT EXERCISE 8.5
Your Skills as a Change Team Member
1. Think of a time when you participated in a team. What was the team’s goal?
How well did the team perform? Were the results positive?
2. Did the team members exhibit the characteristics listed by Prosci listed below? Rate your team
members’ performance on these characteristics.
● Being knowledgeable about the business and enthusiastic about the change
● Having total commitment to the project, the process, and the results
● Being able to remain open minded and visionary
3. What personal focus do you have? Do you tend to concentrate on getting the job done—a task
focus? Or do you worry about bringing people along—a process focus?
4. How would you improve your skills in this area? Who might help you develop such skills?