1. (TCO A) Which of the following options properly
identifies external and internal forces which drive change? (Points : 7)
External
forces for change are totally environmental; internal forces for change are
more economic.
An internal
force for change is a lack of diversity in the make-up of the senior
management, whereas an external force for change is a lawsuit by the EEOC
requiring the management to correct diversity failure in the company.
Internal
forces for change tend to create a faster change than external forces for
change.
The mimetic
isomorphism pressure to change was seen when Sarbanes Oxley was passed in order
to ensure that an Enron-like scenario never happened again. This was an
external vs. internal force for change.
None of the
above
Question 2. 2. (TCO A) Which of the following best shows a
company responding to identity pressures? (Points : 7)
McDonalds when
they started selling coffee drinks and salads
Domino’s
pizza’s new crust and pizza recipe
Dairy Queen
when it invented “the Blizzard”
The Wall
Street Journal when it went online
All of the above
Question 3. 3. (TCO B) Which of the following best defines
the “Six Box” model of diagnosing change? (Points : 7)
Includes
purpose, structure, rewards, and helpful mechanisms
Is based on
the conceptualization of the organization as a transformation process
Can be a
starting point for an organization that has not given attention to the trends
that may impact its future operations
Includes
strategy, structure, process, and lateral capability
Includes
structure, style, skills, super-ordinate goals, etc.
Question 4. 4. (TCO B) Using a model like the Burke-Litwin
Model to assist with diagnosing change will help the leader to do what? (Points
: 7)
Create change
agents who act more like caretakers than interpreters
Conceptualize
the change from fuzzy to a clear map
Hire more
employees when unemployment levels start to drop
Empower change
agents to increase expenses for tax reasons
All of the
above
Question 5. 5. (TCO C) The “nurturer” image of change agent
will change focus when she moves from “change sponsor” to “change implementer”
in the following way(s): (Points : 7)
A nurturer
will be the planner, the instigator, and the decision maker for change so when
she changes focus, she will ensure everyone follows the plan without
determining or considering the results on people.
A nurturer
will accept her role as sponsor and implementer and ensure her direct reports
do the same.
A nurturer, like a caretaker, assumes that
change managers receive rather than initiate change, and therefore has little
role in implementation other than protection.
A nurturer,
like Kotter’s theoretical manager Jim Kirk, will accept the change plan,
initiate the change boldly, and ensure a new structure is determined through
the project.
All of the
above
Question 6. 6. (TCO C) “This organization is running like
clockwork!” This statement by a company leader is likely to result in “no change”
because (Points : 7)
the leader is
blinded by the light.
the leader
believes his vision and mission of the company will align when the change is
over.
the leader has
diagnosed by image that the company needs no change.
the PESTEL framework has been unchallenged
for too long.
brainstorming
for change was uneventful.
Question 7. 7. (TCO D) The art of a leader managing the
meaning of a vision for followers and aligning it with his or her values is
called (Points : 7)
scripting.
performing.
staging.
norming.
framing.
Question 8. 8. (TCO F) The ability to either exhibit or
compartmentalize feelings and emotions in social and business settings is often
described as a person’s (Points : 7)
mental acuity.
psychosis.
emotional
intelligence.
level of
change agent status.
competence.
Question 9. 9. (TCO G) The “media richness” approach to
communicating change states that (Points : 7)
routine
changes should be explained in “media rich” communication like simulations or
“video game” style communication pieces whereas nonroutine changes should be in
a leaner and more impersonal form of communication piece like an e-mail or
bulletin board announcement.
the use of an
e-mail to explain a routine change is fine, but when nonroutine difficult
management problems/changes need to be communicated, “media rich” communication
like a face-to-face meeting should be considered.
media richness
scales start with the lowest on the scale being the most impersonal of
communication methods (flyers, computer reports) and the highest on the scale
being a physical presence (face-to-face communication).
media richness
scales start with the highest on the scale being the most impersonal of
communication methods (flyers, computer reports) and the lowest on the scale
being a physical presence (face-to-face communication).
Both A and D
are correct and B and C are incorrect
Both B and C are correct, and A and D are
incorrect
Question 10. 10. (TCO G) Crisis management communication
strategies for corporate situations which create injury or massive
environmental damage (such as the BP Gulf Oil Disaster) might include any of
the following, but almost always should include this one very important piece:
(Points : 7)
total and full
denial of blame.
shifting the
blame.
apology.
shift the
blame and apologize.
initial
delay/silence while reviewing victim responses to the crisis.
Question 11. 11. (TCO H) In July 2006, News Corporation
(owner Rupert Murdoch) bought MySpace for $580 million. In June 2011, NC sold
MySpace for $35 million to Specific Media. News Corp has stated in various filings
that it recouped the total cost of MySpace through an ad contract with Google,
but were tired of the “headache” of the site. 8 months later, through strategic
partnerships with Facebook and Twitter, and investor Justin Timberlake, the
site started to rejuvenate. Whether it will remake its brand remains a
question. To the employees who have been with MySpace since 2005 (pre-Murdoch
days) and who remain there in 2012 in the rejuvenation stage, the past 7 years
could be described as a time of (Points : 7)
charismatic
(inspirational) transformation.
cultural
readjustments.
sustaining
change.
All of the
above
None of the
above
Question 12. 12. (TCOs A, G, H) Which of the following is an example of the
Beer, Nohria view of dimensions of change using Theory E + Theory O combined,
from a leadership perspective? (Points : 8)
The Project
Manager communicates to the software development team the timeline for a change
and the CEO asks her to speed it up by 3 weeks.
The CIO
decides to move from a mainframe approach to a PC approach, notifies all of her
direct reports of the new vision, establishes a communication plan, timeline,
and project roll-out plan, communicates the change (including positives and
negatives) to stakeholders, and establishes a metrics system where innovation,
efficiencies, and positive feedback on the project is measured and rewarded via
awards, bonuses, and perks.
A fast food
company decides to remove one slice of cheese from their cheeseburgers,
although increasing the retail price by 10 cents, and has a cost savings which
increases its stock price significantly. A group of health experts touts the
company as being “health conscious” because the calorie content of the item is
lowered.
The CEO of a
Fortune 100 company hires a team of consultants to take over the HR department
and eliminates all in-house HR people (about 85 employees).
A department
head is invited to a meeting where he is asked to become a change agent for an
exciting new product line. He accepts the assignment and goes back to his desk,
whereupon he explains to his team that it is likely that their jobs will disappear
in the next year because of job obsolescence, but that anyone who might like to
consider helping with the new product line may be allowed to reapply for new
jobs which open up.
1. (TCO All) For the next set of questions , you will first
select ONE of the TCOs of the course. Then, you will be asked to write an essay
about the project you worked on this term over your two companies’ change
program based on the TCO you selected above. Select the TCO your essay question
will cover:
TCO A - Given that progressive and successful companies
require their employees to embrace change, examine how changing work conditions
impact the employees.
TCO B - Given the inherent reality that all organizations
must experience change in order to improve, demonstrate how “models” are used
in Change Management, for diagnosing an organization’s need for change.
TCO C - Given external, internal and/or multi-levels of
organization factors that drive change, assess and create a leadership model
which supports and promotes each type of change within the organization.
TCO D - Given that an organization’s mission and vision will
determine its strategy towards change, ensure that an organization’s change
initiative is aligned with and capitalizes on its culture and mission in
preparation for change.
TCO E - Given a selected Change Management implementation
“model”, determine the causes of change and develop a plan of action to
implement the change.
TCO F - Given that both organizations and their employees
commonly resist change, understand how to recognize and overcome barriers to
change and develop a strategy to manage resistance to change that will ensure
successful implementation of change.
TCO G - Given that developing a “vision for change” and
communicating that “vision” is a critical part of the change process, analyze
the key elements of the “vision for change” and develop a strategy to
communicate the change to the stakeholder.
TCO H - Given the organization’s goal of creating and
implementing a sustainable change while moving toward becoming a “learning”
organization, develop a plan to implement change in a sustainable manner that
can be applied to any change.
Using the TCO you selected from the list above, which you
felt was most relevant to your project this term, write an essay answer
explaining how the change management you saw in one of your companies from your
project this term followed or failed to follow the theory of success ingrained
in the TCO you have selected.
State the #1 thing you think that company’s change agent did
which most contributed to the success or failure of the change and why that
relates to the TCO you selected.
• Include
in the answer the name of the company you are discussing.
• Explain/analyze
why you think this way.
2. (TCOs A, E) Your project this term asked you to compare
and contrast two companies’ change projects or programs for change. This
question will review what you learned about the change projects in a
continuation of your project. It will ask you to apply course information to
your project companies. For your answer, be sure to reference the names of the
companies you studied in your project this term to help your instructor
determine the score of your response.
Evaluate ONE of your two companies’ change interventions
through the lens of Kotter’s Eight Step Model.
State first the steps. (10 points)
Assess how well the company realized each of the steps and what areas
were less than successful in their implementation. Speak to those failed steps and what the
implications were for the success or failure of the implementation. (10
points) Do you feel that Kotter’s model
did assist (if it was used) or would have assisted (if you feel it wasn’t used)
in this change? Why or why not? (15 points) (Points : 35)
3. (TCOs E,H) Your project this term asked you to compare
and contrast two companies’ change projects or programs for change. This
question will review what you learned about the change projects in a
continuation of your project. It will ask you to apply course information to
your project companies. For your answer, be sure to reference the names of the
companies you studied in your project this term to help your instructor
determine the score of your response.
Recall the article we discussed in Week 7, written by Beer
and Nohria regarding O-Change and E-Change. State the change project which was
at issue in both of your organizations you studied this term for your project.
Were these projects mainly “O-Change”, “E-Change”, or a combination of both?
Why do you think that? Use details from the article, “Cracking the Code of
Change” to support your answer and give examples from the article and from your
change project for your support. (Points : 35)
5. (TCOs C,D) Your project this term asked you to compare
and contrast two companies’ change projects or programs for change. This
question will review what you learned about the change projects in a
continuation of your project. It will ask you to apply course information to
your project companies. For your answer, be sure to reference the names of the
companies you studied in your project this term to help your instructor
determine the score of your response.
Consider ONE of your company’s change projects (not both
companies – just one.) State the company and the change
process/program/project. Name the leader of the change from that company.
Answer the following questions about that change:
A. What skill competencies related to change management did
you feel the change leader of your change exhibited well? (Consider the images
of change in your answer but don’t focus entirely on those images – discuss
competencies in change managers in this question.) Which important competencies
did you feel that leader did NOT exhibit?
B. Evaluate the leader’s implementation of the change as it
compared to the company’s vision and mission statement. Were they aligned? Did
this alignment (or misalignment) contribute to the success or failure of the
change? Why or why not? (Points : 35)
4. (TCO All) This question does not address your course
project. This change scenario is envisioned instead, for this question. First,
the scenario, and then the question.
Scenario: You have
been asked to handle a project where the company is going to close the plant in
your company and offer all of the workers an option of taking a buy-out
severance package which is quite generous OR relocate to another state, where
the business climate is much better (but the cost of living is higher and the
style of living is lower). The current location of the company is in an area
where people live well, the culture is great, and because it is in a college
town, there are many fun things to do on weekends, plays to attend, sporting
events, etc. The atmosphere is quite upbeat. The city where the company is
moving to has very little in the way of entertainment, the housing costs are
higher although not as nice, and property taxes are higher as well. The company
is offering moving costs for relocation costs, but not house sale assistance.
It is likely most of your employees are going to take the buy-out, but most of
them are in their late 30s or early 40s and are not going to be happy about it.
The question: This term, we studied organizational
development theory versus the more systematic nStep method of conducting a
change process. What would be the pros/cons of using OD theory for this change
project? What would be the pros/cons of using nStep? Which nStep would you
recommend for this if you use one? Of the two methods (nStep or OD), which
would you recommend we use for this particular change program? Why? (Points :
35)
