TEST QUESTIONS - Copyright ©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publis...

Chapter 1 Organization Development and Reinventing the Organization 271 Copyright ©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter 1

Organization Development and Reinventing the Organization

TEST QUESTIONS

True/False Questions

• The increasing rate of change in a company’s external environment is one reason for

the utilization of organization development.(T, easy, p. 3)

• Organizations are considered static systems.

(F, easy, p. 3)

• Since planned change can not take into consideration unfolding and unknown events,

OD is change based upon current conditions so that an organization can react to the latest market conditions.(F, moderate, p.3-5)

• The objective of OD techniques is to focus on a small segment of an organization so

that it will not impact the rest of the system.(F, easy, p. 4)

• Both planned changes and the systems approach are used in organization

development.(T, easy, p. 4-5)

• Characteristics of OD include a collaborative approach to change and an emphasis on

performance.(T, easy, p. 5)

• A humanistic concern for personal growth is a characteristic of organization

development.(T, easy, p. 5)

• Once a successful organization such as Google has defined a business model, the

reason and importance of developing plans for change diminish.(F, easy, p. 6) 1 / 4

272 Chapter 1 Organization Development and Reinventing the Organization Copyright ©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

• OD practitioner Warren Bennis suggests that the three underlying factors in the

emergence of OD are the need for new forms, an increase in social awareness, and a focus on cultural change.(T, moderate, p.6)

• Successful firms in the 21st century will share common traits, including being faster,

more customer oriented, and larger.(F, easy, p. 7)

• In attempting to manage today’s organizations, many executives find that their past

failures to give enough attention to the changing environment are now creating problems for them.(T, easy, p. 7)

• Environmental analysis was an early OD approach to change.

(F, easy, p. 8-9)

• A country such as China likely will not have OD programs, as OD is primarily

limited to developed countries with democratic governments.(F, moderate, p. 9)

• OD specialists may be either internal or external OD practitioners.

(T, easy, p. 9)

• OD specialists who are internal practitioners typically come from areas of the

organization such as finance and manufacturing.(F, easy, p. 9-10)

• The OD practitioner is always a member of the organization so that the issue of trust

is satisfied.(F, easy, p. 9-10)

• Some OD practitioners consist of organization members, such as managers, who

apply OD to their work.(T, easy, p. 10)

• Organization culture refers to the general characteristics of an organization such as

the size of the organization, where it is physically located, and the layout of the buildings.(F, easy, p. 10)

• Norms are the rules and regulations of an organization regarding the conduct of

employees.(F, easy, p. 10-11)

• Peripheral norms are those norms that are essential to an organization’s objectives.

(F, easy, p. 11)

• Pivotal norms are not critical to the success of an organization and they allow the

members the freedom to express their individualism.(F, easy, p. 11) 2 / 4

Chapter 1 Organization Development and Reinventing the Organization 273 Copyright ©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

• Socialization is the process that adapts employees to the organization’s culture.

(T, easy, p.11-12)

• It is important for new employees to read carefully the organization’s employee

handbook and policy manual so that they may learn the peripheral norms of the organization.(F, moderate, p. 12)

• An employee who utilizes creative individualism accepts peripheral norms and

questions the peripheral norms.(T, moderate, p. 12-13)

• A pivotal norm in the sales department could be a peripheral norm in the finance

department, even within the same organization.(T, moderate, p. 12-13)

• A good psychological contract will focus on cultural values and avoid addressing job

expectations.(F, easy, p. 14)

• A psychological contract is a written agreement, typically part of the employment

contract, documenting the expectations of both the individual and the organization.(F, easy, p. 14)

• Research into the effectiveness of psychological contracts has shown that the

obligations of the employee are the most critical determinants of organizational commitment.(F, moderate, p. 14)

• A primary difference between OD and other behavioral science techniques is an

emphasis on viewing the organization as a total system.(T, easy, p. 15)

• The action research model does not call for feeding back information to the

organization in order to prevent confusing the members.(F, moderate, p.15-16)

• OD is considered a political and power type of intervention within an organization.

(F, p. 17)

• / 4

274 Chapter 1 Organization Development and Reinventing the Organization Copyright ©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Multiple-Choice Questions

• Which of the following is (are) one of the major sets of forces in organization

environment over the years?

• customers
• competitors
• government
• unions
• all of the above

(e, moderate, p. 3)

• The reason OD has emerged is because the external environment for most

organizations is becoming more _____.

• simple and predictable
• complex and dynamic
• bureaucratic and rigid
• subject to manipulation by the firm
• static and predictable

(b, moderate, p. 2-6)

• In organization development, a practitioner must consider not only the external

environment of the organization, but also _____.

• customers
• suppliers of production inputs
• the needs of society
• the needs of employees
• answers c and d

(d, moderate, p. 4)

• OD is oriented to improving organizational _____.
• growth
• effectiveness
• profitability
• goals
• none of the above

(b, moderate, p. 4)

• The field of OD is the discipline that _____.
• is rich in abstract theory
• is almost entirely intuitive
• is almost a pure science
• applies behavioral science to management problems
• all of the above

(d, easy, p. 4)

• / 4