MGT436 : Midterm Revision Exam

[CH1] In VUCA, Volatility refers to multiple interpretations or an unclear meaning, which makes it hard to know what to do next.

[CH1] 'Innovation', as a reason why change management is important, means that organizations must adapt to changing market conditions, technological advancements and customer needs.

[CH1] Most organizational changes have their major effects at the individual level, because most activities in organizations are organized on an individual basis.

[CH1] In PESTLE, the 'E' for Economic triggers includes examples such as taxation, exchange rates, interest and competitive pressures.

[CH4] In teleological theory, a specific goal drives purposeful change towards an envisioned end state, but there is no prescribed sequence of events.

[CH4] Life-cycle and teleological theories explain change that occurs through the interaction between two or more entities.

[CH4] The objectivist (positivist) approach relies on qualitative data to induce new concepts and theories and develop plausible explanations.

[CH4] The punctuated equilibrium model suggests that organizations often experience long periods of incremental adaptation followed by brief periods of revolutionary upheaval.

[CH5] ADKAR was developed by Prosci in 1998 after research with more than 300 companies undergoing major change projects.

[CH5] In the USAID model, the readiness assessment and the risk analysis are carried out as part of the 'Engage stakeholders' stage.

[CH5] One of the false assumptions about organizational change, described as 'nonsense', is that you need an individual champion of change.

[CH5] According to Stadler's principles for long-term survival, companies should explore new opportunities before exploiting their existing assets and capabilities.

[CH6] Schramm's (1954) model presents communication as an ongoing dialogue in which parties decode, interpret and encode messages in a continuous symmetrical flow to reach mutual understanding.

[CH6] In the coping cycle, the adaptation stage corresponds with the refreeze process of Lewin's model.

[CH6] In Isabella's temporal stages of change, the anticipation stage is when rumours are rife and speculative information abounds on what may or may not happen.

[CH1] A Bahraini logistics firm finds that fuel prices, shipping rates and customer demand now swing rapidly and unpredictably, making it very difficult to plan beyond a few weeks. Which element of VUCA does this mainly describe?

[CH1] Which of the following is NOT an internal force of change?

[CH1] A retail chain redesigns its product range because an ageing population and a rising middle class are creating new customer segments. Which external environment is driving this change?

[CH1] A food manufacturer must change its sourcing strategy after its main supplier becomes unreliable, while two new competitors enter its market. These pressures come from which external environment?

[CH1] A hospital's change project stalls after its budget is cut and several key staff are reassigned to other departments. Which common challenge in change management does this illustrate?

[CH1] A company launches a programme focused purely on the growth and improvement of its existing processes and staff skills, rather than on adapting to new circumstances. Which type of change is this?

[CH4] In a company, two powerful departments hold opposing interests. While their power is equally balanced the status quo continues, but when one side gains the upper hand a new synthesis emerges. Which theory of change best explains this?

[CH4] In the punctuated equilibrium model, what is meant by 'strategic drift'?

[CH4] A consultant describes an organization as loose networks of people with divergent interests who form competing coalitions and engage in political manoeuvring. Which of Morgan's metaphors is this?

[CH4] A manager argues that her organization cannot function without processing information, communicating and making decisions, and sees the organization as an iterative process of learning. Which of Morgan's metaphors is she using?

[CH4] A change manager believes that forces beyond management, as described by population ecology and life-cycle models, largely determine outcomes, so plans may be unachievable. Which image of managing change does this represent?

[CH4] Which image of managing change is about meaning making in organizations and draws on Karl Weick's sensemaking research?

[CH4] Which pair of change theories is associated with continuity, first-order change and a predictable (prescribed) mode of change?

[CH5] After attending formal training, staff at a bank understand how the new system works, but they still struggle to use it in their daily tasks, so the manager arranges on-the-job coaching and mentoring. Which ADKAR stage is the manager now addressing?

[CH5] Employees clearly understand why a new performance system is needed, yet few are willing to take part, so management introduces incentives and encourages participation. Which ADKAR stage is being targeted?

[CH5] A ministry reinforces its new e-services by restructuring departments, training staff and clarifying new policies, procedures and systems. Which USAID stage is this?

[CH5] Six months into a restructuring, a change leader refuses to announce that the project has succeeded, insisting that the team keep the desired outcomes in view and not rush the process. Which common perspective on change practice is he applying?

[CH5] Which of the following is NOT one of Stadler's four principles for long-term survival?

[CH5] In the practice of managing change, rules of thumb drawn from academic research are known as:

[CH6] After a new scheduling system goes live, nurses spend time testing it through trial and error, make modifications to deal with unforeseen hitches, and openly show frustration. Which coping cycle stage are they in?

[CH6] After a merger is announced, employees explain it by linking it to a similar merger at another bank and to restructurings the company went through in the past. According to Isabella, which stage is this?

[CH6] A CEO actively communicates a new customer-first vision, but a highly visible senior director continues to treat customers rudely in front of staff. According to Kotter, what is the most likely result?

[CH6] A company invites employees from every department to workshops to give their input on a planned restructuring. Which of the following is an anticipated limitation of this approach?

[CH6] During a town-hall meeting, a manager's words about the merger are positive, but his crossed arms, flat tone and avoidance of eye contact signal doubt. These wordless cues are examples of:

[CH6] Socialization processes, culture and collective sensemaking are factors of change readiness at which level?

[CH1] Explain why VUCA is so relevant to change. Define each of its four elements and explain the difficulty it creates for managers.

[CH1] List and explain five common challenges in change management, and for each challenge suggest a best practice that helps overcome it.

[CH1] List the three levels of change and explain each level, giving an example of each.

[CH4] List Morgan's eight metaphors of organizations and briefly explain each one.

[CH4] Palmer et al. identified six images of managing change. Explain the two dimensions they use, then explain the six images grouped by change outcome.

[CH5] List the five stages of Prosci's ADKAR model and explain each stage.

[CH5] List and explain the seven stages of the USAID change model.

[CH6] Explain the five stages of the coping cycle that employees typically go through during major organizational change, and relate them to Lewin's unfreeze-move-refreeze process.

[CH1] Identify the internal and external forces of change driving Gulf Pearl Bank's transformation, and classify each force into its category.

[CH1] Identify the common challenges in change management that Gulf Pearl Bank faced, and recommend best practices the bank should have used.

[CH5] Using Prosci's ADKAR model, diagnose which stages broke down at Gulf Pearl Bank and recommend actions for each weak stage.

[CH4] Using the punctuated equilibrium model, explain what happened to Al-Noor over time and identify the type of change now required.

[CH6] Identify the coping cycle stages shown by Al-Noor's employees, and explain the stages that should follow and how they relate to Lewin's model.

[CH6] Evaluate how the change at Al-Noor has been communicated so far, using Kotter's view of why change communication fails and the programmatic versus participatory strategies, and recommend improvements.