Exam 12: Managing Innovation and Change

A change in demand for health care employees is an example of an economic change.

Refer to the Scenario below to answer the questions that follow. Fred's Situation (Scenario) Fred was not handling the change in his department well.The company had recently changed hands,and even though no jobs had been lost,people had been changing jobs and were being asked to move to different locations.The new leadership had a completely different outlook than those people he had worked under for the past 21 years.Fred found that he was unable to concentrate at work and generally felt like he did not like his job anymore.At home,he was getting headaches and having trouble sleeping,which only enhanced his feeling that things were not going to work out well for him.When he thought about it,he had always hated change.He worked in the job he did partially because it was considered stable (boring to some)and predictable.Fred's new boss kept trying to convince him that he was a valuable employee and that new opportunities,along with salary increases,were in his future.Unfortunately,Fred felt like he never knew what to expect the next day and what Fred really wanted was to have things the way they used to be. -Which of the following would be a behavioural symptom of Fred's stress?

If ABC Foods hired a consultant to decrease group friction and enhance cooperative work relationships,this would be an example of managing which change category?

The process that adapts employees to the organization's culture is called ________.

Refer to the Scenario below to answer the questions that follow. New Ideas (Scenario) Though New Ideas Inc.has been in business for 30 years,the company and its employees have seemingly been in a constant state of change.Paul Gill has been president of New Ideas for the last 15 years.During this time,he has had to change the strategic focus of the company three times.The employees have become vocal recently about the decrease in their bonus cheques and are demanding increased profits.It seems as though his competition is always introducing new products into the market,and the niches Gill thought New Ideas held leadership in are continuously changing.Recently the government has passed new legislation to increase the control of the product packaging and product contents.The technology used to manufacture the products is constantly improving to make the process more efficient. -The technology change in the manufacturing process to make it more efficient is the result of a competitor lowering its price.Therefore,it is a(n)________ force for change.

Which of the following represents the relationship between organizational culture and change?

Change-capable organizations discourage diverse teams and discourage mavericks.

Outside consultants tend to initiate less drastic changes than insiders would.

What are some of the common mistakes that managers make when leading change? Link the mistakes to Kurt Lewin's three-step process.

Many of today's managers face constant change,bordering on chaos.

The ________ metaphor likens an organization to a sea captain and crew who know exactly where they are going because they have made the trip many times before.

When employees at Microsoft use words such as work judo,eating your own dog food,and flat food,they are using organizational ________.

Refer to the Scenario below to answer the questions that follow. The Practice (Scenario) Kelly Rae works at an ophthalmology office where she has been employed as a technician for approximately one year.Due to a recent retirement,Kelly has been promoted to the position of clinic coordinator,where she is responsible for supervising and training other technicians,overseeing the doctor's schedules,and coordinating activities between the scheduling desk,the technicians,the insurance office,and the optical shop.Upon her promotion she was given a mandate by the doctors to "clean house" in an effort to make fundamental changes to enhance productivity. -If Kelly decided to enhance productivity by giving greater authority to other technicians and increasing formalization,she would be addressing which category of change?

To help counteract the effects of stress and eating too many doughnuts on the job,Fred decides to offer all employees a free annual gym membership.Fred has introduced a(n)________ program.

Cultural change is easier when the organizational culture is strong.

Refer to the Scenario below to answer the questions that follow. Dimensions of Culture (Scenario) Todd works for SeaLan Tech,a small environmental consulting firm that has just been purchased by Zerex,Inc.,a large biomedical research organization.The work environment at SeaLan had always been friendly and cooperative; people worked in teams and were encouraged to take risks.However,after meeting with the management of the new parent company,Todd believes there are considerable differences between the organizational cultures of Zerex and SeaLan.He is concerned that the new company will eliminate SeaLan's old culture,and he does not like the prospects. -Todd believes that the managers at Zerex are not very concerned about how their decisions affect other people in the organization.This relates to which dimension of organizational culture?

In organizations,people who act as catalysts and assume the responsibility for managing the change process are called ________ agents.

The Canadian Securities Administrators rules represent an example of which external force for change?

Younger organizations are typically less entrenched in their culture than older ones.This factor makes it relatively easier to manage change in a younger organization.

Organizational ________ involves any alteration in structure,technology,or people.