MGMT 417: Final Exam ACTUAL
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Be able to define and describe what is meant by Organizational Development (OD). There is a
good
description of the characteristics of OD approaches summarized by Beckhard on pages 281-82 -
Correct answers✔A planned approach to change where top executives are committed; changes
attitude and behaviors of members in an organization; groups and teams form the key focus in
change
Be able to describe the role of the OD practitioner. - Correct answers✔Role: Internal or external,
helps to structure activities to help the organizational members to solve their own problems and
learn to do it better.
What are the criticisms of OD approaches to change management? - Correct answers✔1)
Definitions and concepts: difficult to connect with organizational effectiveness
2) Internal Validity Problem: whether the change was caused by change intervention or other
factors
3) Extern Validity Problems: whether the techniques are appropriate for all other organizational
settings
4) Lack of Theory: there is no hard proof to show researches what to look for in studies
5) Problems With Measuring Attitude Changes: people may view satisfaction scales differently
the second time taking it for before and after surveys
6) Problems With Normal Science Approaches to Research: is not like a typical science test
because it is action research
What is Appreciative Inquiry? What are the four steps typically involved in AI? - Correct
answers✔Builds on what is working well in an organization
-Change is framed as a process of identifying what might be possible in the future by building on
existing strengths
, 1) Discovering the good qualities in what is currently practiced
2) Building on existing knowledge to contemplate what the future could be
3) Designing, through collective dialogue, what should be
4) Sustaining the organization's future
What is Positive Organizational Scholarship? What are the essential elements of POS? - Correct
answers✔Viewing positives in the organization in hopes that it will spread.
-Adopting a 'positive lens' on any situation
-Focusing on 'spectacular, surprising, or extraordinary' outcomes
-Seeing positivity as providing the capacity for greater achievements
-Assuming that humans have an innate inclination to try to achieve the best that can be achieved
What are the major criticisms of POS? - Correct answers✔-Whether a particular behavior is
positive is a subjective judgement
-Positive and negative could be the same side of the coin
-Prioritising positive behaviours risks insufficient attention being given to the important change
that can come from attention to negative behaviors?
-'Be positive' programs can have a coercive element
Be able to describe what is meant by sense-making and why it may be useful in managing and
responding to change. - Correct answers✔"a social process of meaning construction and
reconstruction through which managers understand, interpret, and create sense for themselves
and others of their changing organizational surroundings"
-treats organizations as being in an ongoing state of adjustment to changing circumstances (rather
than ever being 'frozen'
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Be able to define and describe what is meant by Organizational Development (OD). There is a
good
description of the characteristics of OD approaches summarized by Beckhard on pages 281-82 -
Correct answers✔A planned approach to change where top executives are committed; changes
attitude and behaviors of members in an organization; groups and teams form the key focus in
change
Be able to describe the role of the OD practitioner. - Correct answers✔Role: Internal or external,
helps to structure activities to help the organizational members to solve their own problems and
learn to do it better.
What are the criticisms of OD approaches to change management? - Correct answers✔1)
Definitions and concepts: difficult to connect with organizational effectiveness
2) Internal Validity Problem: whether the change was caused by change intervention or other
factors
3) Extern Validity Problems: whether the techniques are appropriate for all other organizational
settings
4) Lack of Theory: there is no hard proof to show researches what to look for in studies
5) Problems With Measuring Attitude Changes: people may view satisfaction scales differently
the second time taking it for before and after surveys
6) Problems With Normal Science Approaches to Research: is not like a typical science test
because it is action research
What is Appreciative Inquiry? What are the four steps typically involved in AI? - Correct
answers✔Builds on what is working well in an organization
-Change is framed as a process of identifying what might be possible in the future by building on
existing strengths
, 1) Discovering the good qualities in what is currently practiced
2) Building on existing knowledge to contemplate what the future could be
3) Designing, through collective dialogue, what should be
4) Sustaining the organization's future
What is Positive Organizational Scholarship? What are the essential elements of POS? - Correct
answers✔Viewing positives in the organization in hopes that it will spread.
-Adopting a 'positive lens' on any situation
-Focusing on 'spectacular, surprising, or extraordinary' outcomes
-Seeing positivity as providing the capacity for greater achievements
-Assuming that humans have an innate inclination to try to achieve the best that can be achieved
What are the major criticisms of POS? - Correct answers✔-Whether a particular behavior is
positive is a subjective judgement
-Positive and negative could be the same side of the coin
-Prioritising positive behaviours risks insufficient attention being given to the important change
that can come from attention to negative behaviors?
-'Be positive' programs can have a coercive element
Be able to describe what is meant by sense-making and why it may be useful in managing and
responding to change. - Correct answers✔"a social process of meaning construction and
reconstruction through which managers understand, interpret, and create sense for themselves
and others of their changing organizational surroundings"
-treats organizations as being in an ongoing state of adjustment to changing circumstances (rather
than ever being 'frozen'
