Chapter 17: Developing a Change Plan

1. Beckhard and Harris (1987) define the period of time between the identification of the need for change and the achievement of a desired future state as the ______________.

‘period of uncertainty’ ‘change process’ ‘probationary period’ ‘transition state’

2. Which of the following is NOT one of the things the person tasked with managing the change needs in order to be effective?

Ability A sense of humour Respect Clout

3. According to Clegg and Walsh (2004), what problems can arise when different people are working on a change project at different stages?

They can make different assesments They can prioritize different objectives Opportunities to influence and learn from each other are restricted All of the above

4. Which change tool is useful for stimulating thinking about what needs to be done before a full implementation plan is drawn up?

The Awakishi diagram Oakland’s ‘readiness for change’ framework Critical path analysis The Toyota production system

5. Which of the following is NOT one of the ways a change manager might respond to change participants’ perceptions of the appeal and likelihood of change occurring, according to Dibella (2007)?

Expedite Encorage and empower Reframe Block

6. Which of the following is NOT a reason why Quinn (1993) suggests that an incremental approach to planning and implementing change can have advantages even when change managers do have a view of where they want the organization to be?

It improves the quality of the information used in key decisions It helps overcome the personal and political pressures resisting the change It avoids issues related to the variety of lead times and sequencing problems associated with change It builds the overall awareness, understanding and commitment required to ensure implementation.

7. How many characteristics of effective transition plans do Beckhard and Harris (1987) identify?

Nine Seven Three Five

8. Critical path analysis is a useful tool for _______________________.

scheduling and identifying resource requirements evaluating change participants’ journey through different stages identifying who needs to lead the change None of the above

9. The first step in drawing up a critical path analysis is to list all tasks that need to be undertaken, the time to complete each task, and:

who will perform each one the dependencies between each one rank each according to its importance consider if any can be dropped

10. Nadler and Tushman (1989) suggest that one of the most scarce resources during a period of change is:

all change participants’ time money technical know-how senior staff-time

11. What can happen when existing control systems reward current practice and offer little incentive for development work?

People are discouraged from investing their time in this work People are keen to experiment with new behaviours People feel undervalued None of the above

12. What are the two main sections of Oakland’s figure of eight framework for successful change?

Developing a change plan and implementing change Readiness for change and implementing change Implementing change and learning from change Readiness for change and change leadership

13. According to Oakland (2013), if there is a lack of leadership and direction, what is the result?

No urgency and no action False starts and wrong directrions Never leave the start Successful change is possible

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