Organizational Development Flashcards

A coach helping a family business transition to professional management should FIRST address which organizational development challenge?

Answer: Clarifying governance roles and decision-making authority

Family-to-professional transitions succeed or fail on clear governance and role boundaries.

Which statement best describes 'process consultation' in OD?

Answer: The consultant helps the client understand and improve their own problem-solving processes

Process consultation, developed by Schein, builds the client's own capacity to diagnose and solve problems.

During a change initiative, an employee says, 'We tried this five years ago and it failed.' What type of resistance is this?

Answer: Resistance rooted in past organizational experience

Prior failed change efforts create cynicism that fuels resistance to new initiatives.

A coach wants to measure whether a leadership development program changed on-the-job behavior. Which level of Kirkpatrick's evaluation model applies?

Answer: Level 3: Behavior

Level 3 assesses whether participants apply what they learned back on the job.

Which scenario best illustrates 'organizational silos'?

Answer: Marketing and product teams duplicate work because they never share information

Silos occur when departments operate in isolation, causing duplicated effort and poor information flow.

A business coach recommends a RACI matrix to a disorganized project team. What problem does this tool primarily solve?

Answer: Unclear accountability and role confusion

RACI clarifies who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for each task.

What is the primary risk of implementing organizational change without securing buy-in from informal leaders?

Answer: Informal networks can quietly undermine adoption of the change

Informal leaders shape peer opinion, and their opposition can sink a change effort regardless of formal approval.