CBC Organizational Development 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A coach is asked to help an organization where middle managers block change initiatives. According to force field analysis, these managers represent:
- Restraining forces (Correct answer)
- Driving forces
- Neutral variables
- External stakeholders
Correct answer: Restraining forces
Restraining forces are factors that resist or block movement toward the desired change.
Question 2: Which data-gathering method gives an OD practitioner the richest qualitative insight into organizational culture?
- Semi-structured interviews with employees at multiple levels (Correct answer)
- Reviewing last year's balance sheet
- Counting the number of open job requisitions
- Analyzing website traffic statistics
Correct answer: Semi-structured interviews with employees at multiple levels
Interviews across levels reveal underlying assumptions, norms, and perceptions that numbers cannot capture.
Question 3: In Kotter's 8-step change model, what should leaders establish FIRST?
- A sense of urgency (Correct answer)
- Short-term wins
- A guiding coalition
- New cultural anchors
Correct answer: A sense of urgency
Kotter's first step is creating urgency so people see the need for change.
Question 4: A client CEO wants to flatten the organization's hierarchy. Which outcome is the most realistic benefit a coach should highlight?
- Faster decision-making through fewer approval layers (Correct answer)
- Guaranteed elimination of all workplace conflict
- Automatic doubling of revenue
- Removal of the need for any management
Correct answer: Faster decision-making through fewer approval layers
Flatter structures shorten approval chains, which typically speeds up decision-making.
Question 5: Which intervention is classified as a 'techno-structural' OD intervention?
- Job redesign and enrichment (Correct answer)
- Executive one-on-one coaching
- Team-building retreats
- Conflict mediation sessions
Correct answer: Job redesign and enrichment
Techno-structural interventions change how work is designed and structured, such as job redesign.
Question 6: An organization's survey shows high engagement scores but rising turnover among top performers. What should the coach recommend?
- Conduct stay and exit interviews to uncover why high performers leave (Correct answer)
- Ignore turnover since engagement is high
- Discontinue engagement surveys entirely
- Raise everyone's salary immediately without analysis
Correct answer: Conduct stay and exit interviews to uncover why high performers leave
Targeted interviews diagnose the specific drivers of top-performer attrition before acting.
Question 7: Which concept describes an organization's shared, taken-for-granted beliefs that operate below conscious awareness?
- Basic underlying assumptions (Correct answer)
- Artifacts
- Organizational charts
- Standard operating procedures
Correct answer: Basic underlying assumptions
In Schein's model, basic underlying assumptions are the deepest, unconscious level of culture.
CBC Organizational Development 3
A coach is asked to help an organization where middle managers block change initiatives.
According to force field analysis, these managers represent: