Change Agent Organizational Development Flashcards

A change agent observes that a new ERP system rollout succeeded technically but employees reverted to old workarounds. This failure reflects a gap in which phase of change?

Answer: Refreezing

Refreezing embeds new behaviors into norms, processes, and culture; without it, employees revert to familiar habits even after technical implementation.

Which OD concept refers to designing jobs to include more skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback?

Answer: Job enrichment via the Job Characteristics Model

Hackman and Oldham's Job Characteristics Model identifies these five core dimensions that increase motivation, satisfaction, and performance.

An organization-wide survey reveals that 60% of employees distrust senior leadership. As a change agent, your FIRST step should be:

Answer: Share the data with leaders and facilitate a dialogue about root causes

Transparency and participative dialogue about survey findings build credibility and enable leaders to understand and address trust issues collaboratively.

In Kotter's 8-Step Model, what is the purpose of 'creating short-term wins'?

Answer: To build momentum and credibility by demonstrating early evidence of progress

Short-term wins provide visible proof that the change is working, which sustains motivation and counters skepticism among stakeholders.

Which term describes an organization's ability to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and adapt to incremental change and sudden disruptions?

Answer: Organizational resilience

Organizational resilience specifically encompasses the capacity to withstand and recover from disruptions while continuing to function and adapt.

A change agent facilitating a team retreat uses 'future search' methodology. This is BEST described as:

Answer: A large-group intervention that brings diverse stakeholders together to create a shared future

Future Search is a participative large-group method that engages a cross-section of stakeholders to discover common ground and co-create preferred futures.

When an organization has high 'structural inertia,' a change agent should expect:

Answer: Strong resistance rooted in established rules, processes, and culture

Structural inertia — deeply embedded processes, hierarchies, and cultural norms — creates powerful resistance to change that must be systematically addressed.