Change Management Fundamentals 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which change management framework uses the concept of 'short-term wins' as a critical step to build momentum?
- ADKAR Model
- Lewin's Three-Step Model
- Kotter's 8-Step Model (Correct answer)
- Bridges' Transition Model
Correct answer: Kotter's 8-Step Model
Kotter's Step 6 calls for generating short-term wins to demonstrate visible progress, validate the strategy, and energize change agents.
Question 2: An organization that repeatedly announces changes but fails to follow through is most likely suffering from:
- Change overload
- Change cynicism (Correct answer)
- Change fatigue
- Change resistance
Correct answer: Change cynicism
Change cynicism develops when employees have experienced repeated failed or abandoned change efforts, leading to distrust of future change announcements.
Question 3: In the context of organizational change, 'sponsorship' primarily refers to:
- Financial funding secured for the project
- A senior leader actively championing and role-modeling the change (Correct answer)
- A vendor's contractual support for technology deployment
- A department's formal approval of the project scope
Correct answer: A senior leader actively championing and role-modeling the change
Sponsorship in change management means a senior leader visibly advocates for, authorizes, and actively participates in the change to signal its priority and legitimacy.
Question 4: Which of the following BEST describes the 'neutral zone' in Bridges' Transition Model?
- The period when change planning documents are finalized
- The in-between stage where old ways have ended but new ways are not yet established (Correct answer)
- The final phase when new behaviors are fully embedded
- The stakeholder analysis phase before change is announced
Correct answer: The in-between stage where old ways have ended but new ways are not yet established
The neutral zone is Bridges' middle phase — a disorienting, uncertain period between ending the old and beginning the new, where confusion and creativity can coexist.
Question 5: Why is it important to align change management activities with the project management plan?
- To ensure that change managers can approve project budgets
- To ensure people-side activities are timed with technical milestones so employees are ready when the change goes live (Correct answer)
- To transfer ownership of communications to the project team
- To reduce the number of steering committee meetings required
Correct answer: To ensure people-side activities are timed with technical milestones so employees are ready when the change goes live
Aligning change management with the project plan ensures that training, communications, and coaching happen at the right moments relative to technical go-live events.
Question 6: Which change management activity helps leaders understand and proactively address the root causes of employee resistance?
- A project risk register review
- Resistance management planning (Correct answer)
- A technical gap analysis
- A post-implementation review
Correct answer: Resistance management planning
Resistance management planning involves anticipating likely resistance sources, diagnosing root causes, and defining targeted interventions to address them before and during the change.
Question 7: When embedding change in organizational culture (the final step of Kotter's model), the MOST effective approach is to:
- Archive all project documentation in a central repository
- Tie the new behaviors to organizational success stories and succession planning (Correct answer)
- Reduce leadership involvement once adoption metrics are met
- Hand ownership entirely to the HR department
Correct answer: Tie the new behaviors to organizational success stories and succession planning
Anchoring change in culture requires explicitly connecting new behaviors to business results and ensuring they are reflected in hiring, promotion, and recognition practices.
Change Management Fundamentals 5
Which change management framework uses the concept of 'short-term wins' as a critical step to build momentum?