CPRE Leadership and Strategic Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Organizational change management is most likely to succeed when leaders:
- Announce changes with no advance warning
- Communicate a clear vision, involve stakeholders, and address concerns early (Correct answer)
- Mandate change through policy without explanation
- Delegate all change decisions to frontline staff
Correct answer: Communicate a clear vision, involve stakeholders, and address concerns early
Successful change management requires clear communication, stakeholder engagement, and proactive handling of resistance throughout the process.
Question 2: A key principle of evidence-based management in parks and recreation is:
- Relying solely on past practices and traditions
- Using data, research, and outcomes to inform decisions (Correct answer)
- Deferring all decisions to elected officials
- Avoiding benchmarking with peer agencies
Correct answer: Using data, research, and outcomes to inform decisions
Evidence-based management applies the best available data, research findings, and performance outcomes to guide organizational decisions.
Question 3: In public park agencies, which governance model separates policy-making from administration?
- Strong mayor model
- Council-manager model (Correct answer)
- Commission model
- Township model
Correct answer: Council-manager model
The council-manager model assigns policy-making to elected officials while professional managers handle day-to-day administration.
Question 4: A park executive preparing a board presentation on strategic priorities should focus on:
- Detailed operational procedures and staff schedules
- High-level outcomes, community impact, and policy-level decisions (Correct answer)
- Line-item budget details for each program
- Staff performance appraisal scores
Correct answer: High-level outcomes, community impact, and policy-level decisions
Board presentations should focus on strategic policy-level information and community outcomes rather than operational details.
Question 5: Which performance management approach aligns individual employee goals directly with organizational strategic objectives?
- Management by Objectives (Correct answer)
- 360-degree feedback
- Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales
- Critical incident method
Correct answer: Management by Objectives
Management by Objectives links individual performance targets to organizational goals, ensuring alignment between personal and agency priorities.
Question 6: Benchmarking in park and recreation management involves:
- Comparing agency performance metrics against peer agencies or industry standards (Correct answer)
- Setting internal minimum service standards only
- Auditing financial statements for accuracy
- Evaluating employee attendance records
Correct answer: Comparing agency performance metrics against peer agencies or industry standards
Benchmarking compares an agency's performance, practices, and outcomes against those of similar agencies or recognized best-practice standards.
CPRE Leadership and Strategic Management 2
Organizational change management is most likely to succeed when leaders: