CQIA Change Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which stage of Kotter's 8-Step Change Model involves identifying and empowering a group of people to lead the change effort?
- Creating a sense of urgency
- Building a guiding coalition (Correct answer)
- Developing a change vision
- Sustaining acceleration
Correct answer: Building a guiding coalition
Building a guiding coalition (step 2) means assembling a powerful group with shared commitment to lead and coordinate the change.
Question 2: When an organization introduces a new quality process and employees slow adoption by reverting to old habits, this behavior is best described as:
- Active resistance
- Passive resistance (Correct answer)
- Change fatigue
- Compliance
Correct answer: Passive resistance
Passive resistance occurs when employees do not openly oppose change but quietly continue old behaviors rather than embracing new ones.
Question 3: A change agent's primary responsibility in a quality improvement initiative is to:
- Approve the project budget
- Facilitate and champion the change process (Correct answer)
- Enforce disciplinary actions for non-compliance
- Design the technical solution independently
Correct answer: Facilitate and champion the change process
A change agent facilitates, advocates, and supports the change process to help the organization transition effectively.
Question 4: In Lewin's Force Field Analysis, 'driving forces' are best defined as:
- Forces that maintain the status quo
- Pressures that push toward change (Correct answer)
- Internal conflicts within the change team
- Budget constraints limiting improvement
Correct answer: Pressures that push toward change
Driving forces are factors that support or push toward change, counterbalancing the restraining forces that oppose it.
Question 5: Which communication approach is most effective when introducing a significant process change to frontline employees?
- Sending a single company-wide email announcement
- Providing two-way communication with opportunities for questions (Correct answer)
- Limiting information to managers only until rollout
- Communicating only after all details are finalized
Correct answer: Providing two-way communication with opportunities for questions
Two-way communication allows employees to ask questions, express concerns, and feel included, which increases buy-in and reduces resistance.
Question 6: A quality improvement team notices that their process change has produced short-term gains but staff are reverting. According to change management principles, what is most likely missing?
- A larger budget allocation
- Reinforcement and sustainment mechanisms (Correct answer)
- Additional technical training only
- A new project sponsor
Correct answer: Reinforcement and sustainment mechanisms
Without reinforcement—such as updated SOPs, recognition, and follow-up audits—changes are rarely sustained long-term.
Question 7: The ADKAR model of change management stands for Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and:
- Action
- Accountability
- Reinforcement (Correct answer)
- Results
Correct answer: Reinforcement
ADKAR's final element is Reinforcement—ensuring that change is sustained by recognition, incentives, and corrective actions.
CQIA Change Management 2
Which stage of Kotter's 8-Step Change Model involves identifying and empowering a group of people to lead the change effort?