CTC CTC Organizational Culture & Systems Thinking 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'psychological safety' mean at the organizational culture level, and why does a CTC care about it?
- Physical safety protocols in the workplace
- A culture where individuals feel safe to speak up, take risks, and be vulnerable without fear of punishment — foundational for team learning and coaching (Correct answer)
- An HR policy ensuring non-discriminatory hiring
- A legal standard for workplace mental health
Correct answer: A culture where individuals feel safe to speak up, take risks, and be vulnerable without fear of punishment — foundational for team learning and coaching
Amy Edmondson's research shows psychological safety is essential for team learning, innovation, and the open dialogue that makes team coaching effective.
Question 2: Which systems thinking concept BEST helps a CTC explain why a team's quick-fix solution often creates new problems?
- Linear causality
- The 'fixes that fail' archetype (Correct answer)
- Organizational hierarchy
- Resource allocation theory
Correct answer: The 'fixes that fail' archetype
The 'fixes that fail' systems archetype describes how short-term solutions address symptoms without resolving root causes, often generating unintended consequences.
Question 3: A CTC observes that a team's 'stated values' and 'actual behaviors' are misaligned. What is this gap called?
- Value proposition disconnect
- The espoused theory vs. theory-in-use gap (Argyris & Schön) (Correct answer)
- Cultural competency deficit
- Performance management failure
Correct answer: The espoused theory vs. theory-in-use gap (Argyris & Schön)
Argyris and Schön's concept of espoused theory versus theory-in-use describes the gap between what people say they value and what their behavior actually reveals.
Question 4: In the context of organizational change, what is 'adaptive capacity' for a team?
- The team's ability to follow new procedures handed down by management
- The team's ability to learn, adjust, and thrive amid uncertainty and evolving demands (Correct answer)
- The organization's financial flexibility to fund change initiatives
- A measure of how quickly team members learn new software
Correct answer: The team's ability to learn, adjust, and thrive amid uncertainty and evolving demands
Adaptive capacity refers to a team's resilience and learning agility — its ability to sense change, shift approaches, and maintain effectiveness under uncertainty.
Question 5: What is a 'culture of accountability' and how does a CTC support its development?
- A culture where failure is punished to enforce standards
- A culture where team members take ownership of commitments and outcomes, supported by coaching that builds self-awareness and shared responsibility (Correct answer)
- A set of KPIs enforced by management
- A compliance framework mandated by external regulators
Correct answer: A culture where team members take ownership of commitments and outcomes, supported by coaching that builds self-awareness and shared responsibility
A true culture of accountability is built on intrinsic ownership, not fear — team coaches help teams develop the self-awareness and agreements that make this possible.
Question 6: Which of the following BEST demonstrates a CTC applying systemic thinking during a team session?
- Asking each team member to report their individual weekly tasks
- Exploring how the team's patterns connect to broader organizational dynamics, stakeholder relationships, and environmental pressures (Correct answer)
- Providing the team with a benchmarking report from similar organizations
- Creating a detailed project management timeline for the team
Correct answer: Exploring how the team's patterns connect to broader organizational dynamics, stakeholder relationships, and environmental pressures
Systemic coaching expands the team's view beyond internal dynamics to consider how they are shaped by and connected to the wider organizational system.
CTC CTC Organizational Culture & Systems Thinking 2
What does 'psychological safety' mean at the organizational culture level, and why does a CTC care about it?