Organizational Development Flashcards

In the context of OD, 'span of control' refers to:

Answer: The number of subordinates a manager directly supervises

Span of control describes how many direct reports a single manager oversees, affecting organizational layers.

Which change management approach involves pilot testing a change with a small group before rolling it out organization-wide?

Answer: Phased or pilot implementation

Pilot implementation tests the change on a limited scale first, allowing adjustments before full deployment.

An OD practitioner conducting a 'diagnostic' phase primarily aims to:

Answer: Gather data to understand the current state and identify gaps

The diagnostic phase collects data — through surveys, interviews, or observation — to understand what is happening and why.

Which type of organizational culture, according to the Competing Values Framework, prioritizes flexibility and external focus, encouraging innovation?

Answer: Adhocracy culture

Adhocracy culture emphasizes flexibility and external orientation, fostering creativity and entrepreneurial behavior.

In a marketing organization, 'job enrichment' is different from 'job enlargement' because enrichment:

Answer: Adds higher-level responsibilities and autonomy

Job enrichment increases the depth of a role by adding responsibility, autonomy, and skill variety — not just more of the same work.

Which concept describes an organization's ability to sense market shifts and reconfigure resources rapidly in response?

Answer: Dynamic capability

Dynamic capability is the firm's ability to integrate, build, and reconfigure internal and external competencies to match environmental changes.

A marketing department's 'psychological safety' climate primarily enables employees to:

Answer: Voice ideas and concerns without fear of punishment

Psychological safety allows team members to take interpersonal risks such as sharing new ideas or flagging mistakes.