OM Leadership & Organizational Development 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which leadership theory suggests that effective leadership depends on matching the leader's style to the maturity level of followers?
- Transformational Leadership
- Situational Leadership (Hersey & Blanchard) (Correct answer)
- Path-Goal Theory
- Leader-Member Exchange Theory
Correct answer: Situational Leadership (Hersey & Blanchard)
Situational Leadership by Hersey and Blanchard proposes that leaders should adapt their style (directing, coaching, supporting, delegating) based on the follower's development level.
Question 2: An organization undergoing rapid change frequently experiences resistance from employees. According to Kotter's 8-Step Change Model, what is the FIRST step a leader should take?
- Form a powerful guiding coalition
- Create a short-term win
- Create a sense of urgency (Correct answer)
- Communicate the change vision
Correct answer: Create a sense of urgency
Kotter's model begins with creating a sense of urgency so that employees understand why change is necessary and feel motivated to act.
Question 3: In organizational development, 'action research' is best described as:
- A competitive analysis method used to benchmark performance
- A cyclical process of diagnosing problems, planning interventions, implementing changes, and evaluating results (Correct answer)
- A technique for designing new organizational structures
- A method for selecting high-potential leaders
Correct answer: A cyclical process of diagnosing problems, planning interventions, implementing changes, and evaluating results
Action research is a collaborative, iterative OD methodology involving data collection, diagnosis, feedback, intervention, and evaluation in continuous cycles.
Question 4: A leader who focuses on inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, modeling the way, and encouraging the heart is demonstrating which leadership framework?
- Kouzes and Posner's Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership (Correct answer)
- Burns' Transactional Leadership Model
- Fiedler's Contingency Model
- Blake and Mouton's Managerial Grid
Correct answer: Kouzes and Posner's Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership
Kouzes and Posner identified these five practices through their research on what leaders do when at their personal best.
Question 5: Which concept describes the degree to which an organization's culture, structure, and processes are aligned with its strategic goals?
- Organizational congruence (Correct answer)
- Cultural relativity
- Strategic drift
- Institutional isomorphism
Correct answer: Organizational congruence
Organizational congruence (fit) refers to the alignment between strategy, structure, culture, and processes to optimize performance.
Question 6: During a large-scale organizational transformation, a manager notices that some employees are in the 'neutral zone' as described by William Bridges' Transition Model. What is the best leadership response?
- Accelerate the change timeline to shorten employee discomfort
- Provide clear communication, support, and temporary structures to guide employees through uncertainty (Correct answer)
- Replace resistant employees with new hires who embrace the change
- Revert to previous processes until employees are ready
Correct answer: Provide clear communication, support, and temporary structures to guide employees through uncertainty
The neutral zone is a period of confusion and anxiety; effective leaders provide clarity, support, and interim structures to help employees navigate it.
Question 7: Which leadership style is most appropriate when a team consists of highly skilled experts who are intrinsically motivated and need minimal supervision?
- Directing
- Coaching
- Delegating (Correct answer)
- Supporting
Correct answer: Delegating
Delegating is appropriate for highly competent and committed team members who can take full ownership of tasks with minimal leader involvement.
OM Leadership & Organizational Development 2
Which leadership theory suggests that effective leadership depends on matching the leader's style to the maturity level of followers?