SPP Change Management & Execution 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which scenario best illustrates 'change fatigue' in an organization?
- Employees enthusiastically adopting each new initiative
- A company that has not changed its strategy in five years
- Employees disengaging and resisting new initiatives due to a history of constant reorganizations (Correct answer)
- Leaders struggling to fund multiple change programs simultaneously
Correct answer: Employees disengaging and resisting new initiatives due to a history of constant reorganizations
Change fatigue occurs when repeated or poorly managed changes erode employees' willingness and ability to engage with new initiatives.
Question 2: What does a 'case for change' document primarily communicate?
- The technical specifications for new systems being implemented
- The rationale, urgency, and benefits of the proposed change (Correct answer)
- The project budget and resource allocation plan
- The legal and compliance requirements driving the change
Correct answer: The rationale, urgency, and benefits of the proposed change
A case for change articulates why change is necessary, what is at risk by not changing, and what benefits the organization will gain.
Question 3: In change management, what is 'resistance mapping'?
- Documenting technical obstacles in the implementation plan
- Identifying and categorizing sources, types, and levels of stakeholder resistance (Correct answer)
- Creating a Gantt chart of change milestones
- Mapping IT system dependencies affected by the change
Correct answer: Identifying and categorizing sources, types, and levels of stakeholder resistance
Resistance mapping systematically identifies who is resisting, why, and how intensely, enabling targeted interventions for each resistance type.
Question 4: Which leadership style is generally most effective when implementing transformational strategic change?
- Autocratic—dictating the change with no input from others
- Laissez-faire—allowing employees to self-direct all change activities
- Transactional—rewarding compliance and punishing non-compliance only
- Transformational—inspiring shared vision and engaging employees emotionally (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Transformational—inspiring shared vision and engaging employees emotionally
Transformational leadership motivates employees by connecting them to a compelling vision and appealing to higher-order values, which is critical during major change.
Question 5: A change management team delivers all training on time but employees still cannot perform the new tasks six months later. The most likely root cause is:
- Insufficient awareness of the change
- Lack of on-the-job reinforcement and practice opportunities after training (Correct answer)
- The change initiative was not approved by senior leadership
- The training content was delivered in the wrong language
Correct answer: Lack of on-the-job reinforcement and practice opportunities after training
Training alone does not ensure ability—employees need ongoing reinforcement, coaching, and practice opportunities to develop true proficiency.
Question 6: Which tool is most useful for sequencing and prioritizing multiple interdependent changes in a strategic transformation?
- Change portfolio roadmap (Correct answer)
- Organizational chart
- Net Promoter Score survey
- PEST analysis
Correct answer: Change portfolio roadmap
A change portfolio roadmap sequences changes over time, highlighting dependencies and managing the pacing to avoid overloading the organization.
Question 7: What is the strategic planner's role in ensuring change sustainability after formal project closure?
- Handing all responsibility to HR and closing the project file
- Embedding change outcomes into performance management, culture, and governance processes (Correct answer)
- Conducting a final stakeholder survey and archiving results
- Reassigning the change team to the next project immediately
Correct answer: Embedding change outcomes into performance management, culture, and governance processes
Sustainability requires anchoring new behaviors in HR systems, KPIs, governance structures, and cultural norms so they outlast the formal change project.
SPP Change Management & Execution 5
Which scenario best illustrates 'change fatigue' in an organization?