MGT Midterm Exam Quiz

Understanding culture is crucial for OD consultants because it helps them anticipate and identify potential obstacles and areas of resistance to change within an organization. Culture plays a significant role in shaping employees' attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, which can either facilitate or hinder the change process. By comprehending the cultural norms, values, and practices prevalent in an organization, OD consultants can develop strategies that align with the existing culture and address any resistance effectively. This allows them to tailor their interventions and increase the chances of successful organizational change.

The statement suggests that contact clients can also be considered primary clients. This means that individuals or entities who are in contact with a company can also be considered as primary clients, indicating that they hold significant importance to the company's business. Therefore, the statement is true.

The prospective OD practitioner should listen actively and carefully and allow clients to express themselves during the contracting meeting. This is important because it helps the practitioner understand the client's needs, concerns, and expectations. By actively listening, the practitioner can gather important information that will guide the OD intervention. It also shows respect and empathy towards the client, creating a positive and open communication environment. This approach allows for a better understanding of the client's situation and helps build trust and rapport between the practitioner and the client.

Change can be either planned or unplanned, meaning it can be intentionally initiated or occur unexpectedly. Additionally, change can be a one-time event or a continuous process. Therefore, the statement that change can be planned or unplanned, one-time or continuous is true.

This statement is true because it provides an example of an intervention and its design in a conflict situation. The organization is addressing the issue of unhappy customers by conducting training for customer service representatives on how to handle angry customers. This intervention aims to improve customer satisfaction and resolve conflicts more effectively.

Employee surveys are a common strategy in almost all large organizations because they provide valuable insights into employee satisfaction, engagement, and overall organizational climate. These surveys allow organizations to gather feedback from employees, identify areas of improvement, and make informed decisions to enhance employee experience and productivity. Moreover, employee surveys can help organizations identify potential issues, such as low morale or high turnover rates, and take proactive measures to address them. By regularly conducting employee surveys, organizations can foster a culture of open communication, demonstrate their commitment to employee well-being, and ultimately improve their overall performance.

Becoming an organization development consultant does not have a fixed or predetermined path. Different individuals may have different educational backgrounds, work experiences, and skill sets that can lead them to become organization development consultants. Some may have a degree in psychology or business, while others may have experience in human resources or management. Therefore, it is true that there is not one sole path to becoming an organization development consultant.

Becoming so close to the organization that the consultant is blind to some of the issues can be seen as a disadvantage of being an internal consultant. This is because when consultants become too embedded within the organization, they may lose objectivity and struggle to identify and address certain problems or challenges objectively.

This statement is true. OD values, which stands for organizational development values, do not provide specific directions or exact behaviors. Instead, they tend to outline guiding principles that organizations should follow. These values serve as a framework for decision-making and behavior within an organization, but they do not dictate specific actions or behaviors. Therefore, the correct answer is false.

Surveys provide breadth in data gathering because they allow researchers to collect information from a large number of respondents. Surveys typically involve a standardized set of questions that can be administered to a large sample size, providing a broad perspective on a given topic. This method enables researchers to gather data from a diverse range of individuals, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. In contrast, methods like interviews and focus groups provide depth by allowing for in-depth exploration of a smaller number of participants' perspectives.

In The Managerial Grid, the 9, 9 style refers to a high concern for both people and production. This means that individuals working together in this style prioritize both the needs of the team and the accomplishment of tasks. They strive for a balance between maintaining positive relationships and achieving high productivity. This style emphasizes teamwork, collaboration, and open communication, creating an environment of trust and mutual support among team members.

The correct answer is Systems theory. Systems theory views an organization as a complex system with inputs, processes, and outputs. It emphasizes the interdependence and interconnectedness of different components within the organization. This perspective helps in understanding how changes in one part of the organization can impact the entire system.

The purpose of contracting in this context is to establish mutual roles and needs, clarify confidentiality needs, understand the organization's commitment to change, and ask questions carefully and sensitively. However, "to further explore the problems" is not a purpose of contracting. Contracting is primarily focused on establishing agreements and understanding between parties, rather than exploring problems in depth.

Lewin's three-phase model is a systems theory model of change that looks at change as a process of unfreezing, moving, and refreezing. This model suggests that in order for change to occur successfully, individuals and organizations need to first unfreeze their current state, then move towards the desired state, and finally refreeze the new state to make it stable and permanent. This model emphasizes the importance of preparing for change, implementing the change, and then reinforcing and solidifying the change to ensure its sustainability.

An executive who hires an OD consultant to provide best practices in a content area (finance, IT, marketing) is most likely approaching the consultant with the Expert Model in mind. In this model, the consultant is seen as an expert in a specific field and is hired to provide knowledge and solutions to the organization. The executive expects the consultant to have deep expertise and to provide expert advice and guidance in the specific content area. This model is commonly used when organizations need specialized knowledge and skills that they do not possess internally.

It is not best to work out the remainder of the contract and then address the point of discomfort at a later date. If the OD practitioner is uncomfortable about some aspect of the contract during the contracting meeting, it is important to address it immediately rather than postponing it. Delaying the discussion may lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, or even legal issues later on. Open and honest communication is crucial in the contracting process to ensure that all parties are on the same page and that the contract reflects their needs and expectations.

If a client wants to exclude certain organizational members from the engagement because they are likely to make him/her look bad, this can be considered an unethical practice of collusion. Collusion refers to a secret agreement between two or more parties to deceive or defraud others. In this case, the client is colluding with the consultant to exclude certain members for personal gain, which goes against ethical principles of fairness, transparency, and equal treatment.

The statement is true because OD (Organizational Development) is a distinct field that focuses on improving organizational effectiveness and efficiency. While management consulting and training and development may be components of OD, they are not synonymous with it. OD encompasses a broader range of interventions and strategies aimed at enhancing the overall health and functioning of an organization.

The statement suggests that once a contract is agreed upon in writing, the consultant should not attempt to deviate from it, even if circumstances have changed. However, this is not necessarily true. In some cases, when circumstances change, it may be necessary for the consultant to renegotiate or make adjustments to the contract. Therefore, the correct answer is false.

Underlying problems are not the root cause or initial explanations of a situation. They are the problems that exist beneath the surface and contribute to the overall situation but may not necessarily be the main cause. Therefore, the correct answer is False.