Organizational Change and Stress Management
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What role do managers play in shaping the organization’s change culture?

  • They primarily focus on financial performance.
  • They ensure all employees follow strict protocols.
  • They act as change agents through their decisions and behaviors. (correct)
  • They maintain a consistent workload without adjusting for changes.

    • Which type of stress is described as entirely negative and should be eliminated?

  • Acute stress that encourages performance.
  • Motivational stress that aids in completing tasks.
  • Challenge stressors that promote growth.
  • Hindrance stressors such as bureaucracy. (correct)

    • What is a proactive measure managers can take to alleviate harmful workplace stress?

  • Only addressing stress when performance issues arise.
  • Offering stress-coping resources to employees. (correct)
  • Increasing workload without consultation.
  • Ignoring employee concerns to maintain authority.

    • How can managers identify extreme stress in employees?

    <p>By tracking health-related absenteeism and performance declines.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which managerial approach aids in fostering an adaptive organizational culture?

    <p>Promotion of open communication and adaptability.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary objective of planned change in an organization?

    <p>To improve organizational adaptability</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT considered a force for change?

    <p>Employee satisfaction surveys</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a common source of stress for U.S. employees?

    <p>Lack of control</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Change that happens due to external shifts is defined as what?

    <p>Unplanned change</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT listed as a consequence of stress at work?

    <p>Financial instability</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What individual strategy can help reduce stress levels?

    <p>Increased physical exercise</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role do change agents play in an organization?

    <p>They manage change activities</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which approach is considered a workplace strategy for managing stress?

    <p>Better selection and placement</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which factor does NOT typically contribute to social trends that initiate organizational change?

    <p>Technological advancements</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the definition of change according to the content?

    <p>Something that happens irrespective of agreement</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do management and employees often perceive stress differently?

    <p>Management sees stress as a performance enhancer while employees see it as pressure.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Research indicates that stress impacts workers from different cultures. What is true about these findings?

    <p>Job stress is universally detrimental to all employees.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of these is an example of a force that can push for change within an organization?

    <p>Global recession</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following can help reduce job strain for employees?

    <p>Training to enhance self-efficacy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best describes planned change?

    <p>A strategic intent to achieve specific outcomes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What characteristic makes individuals more prone to work-related stress?

    <p>Lack of experience</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a physiological symptom commonly linked to job stress?

    <p>Poor health</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What outcome is associated with employees who are committed to their goals?

    <p>Lower levels of stress</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which job redesign factor can help reduce employee stress?

    <p>Enhancing autonomy and responsibility</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How can increasing employee involvement in management decisions affect role stress?

    <p>It helps decrease role stress</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which structural variable is most positively associated with innovation?

    <p>Organic structures</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role does formal organizational communication play in managing employee stress?

    <p>Lowers role conflict</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of rewards positively influences innovation in organizations?

    <p>Innovation-contingent rewards</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which factor is NOT associated with fostering an innovative culture?

    <p>Strict adherence to routines</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of employee extended leave or sabbaticals?

    <p>To allow employees to pursue personal projects</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Corporate wellness programs typically provide workshops that focus on which of the following?

    <p>Enhancing total physical and mental health</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key characteristic of innovative organizations in relation to inter-unit communication?

    <p>High levels of inter-unit communication</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is essential for cultivating an innovative spirit within organizations?

    <p>Formation of committees and task forces</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT a benefit of effective communication in reducing stress?

    <p>Increasing employee uncertainty</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is considered a characteristic of a learning organization?

    <p>Shared vision among all members</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do innovative organizations typically respond to failures?

    <p>They celebrate failures as learning opportunities</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role do idea champions play in innovative organizations?

    <p>They promote and support the implementation of new ideas</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one outcome of effective team building within an organization?

    <p>Improved trust and openness</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What approach uses questionnaires to identify discrepancies among member perceptions?

    <p>Process consultation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best describes 'innovation'?

    <p>A new idea that improves a product, process, or service</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to the content, what role does an outside consultant play in process consultation?

    <p>Helps managers understand and navigate processes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What reflects a key principle of paradox theory in management?

    <p>Change is a constant that organizations must adapt to</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is not a source of innovation mentioned?

    <p>High competition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one way to stimulate a culture of innovation?

    <p>Providing innovation-contingent rewards</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does intergroup development aim to change?

    <p>Group attitudes and perceptions of one another</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Organizational Change and Stress Management

    • Change is something that happens to people, even if they disagree with it
    • Change is the way things will be different
    • Change results from a shift in the externals of a situation
    • Change is made up of events
    • Change can happen quickly
    • Change focuses on outcomes (visible and tangible)

    Forces for Change

    • Nature of the workforce: More cultural diversity, aging population, and increased immigration and outsourcing
    • Technology: Faster, cheaper, more mobile computers and handheld devices; emergence and growth of social-networking sites
    • Economic shocks: Rise and fall of global housing market, financial sector collapse, and global recession
    • Competition: Global competitors, mergers, and consolidations
    • Social trends: Increased government regulation of commerce, increased environmental awareness, and liberalization of attitudes toward employees
    • World politics: More multitasking and connectivity; rising health care costs; negative social attitudes toward business and executives; opening of new markets worldwide

    Planned Change

    • Planned change is an intentional, goal-oriented activity
    • Two goals of planned change:
      • Improve the organization's ability to adapt to environmental changes
      • Change employee behavior
    • Change agents are responsible for managing change activities

    Why Change is Difficult

    • Many people are inherently cynical about change
    • People are afraid of the unknown
    • People believe things are fine the way they are
    • While the need for change is recognized, acting on it can be difficult
    • Change requires managing people's emotions

    Resistance to Change (Individual Sources)

    • Habit: Relying on habits and programmed responses; this becomes resistant when confronted with change
    • Security: People with a high need for security tend to resist; change threatens feelings of safety
    • Economic factors: Changes in job tasks can arouse economic fears (especially when pay is closely tied to productivity)
    • Selective information processing: People selectively process information to maintain their perceptions, ignoring information that challenges their views

    Resistance to Change (Organizational Sources)

    • Structural inertia: Organizations have built-in mechanisms (processes and regulations) that produce stability, acting as a counterbalance to change
    • Limited focus of change: Organizations consist of interdependent subsystems; changes in one can affect the others
    • Group inertia: Group norms can act as a constraint even if individuals want to change
    • Threat to expertise: Changes can threaten the expertise of specialized groups
    • Threat to established power relationships: Redistribution of decision-making authority can threaten existing power dynamics

    Overcoming Resistance to Change

    • Communication: Changes are most effective when the rationale balances stakeholder interests
    • Participation in decision-making
    • Building support and commitment (training)
    • Developing positive relationships (trust)
    • Implementing changes fairly
    • Selecting people who accept change
    • Coercion (threats or force on resisters)

    Approaches to Managing Organizational Change

    • Lewin's Three-Step Model: Unfreezing, movement, refreezing
    • Kotter's Eight-Step Plan for Implementing Change: Establishing a sense of urgency, forming a coalition, creating a vision, communicating the vision, empowering others to act on the vision, planning for short-term wins, consolidating improvements, reinforcing changes
    • Action Research: Systematic collection of data and selection of change action based on analyzed data
      • Steps: Diagnosis, Analysis, Feedback, Action, and Evaluation
      • Benefits: problem-focused, reduces resistance
    • Organizational Development (OD): Collection of change methods to improve organizational effectiveness and employee well-being
      • Values human and organizational growth, collaborative processes, and inquiry
      • Focuses on how individuals make sense of their work environment
    • Six OD interventions:
      • Sensitivity training
      • Survey feedback
      • Process consultation
      • Team building
      • Intergroup development
      • Appreciative inquiry

    Creating a Culture for Change

    • Managing a Paradox: Management is about constant change and adaptation
    • Stimulating a culture of innovation: New ideas applied to improving products, processes, or services
      • Innovations can range from small to radical
    • Sources of Innovation: Structural variables (organic structures, slack resources, and inter-unit communication) are key
    • Characteristics of a learning organization: Shared vision, discarding old ways, seeing processes as a system, open communication without fear, putting aside self-interest for organizational goals
    • What managers can do: Establish a strategy, redesign structure, reshape culture
    • Organizational Change and Stress: OB knowledge is crucial, leadership is vital, and fair changes are important
    • Stress at Work: Factors: environmental (economic, political, technological changes), organizational (task, role, interpersonal demands), personal (family and economic problems), cultural differences, individual differences (perception of job experience, social support, and personality)
    • Consequences: Physiological, psychological, and behavioral symptoms
    • Managing Stress: Lower to moderate stress is functional, management should focus on "excessive pressure", individual approaches (time management, exercise) and workplace strategies (better selection, goal-setting, job redesign, employee involvement)
    • Selection and Placement: Individuals with little experience or external locus of control can be prone to stress; training can improve self-efficacy, reducing job strain

    Implications for Managers

    • Managers are change agents: decisions and behaviors shape organizational change culture
    • Management policies determine learning and adaptation to environmental changes; some stress is good (autonomy, responsibility vs. bureaucracy, interpersonal conflicts) and can lead to fulfillment
    • Alleviating stress: matching workloads, providing stress-coping resources, recognizing early warning indicators (declining performance, increased turnover) is important.

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    Organizational Behavior Chapter 18 PDF

    Description

    This quiz explores the dynamics of organizational change and the impact of stress management strategies. Participants will examine various forces driving change, including workforce diversity, technology advancements, economic shifts, and social trends. Understanding these factors is crucial for effectively managing transitions in today's organizational landscape.

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