Change & the Organisation

In Lewin's three-step model of organisational change, what is the purpose of the 'unfreeze' stage?

• A To measure the financial cost of change
• B To create readiness and motivation to move away from the current state ✓
• C To celebrate the success of the change
• D To lock in the new behaviours permanently

Answer: Lewin's 'unfreeze' stage reduces the forces maintaining the status quo and builds the motivation and readiness needed before change can begin.

Which of Gareth Morgan's organisational metaphors views the organisation as a living system that must adapt to survive in its environment?

• A The organisation as a psychic prison
• B The organisation as a political system
• C The organisation as an organism ✓
• D The organisation as a machine

Answer: Morgan's 'organism' metaphor treats the organisation as a living system that interacts with and adapts to its environment to survive.

In Kotter's eight-step model, what is the recommended first step for leading change?

• A Create a sense of urgency ✓
• B Generate short-term wins
• C Anchor new approaches in the culture
• D Empower broad-based action

Answer: Kotter's model begins with establishing a sense of urgency to overcome complacency and build momentum for the change.

Which of the following is an example of an EXTERNAL driver of organisational change?

• A New government legislation affecting the industry ✓
• B A change to the company's internal reporting lines
• C A decision to restructure an internal department
• D An internal process improvement initiative

Answer: New legislation originates outside the organisation and is therefore an external driver, unlike internal restructuring or process decisions.

The PESTLE framework is commonly used during change to analyse which of the following?

• A The external macro-environmental factors affecting the organisation ✓
• B The personality types of individual staff
• C The internal project budget only
• D The emotional stages of the change curve

Answer: PESTLE analyses Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors in the organisation's external environment to identify drivers of change.

In the 'machine' metaphor of organisations, change is typically expected to be:

• A Planned, controllable and implemented in a structured way ✓
• B Emergent, organic and unpredictable
• C Driven entirely by informal politics
• D Impossible to manage at all

Answer: The machine metaphor treats the organisation as a set of interlocking parts, so change is seen as something that can be planned and engineered in a controlled, structured manner.