CCA Change Agent Organizational Development 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which OD intervention focuses on improving relationships and communication between two or more work groups?
- Team building
- Intergroup development (Correct answer)
- Process consultation
- Survey feedback
Correct answer: Intergroup development
Intergroup development targets the dynamics, attitudes, and perceptions between different organizational groups.
Question 2: In Lewin's Force Field Analysis, what does a change agent do when driving forces and restraining forces are equal?
- Declare the change complete
- Increase driving forces or reduce restraining forces (Correct answer)
- Remove all stakeholders opposing change
- Pause and wait for equilibrium to shift naturally
Correct answer: Increase driving forces or reduce restraining forces
When forces are balanced, the change agent must tip the balance by strengthening drivers or weakening barriers to unfreeze the status quo.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of an organizational diagnosis in OD?
- To identify employees for termination
- To collect data that informs the design of interventions (Correct answer)
- To audit financial performance
- To benchmark against competitor organizations
Correct answer: To collect data that informs the design of interventions
Organizational diagnosis gathers and analyzes data about current conditions to guide appropriate change interventions.
Question 4: A change agent notices that a department's norms informally discourage speaking up about problems. This is best described as part of which organizational element?
- Formal structure
- Technology
- Culture (Correct answer)
- Strategy
Correct answer: Culture
Informal norms about behavior are a core component of organizational culture, distinct from formal policies or structures.
Question 5: Which concept describes the degree to which employees feel psychologically safe enough to take interpersonal risks at work?
- Empowerment
- Psychological safety (Correct answer)
- Organizational resilience
- Affective commitment
Correct answer: Psychological safety
Psychological safety, popularized by Amy Edmondson, is the belief that one won't be punished for speaking up, making mistakes, or asking questions.
Question 6: When applying Action Research in OD, what immediately follows the data collection phase?
- Contracting with the client
- Feedback and joint diagnosis (Correct answer)
- Evaluation of outcomes
- Implementation of the solution
Correct answer: Feedback and joint diagnosis
In Action Research, collected data is fed back to the client system for collaborative diagnosis before any intervention is designed.
Question 7: An OD practitioner is helping a company shift from a hierarchical to a flat structure. Which systems thinking principle warns that this change may create unintended consequences elsewhere?
- Homeostasis
- Equifinality
- Interdependence (Correct answer)
- Entropy
Correct answer: Interdependence
Interdependence means that changing one element of a system affects other parts, so structural changes ripple across processes, roles, and culture.
CCA Change Agent Organizational Development 2
Which OD intervention focuses on improving relationships and communication between two or more work groups?