CDT Organizational Culture & Change Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes an organization's 'hidden curriculum' related to diversity?
- Formal DEI training modules
- Unwritten norms and behaviors that signal who truly belongs (Correct answer)
- The official diversity mission statement
- Published hiring statistics
Correct answer: Unwritten norms and behaviors that signal who truly belongs
The hidden curriculum refers to implicit messages conveyed through everyday practices that signal inclusion or exclusion beyond official policies.
Question 2: When a company undergoes a merger, diversity trainers should prioritize:
- Delaying DEI initiatives until integration is complete
- Assessing both cultures for existing inclusion strengths and gaps (Correct answer)
- Adopting the acquiring company's culture wholesale
- Reducing DEI programming to cut costs during transition
Correct answer: Assessing both cultures for existing inclusion strengths and gaps
Mergers create a critical window to identify and integrate the best DEI practices from both organizations rather than defaulting to one culture.
Question 3: Kotter's 8-step change model begins with which foundational step?
- Building a guiding coalition
- Creating a vision for change
- Establishing a sense of urgency (Correct answer)
- Anchoring changes in culture
Correct answer: Establishing a sense of urgency
Kotter's model starts with creating urgency so that stakeholders understand why change is necessary and are motivated to act.
Question 4: A 'diversity champion' within an organization is most effective when they:
- Act independently without executive support
- Hold senior leadership accountable using metrics and storytelling (Correct answer)
- Focus exclusively on recruitment goals
- Limit their advocacy to formal training sessions
Correct answer: Hold senior leadership accountable using metrics and storytelling
Champions drive sustainable change by combining data-driven accountability with compelling narratives that resonate with leadership.
Question 5: Which cultural archetype, according to organizational theorists, tends to resist diversity initiatives most due to its emphasis on stability and rules?
- Adhocracy culture
- Clan culture
- Hierarchy culture (Correct answer)
- Market culture
Correct answer: Hierarchy culture
Hierarchy cultures prioritize consistency and formal procedures, which can make them resistant to the flexibility and experimentation that DEI progress often requires.
Question 6: An organization notices that women are promoted at lower rates despite equal performance reviews. This is an example of:
- Pipeline problem
- Structural bias embedded in culture (Correct answer)
- Individual prejudice only
- Affirmative action failure
Correct answer: Structural bias embedded in culture
When systemic patterns persist despite neutral-seeming evaluations, it signals structural bias baked into cultural practices and decision-making processes.
Question 7: The ADKAR change management model's 'K' stands for:
- Knowledge of how to change (Correct answer)
- Kinship with change leaders
- Key performance indicators
- Knowledge of why change is needed
Correct answer: Knowledge of how to change
In ADKAR, Knowledge refers to understanding how to implement the change, which follows Awareness and Desire in the sequence.
CDT Organizational Culture & Change Management 2
Which of the following best describes an organization's 'hidden curriculum' related to diversity?