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WGU C721 CHANGE MANAGEMENT STUDY
GUIDE | EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS |
COMPREHENSIVE COURSE REVIEW
1. A manufacturing organization has experienced declining sales
because competitors have introduced faster, more innovative products.
Senior leadership recognizes that maintaining existing processes will
likely cause further loss of market share. Which concept best explains
why the organization needs to initiate change?
A. Organizational inertia
B. Environmental pressure creating a need for organizational change
C. Employee socialization
D. Operational stability
Answer: B
2. An organization wants to move from its current operating structure to
a substantially different future state because its existing structure no
longer supports its strategic objectives. Which statement best defines
organizational change in this situation?
A. The process of maintaining existing organizational practices
indefinitely
B. The elimination of all organizational uncertainty
C. The movement from a current state toward a desired future state to
improve organizational effectiveness
D. The replacement of leadership without changing organizational
processes
Answer: C
3. A company's internal structure, technology, employee capabilities,
and culture must work together effectively to respond to external market
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conditions. Which theoretical perspective emphasizes viewing these
organizational components as interconnected parts of a larger system?
A. Systems theory
B. Scientific management
C. Agency theory
D. Bureaucratic theory
Answer: A
4. A company introduces a new customer-service technology but does
not provide employees with training, modify performance expectations,
or adjust workflows. The technology fails to improve performance.
Which principle best explains this failure?
A. Organizational components are interdependent, so changing one
component may require corresponding changes in other components.
B. Technology automatically produces organizational improvement.
C. Employee involvement is unnecessary when technology changes.
D. Organizational culture is unrelated to technological implementation.
Answer: A
5. An organization discovers that its strategy emphasizes innovation, but
its reward system primarily rewards employees for avoiding risk and
maintaining existing procedures. According to contingency thinking,
what is the primary problem?
A. The organization has excessive employee autonomy.
B. The organizational dimensions are poorly aligned with one another.
C. The organization has too much external competition.
D. The organization has eliminated all forms of resistance.
Answer: B
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6. A manager is asked to lead a major transformation involving new
technology, redesigned jobs, and a new organizational culture. Which
characteristic would be most valuable for an effective change leader?
A. Avoiding uncertainty whenever possible
B. Maintaining existing practices regardless of performance
C. Communicating a compelling vision while encouraging appropriate
risk-taking and adaptation
D. Delegating all responsibility for change to employees
Answer: C
7. A senior executive establishes a compelling vision for organizational
transformation but does not create schedules, procedures, budgets, or
mechanisms for monitoring implementation. Which management-related
function is most obviously missing?
A. Planning and organizing the implementation of change
B. Creating organizational conflict
C. Eliminating communication
D. Increasing employee resistance
Answer: A
8. Which statement best distinguishes leadership from management
during a major organizational change?
A. Leadership primarily maintains existing procedures, whereas
management creates organizational vision.
B. Leadership emphasizes direction, vision, and mobilizing people,
while management emphasizes planning, organizing, and coordinating
resources.
C. Leadership and management are completely unrelated functions.
D. Management is unnecessary once a change vision has been
established.
Answer: B
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9. A change agent is assigned to help an organization transition from
inefficient legacy procedures to a more effective operating model.
Which responsibility most closely reflects the role of a change agent?
A. Preventing employees from participating in the change
B. Acting as a catalyst who facilitates, coordinates, and supports the
change process
C. Maintaining every existing process without modification
D. Making organizational decisions without gathering information
Answer: B
10. Before implementing a major organizational intervention, a change
leader conducts interviews, examines performance data, identifies
organizational weaknesses, and determines the underlying causes of the
problem. Which phase of change management is being demonstrated?
A. Organizational diagnosis
B. Change institutionalization
C. Short-term reward distribution
D. Cultural termination
Answer: A
11. Why is accurate organizational diagnosis particularly important
before implementing a change initiative?
A. It guarantees that employees will immediately accept the change.
B. It helps identify the organization's current condition and underlying
problems so that interventions address the actual causes rather than
superficial symptoms.
C. It eliminates the need for leadership involvement.
D. It ensures that every organization uses the same change strategy.
Answer: B
WGU C721 CHANGE MANAGEMENT STUDY
GUIDE | EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS |
COMPREHENSIVE COURSE REVIEW
1. A manufacturing organization has experienced declining sales
because competitors have introduced faster, more innovative products.
Senior leadership recognizes that maintaining existing processes will
likely cause further loss of market share. Which concept best explains
why the organization needs to initiate change?
A. Organizational inertia
B. Environmental pressure creating a need for organizational change
C. Employee socialization
D. Operational stability
Answer: B
2. An organization wants to move from its current operating structure to
a substantially different future state because its existing structure no
longer supports its strategic objectives. Which statement best defines
organizational change in this situation?
A. The process of maintaining existing organizational practices
indefinitely
B. The elimination of all organizational uncertainty
C. The movement from a current state toward a desired future state to
improve organizational effectiveness
D. The replacement of leadership without changing organizational
processes
Answer: C
3. A company's internal structure, technology, employee capabilities,
and culture must work together effectively to respond to external market
,2|Page
conditions. Which theoretical perspective emphasizes viewing these
organizational components as interconnected parts of a larger system?
A. Systems theory
B. Scientific management
C. Agency theory
D. Bureaucratic theory
Answer: A
4. A company introduces a new customer-service technology but does
not provide employees with training, modify performance expectations,
or adjust workflows. The technology fails to improve performance.
Which principle best explains this failure?
A. Organizational components are interdependent, so changing one
component may require corresponding changes in other components.
B. Technology automatically produces organizational improvement.
C. Employee involvement is unnecessary when technology changes.
D. Organizational culture is unrelated to technological implementation.
Answer: A
5. An organization discovers that its strategy emphasizes innovation, but
its reward system primarily rewards employees for avoiding risk and
maintaining existing procedures. According to contingency thinking,
what is the primary problem?
A. The organization has excessive employee autonomy.
B. The organizational dimensions are poorly aligned with one another.
C. The organization has too much external competition.
D. The organization has eliminated all forms of resistance.
Answer: B
,3|Page
6. A manager is asked to lead a major transformation involving new
technology, redesigned jobs, and a new organizational culture. Which
characteristic would be most valuable for an effective change leader?
A. Avoiding uncertainty whenever possible
B. Maintaining existing practices regardless of performance
C. Communicating a compelling vision while encouraging appropriate
risk-taking and adaptation
D. Delegating all responsibility for change to employees
Answer: C
7. A senior executive establishes a compelling vision for organizational
transformation but does not create schedules, procedures, budgets, or
mechanisms for monitoring implementation. Which management-related
function is most obviously missing?
A. Planning and organizing the implementation of change
B. Creating organizational conflict
C. Eliminating communication
D. Increasing employee resistance
Answer: A
8. Which statement best distinguishes leadership from management
during a major organizational change?
A. Leadership primarily maintains existing procedures, whereas
management creates organizational vision.
B. Leadership emphasizes direction, vision, and mobilizing people,
while management emphasizes planning, organizing, and coordinating
resources.
C. Leadership and management are completely unrelated functions.
D. Management is unnecessary once a change vision has been
established.
Answer: B
, 4|Page
9. A change agent is assigned to help an organization transition from
inefficient legacy procedures to a more effective operating model.
Which responsibility most closely reflects the role of a change agent?
A. Preventing employees from participating in the change
B. Acting as a catalyst who facilitates, coordinates, and supports the
change process
C. Maintaining every existing process without modification
D. Making organizational decisions without gathering information
Answer: B
10. Before implementing a major organizational intervention, a change
leader conducts interviews, examines performance data, identifies
organizational weaknesses, and determines the underlying causes of the
problem. Which phase of change management is being demonstrated?
A. Organizational diagnosis
B. Change institutionalization
C. Short-term reward distribution
D. Cultural termination
Answer: A
11. Why is accurate organizational diagnosis particularly important
before implementing a change initiative?
A. It guarantees that employees will immediately accept the change.
B. It helps identify the organization's current condition and underlying
problems so that interventions address the actual causes rather than
superficial symptoms.
C. It eliminates the need for leadership involvement.
D. It ensures that every organization uses the same change strategy.
Answer: B
