Transforming Organizations: Why Firms Fail

According to Chapter 1, what is described as the biggest mistake people make when attempting to change organizations?

In the case study of Adrien, a head of a specialty chemicals division, what was the ultimate outcome of his initiatives after two years?

What does the author state is often impossible unless the head of the organization is an active supporter?

In the example of Claire, the director of human resources, why did her 'quality improvement' task force ultimately fail?

What is identified as 'Error #3' in leading organizational change?

According to the author, what happens to a transformation effort without an appropriate vision?

What is the author's rule of thumb for whether you have a good grasp of your change vision?

What factor does the author suggest vision is often undercommunicated by, leading to Error #4?

What form of communication does the author claim is generally the most powerful?

Which of these is NOT mentioned as an obstacle that can block a new vision (Error #5)?

In the example of the supervisor nicknamed 'The Rock', what was the net result of his behavior on the change effort?

What is the primary reason that failing to create short-term wins (Error #6) is a problem?

Within what timeframe does the author suggest that employees need to see compelling evidence of results to maintain momentum in a change effort?

What is the danger of 'Declaring Victory Too Soon' (Error #7)?

According to the author, how long can it take for changes to sink deeply into a company culture?

When does the author say change truly 'sticks' in an organization (Error #8)?

What is one of the key reasons that anchoring change requires that management's actions personify the new approach?

Which of the following is listed in Figure 1-1 as a consequence of making the eight common errors?

What is a key reason smart individuals fail to create sufficient urgency at the beginning of a transformation?

What does the author suggest can happen when leaders try to fuse urgency with anxiety?

According to the author, what is a key characteristic of a sufficiently powerful guiding coalition?

In the example of Conrad, the quality czar, why did his four-inch-thick notebooks fail to inspire change?

Which of the following is described as a common pattern of ineffective communication of the vision?

Why did the author's CEO acquaintance admit his communication efforts in the 1980s failed, leading employees to think they were 'a bunch of hypocritical jerks'?

What is the primary reason given for why smart and well-intentioned people avoid confronting obstacles like 'The Rock'?

How does the author differentiate between 'creating' short-term wins and 'hoping' for them?

In the example of Nelson, the 'big ideas' person, what was the consequence of his failure to produce short-term wins for his inventory control project?

What is the common behavior of resistors when idealistic change initiators declare victory too soon?

What is a major problem with succession when trying to anchor change in the culture?

Why do economically oriented finance people and analytically oriented engineers often ignore culture?

Which error is associated with the quote: 'Enough with the preliminaries, let's get on with it'?

What does the author suggest can make an apparent progress for a while but will eventually be undermined by countervailing forces?

According to the author, a vision plays a key role in producing useful change by performing which of these functions?

What is the third pattern of ineffective communication mentioned in the discussion of Error #4?

What is described as one of the 'worst of all' obstacles that can block a new vision?

Why do people often complain about being forced to produce short-term wins?

In the case of the dozen reengineering efforts the author watched, what happened in all but two cases?

What is a key factor that makes anchoring new approaches in culture (Error #8) so difficult?

What does the author state is NOT one of the consequences listed in Figure 1-1?

What does complacency being low in most organizations today mean for the problem described in Adrien's case?

What does the author say about efforts to change that are led by a staff executive from human resources, quality, or strategic planning instead of a key line manager?

Without a sound vision, what does the author say can happen to a reengineering project in the accounting department?

What does the author suggest is the most common error made with regard to the eight errors discussed in the chapter?

What is the consequence of organizations having a history of 'too much past success' and 'a lack of visible crises'?

How do weak committees and tradition prevent structural change from producing needed behavior change?

According to the author, when a vision cannot be described in five minutes, what are the elements 'buried deeply' within the long lecture?

What is the final error listed in the chapter's sequence of eight errors?

The example of the retiring executive whose lesson was misinterpreted as 'Value Extroverted Managers' instead of 'Love Thy Customer' illustrates which error?

What is the overall effect of making the eight common errors in a slower-moving and less competitive world, according to the chapter's summary?

What does the author state is the final consequence listed in Figure 1-1, summarizing the outcome of failed change efforts?