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

Correct answer: It can dissolve into a list of confusing, incompatible, and time-consuming projects.

Explanation

This question explores the function of a vision as described under Error #3. A vision serves to align and coordinate various initiatives, and without it, efforts become disjointed and ineffective.

Other questions

Question 1

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

Question 2

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

Question 3

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

Question 4

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

Question 5

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

Question 7

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

Question 8

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

Question 9

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

Question 10

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

Question 11

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

Question 12

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

Question 13

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

Question 14

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

Question 15

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

Question 16

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

Question 17

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

Question 18

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

Question 19

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

Question 20

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

Question 21

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

Question 22

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

Question 23

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

Question 24

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'?

Question 25

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

Question 26

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

Question 27

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?

Question 28

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

Question 29

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

Question 30

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

Question 31

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

Question 32

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

Question 33

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

Question 34

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

Question 35

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

Question 36

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

Question 37

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

Question 38

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

Question 39

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

Question 40

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

Question 41

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?

Question 42

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

Question 43

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

Question 44

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

Question 45

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

Question 46

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

Question 47

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

Question 48

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

Question 49

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?

Question 50

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