Empowering Employees for Broad-Based Action

According to Chapter 7, what is the primary purpose of stage 5 in the transformation process?

Figure 7-1 identifies four particularly important barriers to empowerment that often need to be attacked. Which of the following is NOT one of those four barriers?

In the case study of the Australian financial services organization, what was the primary structural barrier that prevented employees from delivering superior products and services?

In the automotive parts company example, at what percentage of its target did the new plant's output level off, signaling a problem?

According to the junior employee-relations specialist in the automotive parts case, why did the plant's output stall?

What are the two common reasons cited in the chapter for why organizations fail to provide necessary training during transformations?

In the discussion on 'Aligning Systems to the Vision', which specific organizational systems are identified as often being misaligned with the new vision?

What is the key problem with 'Frank', the troublesome supervisor described in the chapter?

What is described as the 'best solution' for dealing with a troublesome manager like Frank?

Table 7-2 summarizes four key actions for 'Empowering people to effect change'. Which of the following is one of these actions?

In the case of Colin, the 'footdragger' in the Australian financial services firm, how many years of experience had he invested in the functional organization?

According to Table 7-1, if the vision is to 'Increase productivity to become the low-cost producer', how can the structure undermine this vision?

What does the author suggest is often more important than technical skills when people need to learn new ways of working?

In the example of the two successful European airlines, what kind of training did they provide to thousands of their employees?

The author suggests that training can become a 'disempowering experience' if its implicit message is what?

In the dialogue about aligning systems, what is the manager's initial, incorrect assumption about why people are resisting change?

The investigation of one firm's HR systems revealed a critical misalignment with their new customer-focused vision. What was the issue with the performance evaluation form?

What does the author suggest is one major reason why troublesome supervisors like the 'Franks of the world' are often not confronted?

The author notes that an unwillingness to confront managers like Frank can be driven by guilt. What is a source of this guilt?

What is the author's response to a manager who says, 'We've done everything,' but people 'just keep resisting'?

Why does the author argue that removing structural barriers early is critical?

According to the author, why do managers often resist structural change even when they see a dedicated team at the top and a sensible vision?

What does the author state is a common, but incorrect, assumption about empowering employees?

In the case of the firm with misaligned HR systems, what was the problem with their recruiting and hiring systems?

Why is it often difficult to remove barriers associated with an organization's culture during the first half of a major change effort?

What is the author's primary critique of the term 'empowerment'?

In the Australian financial services case, how many different functional organizations were typically required to work together to deliver a new product?

What is the inherent risk when organizational arrangements undermine a vision by disempowering people, as listed in Table 7-1?

The author argues that providing needed training is not just about the training itself, but about it being the 'right kind of experience'. What does this mean?

What did the investigation of the firm's compensation system reveal in the section 'Aligning Systems to the Vision'?

In the story of Frank, the troublesome supervisor, what does he repeatedly tell his people, demonstrating his command-and-control style?

What does the author suggest is often the net result when smart and well-intentioned people avoid confronting obstacles?

What reason does the author give for why major internal transformation rarely happens unless many people assist?

According to the author, why does Frank, the troublesome supervisor, not believe in the new 'innovation' vision?

How long did it take for the 'frustrated and angry group of senior managers' in the Australian firm to assess what went wrong?

What is one of the two common but mistaken reasons people in the factory had for the stall in production at the automotive parts company?

The author states that big training budgets are not always necessary. In many cases, what can deliver greater impact at a lower cost than conventional training?

What is the consequence of having promotion decisions made in a highly subjective way that is at best limitedly related to a change effort?

According to executives in retrospect, what is a common regret concerning troublesome managers like Frank?

Which of the four barriers to empowerment is illustrated by Colin, the footdragging manager who had invested twenty-five years in the old system?

Why do layers of middle-level managers who second-guess and criticize employees undermine a vision to 'Give more responsibility to lower-level employees'?

What is the author's argument against the idea that people 'just resist change' using the lottery example?

In the summary Table 7-2, what is the stated consequence of having unaligned structures?

What is the consequence, according to Table 7-2, of not providing employees with the right skills and attitudes?

In the final summary in Table 7-2, what is the role of confronting troublesome supervisors?

What does the author suggest is the problem with the habits many older workers have, according to the junior employee-relations specialist in the automotive case?

What happens if you try to iron out every little inconsistency between the new vision and current systems before establishing some solid short-term wins?

According to the author, what is the 'rational and thoughtful dialogue' that helps overcome guilt when removing a manager like Frank?

What is the ultimate result when discouraged and disempowered employees give up on the transformation effort?

The author notes that history often leaves HR people in what kind of functions?