Question 1

Read the end-of-chapter case in Chapter 12 of your text and do Internet research on NASA during both disasters, with particular emphasis on the disasters’ effects on the culture. Why do you feel it is so difficult to “sustain” cultural change in a large organization AFTER the immediate effects of a major event like Challenger or Columbia? What role should leadership play in working to “institutionalize” such cultural changes

Question 2

Preserving The Status Quo

Most of us have seen changes introduced, only to be swamped with inertia or resistance by powerful elites within them. Why do large organizations work so hard to preserve the “status quo?”

Question 3

Folks, do you think that middle managers have a vested interest in preserving the status quo because they are the ones that have benefited the most from it? Explain.

Question 4

Locate and read the HBR article, “Cracking the Code of Change,” in the Online Library. It can be found through a general search in EBSCOhost, in the Harvard Business Review collection, May-June 2000 issue.

The article identifies two primary types of change that are most prevalent in today’s organizational world. Which type (E Change or O Change) do you think is most prevalent and what factors in our society influence that predominance? How can a leader best work toward a synthesis of both types to maximize the effectiveness of each for a successful change initiative?

Question 5

eChanges Or oChanges

Look at most changes that you have been involved in or are familiar with. Would you characterize them as eChanges or oChanges? Elaborate on your answer in some detail.

Question 6

Components Of Change

Identify one of the components of change (Leadership, Reward Systems, etc.) that you feel is most critical to any change effort. Why do you feel that way and which type of change recommended appears to offer the most leverage?