1. Holden came into being because its founders wanted to change the type of products offered by a certain industry. Of the four forces for change discussed in the chapter-people, technology, information processing and communication, and competition-which have been the most important in driving strategy at Holden? Rank the four in order of importance and be specific in explaining the role of each in Holden's strategy.
2. What kinds of internal changes will Holden probably need to make over time-and especially as it continues to grow-in order to maintain and adapt its current strategy? What role is each of the four forces for change likely to play in this process, both in prompting these changes and in presenting challenges to implementing them?
3. What about you? What would be your quality of work life in an organization like Holden? Would you, like Nikki Brush, be happy doing "something that was never the same and that always changed"? Or would you, frankly, prefer doing something that was a little more predictable on a regular basis? Which type of organization would be more likely to foster your morale and productivity? Also consider Figure 19.3. Which of the following factors would probably play a role in determining-or changing-your preference: growth and security, development of human capacities, total life space, social relevance?
4. Once again, bear in mind the fact that Holden came into existence in order to implement changes in an industry. Now consider the criteria for including and excluding strategies for change under the concept of organizational development (OD)-for example, planned versus haphazard changes, intrinsic versus imitative changes, behavior-driven versus technology-driven changes. How can OD criteria be used to describe the motives behind the creation of Holden, its continuing approach to fostering change, or both?