Six
Steps to Conducting a
Successful Employee Opinion Survey
A solid foundation is absolutely critical when conducting an employee opinion survey. Whether a paper-based or on-line survey, up-front planning is necessary to anticipate the potential obstacles that could derail the project. Our experience with a range of organizations has led us to develop a six-step framework that will help assure the success of an employee opinion survey.
1. Gain
Management Commitment
All
members of management must become aligned in their commitment during
the planning phase, and this commitment will be retested and reinforced
throughout the survey process. There are two keys to gaining management's
commitment. First, the survey must be relevant to the business.
All members of management must agree with the survey goals and understand
how the survey will benefit the organization. Second, company leaders
should not remain on the sidelines as "passive observers"
or "cheer leaders" once they have initiated the survey.
They must have an active role throughout all phases; from survey
planning to implementation and follow-up.
2. Design
Survey
An
effective survey meets an organization's specific information goals.
This requires formulating questions and planning the format. Developing
custom questions and demographics will provide an objective way
to obtain detailed feedback on the forces working "for"
and "against" organizational effectiveness. The survey
format should be self-contained, easy to understand, confidential,
and able to be processed quickly. Pre-testing the survey for clarity
is a must.
3. Communicate
Clearly
It
is essential that employees understand the survey's purpose and
the importance of sharing their opinions candidly and honestly.
They will do so if management is honest and "up-front"
with them. That is why rollout communications and the manner in
which the survey is administered are critical. If respondents believe
that management has an ulterior motive, they will perceive the survey
as threatening, and the survey results will be useless. To avoid
this, we recommend that a "survey administration committee"
be established and staffed with a cross section of credible managers
and staff members. They will craft communications to ensure that
respondents understand the survey purpose, confidentiality, and
benefits to employees and the organization.
4. Process
Survey, Prepare Data
The
output of the survey should be timely, accurate and easy to understand.
The report should use explanatory pages to help describe its layout
and how the statistics are calculated. Adding a summary section
and a detailed data section will present a "snap shot"
of the results as well as a detailed, item-by-item breakdown, making
the report easy to digest. The data should not be complex and confusing
to the individuals or team doing the analysis.
5. Analyze
Data, Present Results
The
benefits that can be derived from the analysis, feedback and action
planning can be great. Managers, supervisors and team leaders are
in a key position to clarify the relevance of the results for their
unit and develop constructive action plans. We have found that establishing
"Survey Analysis Teams" (SAT) responsible for analyzing
specific segments of the data can enhance the depth of analysis.
This stage is where management's commitment really gets tested.
Although thorough data analysis is important, management must guard
against the pitfall of "over commitment." Every survey
item cannot be acted on immediately. Action items must be priority-ranked
to focus on the "critical few." If too many action items
are generated, expectations will be too high and the survey process
will get bogged down in minutiae. When this happens, people tend
to perceive that only the easy issues are being addressed, and nothing
of consequence is happening.
6. Take
Appropriate Action
Once
the action plan is approved, it must be implemented systematically.
Management involvement and clear communication are key. Management
must demonstrate commitment to change by being directly involved
in the implementation and follow-on progress reviews for action
items. Because many items will require a longer time period to implement,
management must keep the momentum and motivation high. This can
be done through involvement, acknowledging "wins," and
by rewarding productive behaviors. Most importantly, management
must avoid seeming to lose interest so that this survey process
is not viewed as the "flavor of the month."
Careful planning, a clear framework and management commitment are crucial to a successful opinion survey. By following the six steps outlined above, an organization can avoid the many pitfalls that can undermine the process.