Employee surveys are an extremely powerful tool that can be used for organizational improvement purposes. Done right, they provide insight into what is working well within an organization, where there may be room for improvement, and if there are any underrepresented groups with specific concerns that might not get identified otherwise.
We sometimes have new clients come to us with saying their history with surveys hasn’t been all that impactful. Typically, they’re either treating the survey as simply a data gathering or “check the box” kind of activity. Simply conducting a survey isn’t enough to see meaningful results. Or, they’ll create a well-designed survey, but then the feedback sits largely neglected. Sometimes, a survey might be created as a reaction to a past event, such as a change in leadership or a scandal that has left the population demoralized. Regardless of the reason, employee surveys should focus on three critical components to achieve maximal impact: Content, Process, and Analysis & Action.
Content
The best content is one driven by a framework that has been shown to describe important aspects of organizational culture; these are aspects that, if improved upon, yield more effective organizations with more engaged employees. This content is often then customized for specific issues within the organization. This customization can occur by carrying out interviews with key stakeholders, reviewing internal strategy documents, or by conducting focus groups. Generally, using generic surveys based on your industry or size won’t be as useful as creating a customized survey based on your strategic priorities.
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Process
There are many different ways and cadences to administer surveys, and we work with organizations to determine the best fit for their unique needs. Census surveys tend to have the potential for much greater impact because data can be driven down to small organizational units (sometimes as few as 5 in a group), thereby touching a large number of managers. If each of those managers within the organization only does 2 or 3 things better, based on the survey results, the potential for positive change across the organization is enormous.
With a census approach all employees also hear the message that they count. Managers can be held accountable for improving results in their areas of responsibility. The flip side of that is that managers should receive the support they need in order to work with the data and improve their operations.
Usually, we recommend that senior management be given the initial results for the organization as a whole, broken by occupation and other demographics. Each manager who has an area of responsibility, a function, should be the first person to see their own results. They should be trained on how to interpret it and how to develop action plans to address issues uncovered, and supported by technology that makes this as simple as possible. Our Manager Academy, for example, provides managers with micro-training to make sure each manager understands their data, their role in taking action, and why they’re being asked to do this. Additionally, top management should feedback the organization-wide results to the entire organization, either in person, by email, or other standard channels. Leadership should share areas of strength, what areas they feel need to be addressed organization-wide, and specific plans to take action.
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Analysis & Action
There are many insightful analyses that can be done with survey results. The key is to do ones that are relevant to the organizational leadership, as they are the ones that need to drive improvement efforts. At OrgVitality, we provide Executive presentations that provide insightful and targeted analysis of your data. These presentations provide a crisp review of the “story” of the data, a facilitated discussion of what it means for organizational performance and other executive interests, and a jumping off point into organization-wide action planning. The presentations are customized based on your data, your strategy and the needs of the leadership audience.
Today, there are many technology tools to help make analysis and action more streamlined. Using a combination of AI powered tools like AI agents trained on trusted and proprietary content alongside generative comment summaries, action prioritization tools and more, as well as some more traditional forms of analysis such as heatmaps or linkage research, an organization is well positioned to make lasting and meaningful improvements.