10 Questions about Organizational Surveys
1.What is the purpose of the survey?
The purpose of an organizational survey directly affects its design, administration, and interpretation. In general, organizational surveys are conducted a) to assess areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction among organizational members, or b) to track and help guide organizational change. In either case, well-designed organizational surveys follow naturally from the mission, goals, or strategic plan of your organization. Define the objectives for your survey clearly, then communicate them publicly to organizational members before beginning the survey process. This communication can go a long way toward gaining the trust of participants and helping to ensure candid responses.
2.How are surveys regarded in my organizationÕs
culture?
Before beginning a survey effort, it is important to assess how the participants will receive it. If survey participants are apprehensive or apathetic toward your survey (or toward surveys in general), your ability to gather sound data may be limited. Do your managers and employees greet surveys with suspicion? If so, you may need to lay the groundwork and create buy-in for the survey effort. Do they greet surveys with a yawn? One of the unfortunate results of the popularity of surveys is that organizational members sometimes develop Òsurvey fatigueÓ as a result of too much surveying. Weary participants are less likely to take your survey seriously. If your organization tends to survey a lot, consider speaking to others in the organization who are conducting surveys and consolidate your efforts.
3.Are the survey items well-constructed?
Whether you are using an off-the-shelf survey product or a custom-designed instrument, three survey construction issues are critical:
¥Survey dimensions should match the strategic purposes of the survey. Relevant survey dimensions and targeted survey items help ensure a successful survey effort. A survey that contains questions that are irrelevant to the surveyÕs purpose can waste the time of the respondents and their managers alike.
¥Survey items should be consistent in degree. For example, it would be difficult to make comparisons of average item scores on a particular survey if some items read ÒI am satisfied withÉÓ and other items read ÒI am quite pleased withÉÓ. In general, a survey comprised of items that are inconsistent in degree can lead to confusion and disagreement when interpreting the surveyÕs results.
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