Helping Management Identify Issues

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The Challenge

An organization specializing in exhibit design and fabrication approached PDI for help in conducting an employee survey. They had done surveys in the past, but they were not satisfied with the results. The employees complained about a lack of follow-up from past surveys and said that they had not seen any changes.

The organization had numerous objectives for the survey. They wanted to:

• Better understand and take action on low employee morale and satisfaction.
• Uncover reasons for the high turnover rate and other retention problems, particularly among their account executives and managers.
• Discover how company changes were affecting the employees.

The Solution

PDI designed the survey based on the following discovery process:

• The organization's objectives for the survey.
• Focus groups conducted with different functions in the organization.
• PDI's previous work with the organization and our access to this knowledge.

The focus groups were not only a source of information; they also helped the employees get excited about the survey because they appreciated being part of the design process. In addition, it built awareness about the upcoming survey.

The organization conducted a high level of pre-survey communication, including:

• Mentions in the employee newsletter and posters placed around the offices.
• Employees who participated in the design session told coworkers about the surveys, increasing interest and buy-in.
• The survey included a cover letter from the organization's president and CEO.

The communication was a success; the survey had a 67 percent participation rate!

The survey could be completed on-line or by using pencil and paper. It took approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete, included a variety of quantitative ratings, and had spaces for qualitative comments.

After the survey was completed, PDI's research team produced an Executive Summary with insights about the organization. They presented the summary to executive management, who were pleased with the results. Management then asked PDI to create 18 "mini" Executive Summaries for each of their locations.

In addition to creating the summaries, PDI trained the leaders of each location so that they could effectively present the summaries to their groups. During the training, each leader was given a PDI booklet entitled Action Planning Guidelines. This booklet, which was popular among the leaders, gave them information such as:

• Discovering root causes of problems.
• Forming an action plan.
• Writing an action plan.
• Communicating and following up on the action plan.

Because of this training, the leaders effectively communicated the results back to the employees, heard what the employees had to say, and developed action plans. Also, the process helped the organization actively use the data that was collected, and the employees were able to see that their comments were taken seriously.

The Results

The executive team found the survey results useful because it helped them to truly understand issues within the company. For example, most organizations know that communication can be improved. What this organization was able to do with the survey data was to dig deeper and clarify specific communication issues. This enabled them to take appropriate actions at both the corporate and local levels. At the corporate level, the organization hired a communications manager. This person, along with the executive team, created a corporate communication strategy that was linked to the survey input. At the local level, communication was an issue, but it varied greatly by location. The survey results allowed them to develop actions appropriate to each location.

A new CEO came on board just as they completed the survey but before the feedback process had begun. He found the results to be quite valuable in gaining an understanding of the company culture and issues on employees' minds. The CEO talked about what he learned from the survey results at company meetings. His focus on the results demonstrated to employees that they had been heard.