I am often asked what makes an employee survey process successful. While the process of surveying is the same no matter what type of survey one is using or how many people are being surveyed, execution is unique to each organization. I have been a student of organizational diagnosis for a few years now, having the opportunity to partner with many companies (both as an internal and an external consultant), several Fortune 100 and some with fewer than 100 employees. Unique cultures, styles and belief systems impact overall success of survey programs, as well as the way in which the process needs to be applied. There are, consequently, some underpinnings of successful survey programs.

Embrace the Partnership
Whether you are new to employee surveys or are an old pro at it, one of the keys to successful survey programs-regardless of content-is the partnership between client and service provider. A partnership: a philosophy and atmosphere of two or more people moving toward a mutually beneficial goal in concert. This definition requires examination. A philosophy is a viewpoint, and both client and service provider benefit tremendously if the view is that of working together collaboratively. There are decisions and details to be attended to throughout the process; doing this jointly sets a foundation for attainment of program success. The required process steps will run smoothly if the philosophy of collaboration is coupled with an atmosphere of honest, open communication. That’s not to say there will not be bumps in the road, but getting over those bumps is easier if there is shared agreement on how to approach them. The final important aspect of the definition is moving toward a mutually beneficial goal-together. Defining realistic goals as a team sets everyone, and the project, up for success.

The characteristics of a solid partnership are close cooperation, specificity of process and clearly defined roles and responsibilities. It is common during the survey process for there to be daily communication between a service provider partner and client. This ensures that details are being addressed and the project is moving forward. If, during the planning stage, the process has been developed down to its most detailed level, there should be little question about where you are at in the process and what comes next. While collaboration and specificity are important in the partnership, definition of roles and responsibilities is the backbone that supports a truly successful program.

Ask the Right Questions

Here, “questions” do not refer to the content of the survey-although that is, of course, extremely important-I mean, ask the right questions with respect to the process. A successful survey process starts with asking three basic questions:

– How do we define success?
– How do we know we have been successful?
– What processes and tools are required to support and ensure success?

Taking the time to answer these questions makes the difference between success and failure of the program. The following is a framework, which if used, will set you well down the path of not only a successful outcome, but a smooth process as well.

A Framework for Answering the Questions

A systemic view is best used to answer the above questions with respect to a survey process. When critically evaluating any process systemically, there are five basic aspects to be addressed: organizational context (oh, so important in the survey process), strategy, structure, people and processes, and tools. Using this framework facilitates the development of a solid foundation for any survey process.

Organizational Context: When considering organizational context, factors that will heavily impact the timing and delivery of a successful survey process are considerations such as the decision-making style of the organization. For example, if the survey is being delivered in a consensus-driven environment, certain phases of the survey process such as item design will take longer, thus extending the timeline of the project. In addition, examining the amount of autonomy the internal survey team has in both decision making and execution is important. Many surveys have been derailed by establishing an internal team that fundamentally has no control over its own destiny. Coupled with this is the issue of sponsorship-survey programs that lack executive sponsorship are doomed to failure, often dying a slow death from lack of action on the back end (the one most important determination of success). And, finally, another aspect of context to be considered is organizational history with surveys. While this is not an all-inclusive list of organizational contexts to be thought out, these are some of the more crucial components.

Strategy: Understanding the strategy to be applied is critical to being able to thoroughly appreciate and answer questions regarding what makes a successful program. The most important aspect of strategy to be determined is how the project supports the business strategy. If the answer to this question is not clearly articulated, how can one possibly know if the program is successful or not? Hand in hand with strategy, there must be shared understanding, as well as shared expectations, regarding how the survey supports the business strategy. On a more tactical level, the plan for survey development, implementation, reporting and action planning must all be rooted in an overarching strategy aimed at driving success.

Structure: The third facet of a systemic framework is structure. With respect to surveys this is reflected in how the project team is structured. Organizational structure should be mirrored in a core team that represents the needed skill set to support and implement the project, which is invariably cross functional in nature. The remainder of the project team structure is driven by how the organization is structured. So, say an organization is global, split across countries and geographic regions with different locations within those regions. This should be the foundation of the coordinator structure used throughout the survey process. Allowing the organizational structure to drive this team alignment supports representation both to the core team and from the core team out into the organization. While in large global companies this can sometimes mean an extended coordinator team of 100 people, it ensures success because it is the underpinning of buy-in (a critical success factor for any organization-wide initiative).

People: One sometimes-overlooked aspect of systemically setting up a successful survey process is the people involved. The question here really is, how does one maximize human capital? When considering the personnel who will staff the survey program, two things are required, clearly understanding their roles and responsibilities, and procuring individuals with the appropriate skills and abilities. Ensure that all involved understand and own their roles and responsibilities. Have I mentioned that it’s all about partnership? Administering a survey, particularly a global survey, requires keen attention to detail and someone who knows/understands the organizational structure. Additionally, leadership and organization navigational skills on the part of both the service provider and the client can set the survey process off to smooth sailing.

Processes and Tools: Finally, understanding the processes and supporting tools can lead to a smooth survey process, which then hopefully transitions into organizational buy-in, the underpinning for action stemming from the survey. The understanding of critical processes applies both to the overall basic survey model (planning, development, administration, reporting and action planning) and to managing the workings of the survey team. This understanding allows for establishing both good processes and appropriate critical path time estimates. Lack of understanding can take a survey process off track by establishing unrealistic expectations and unmanageable timelines. Decisions regarding critical processes (both with regard to running the survey team and delivering the survey) should drive what technology tools to use and when to use them. Remember that technology is a tool and just because you can use it doesn’t always mean you should.

In conclusion, http://humanresources.about.com/od/employeesatisfaction/a/surveys.htm : critial success factors for employee surveys include embracing the partnership between service provider and client, asking the right questions during the planning phase and then, using a systemic framework to answer those questions. Additionally, getting into the details, being in front of the process, planning for the unexpected (it will happen) and having a plan when the unexpected happens will make surviving any size survey process significantly easier. Remember that technology, such as recruiting software, is a tool and the process is dynamic. And, lastly, review and communicate your “http://www.kenexa.com/ : Human Capital Management strategy on an ongoing basis.

Author Bio: Andrea Watkins writes articles about cutting edge Human Capital Management solutions from Kenexa. When leveraging with the right HR Recruiting Software and employee surveys, you will be able to source, hire and retain the best talents from around the world.

Category: Business Management
Keywords: human capital management, recruiting software, employee surveys