To read our new blog posts, go to:
http://surveytelligence.com/blog/
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Monday, October 17, 2011
Make Data Work For You
The survey business has many faces, from the simple Survey Monkey polls to the advanced technology sites with indepth statistical analysis reports only trained experts can understand. The former will always have a place in organizations. Companies can gravitate to these types of polling surveys because they are cheap and many think merely focusing on low scores in a pie chart is the pathway to better a company. Unfortunately for the companies, this is never the case. There is a big difference between polling a company to find out what percentage of people are happy and using a sophisticated survey tool to develop prioritized action plans for each workgroup/manager.
Diagnostic tools that are built strictly for business transformation will ALWAYS provide better results than those that can also be used to find the percentage of students who prefer chicken nuggets to hot dogs in the cafeteria. Businesses require three competencies:
Be innovative. These skills and tools must be learned, tested, and adapted for clients. If there is one thing you must remember about surveys, it is that data is easy to get, but change from data is not.
Diagnostic tools that are built strictly for business transformation will ALWAYS provide better results than those that can also be used to find the percentage of students who prefer chicken nuggets to hot dogs in the cafeteria. Businesses require three competencies:
- A great analytical tool built specifically for organizational analysis
- Competency in in analysis, change management, alignment
- An implementation plan that will breed success.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Brainstorming for Survey Design
Force field Analysis is a wonderful brainstorming tool to elicit from your survey team members the key drivers and barriers of our organization. Force Field Analysis involves listing, and then examining, the factors that can help implement the change and those that can hinder it. This lays the groundwork for creating the survey's Critical Success Factors and items. Force Field analysis is based on the law of physics that says for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. A state of equilibrium is established between these two sets of contending forces. Change one force on either side and the situation changes-unless met by a new contrary force of equal strength.
This analysis technique is more than a decision-making technique. When used creatively , it identifies, for your organization, the key drivers to get you where you want to be (your Main Thing) as well as your barriers of getting there.
Here are the four steps for sucessful Force Field Analysis:
STEP 1: Identify the Main Thing on a flip chart on the far right and your present state on the left.
STEP 2: With a brainstorming technique, starting on the left side, go around the room and offer ideas how to go from where you are to the MT. All ideas are written down without any dialogue and keep adding ideas until each member passes.
STEP 3: Now identify the barriers you feel that would prevent you from reaching the goals of the MT for each of the drivers.
STEP 4: Make a list of all drivers and barriers on a clean paper, which list will be your guide in identifying the Categories, Factors and Items. Each of the “drivers” or “restrainers” will be in corporate into the survey design. Each of the items are directly correlated to the success of achieving the corporate vision.
This analysis technique is more than a decision-making technique. When used creatively , it identifies, for your organization, the key drivers to get you where you want to be (your Main Thing) as well as your barriers of getting there.
Here are the four steps for sucessful Force Field Analysis:
STEP 1: Identify the Main Thing on a flip chart on the far right and your present state on the left.
STEP 2: With a brainstorming technique, starting on the left side, go around the room and offer ideas how to go from where you are to the MT. All ideas are written down without any dialogue and keep adding ideas until each member passes.
STEP 3: Now identify the barriers you feel that would prevent you from reaching the goals of the MT for each of the drivers.
STEP 4: Make a list of all drivers and barriers on a clean paper, which list will be your guide in identifying the Categories, Factors and Items. Each of the “drivers” or “restrainers” will be in corporate into the survey design. Each of the items are directly correlated to the success of achieving the corporate vision.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Is a 25% Response Rate OK?
At the risk of being controversial, the following myth needs to be debunked:
"A 25% response rate is OK."
For organizational comprehension, action planning, strategy defining, its unusable. A 25% response is terrible. It speaks volumes about either the culture your working in, poor presurvey communication, no reward for taking the survey, no visioning about how to get to a critical 80% response level, lackluster management commitment, and maybe 10 other flaws in the survey process.
If your intent is to get a pulse, than I might soften my stance, but who wants a pulse if it doesn't even tell you if the patient is doing more than just breathing, How does a pulse help guide a professional consultant trying to blueprint a clients to better profitability. IT DOESN'T! Unreliable data results.
Survey taking is a business, Its serious and must be taken seriously. A failure might well have negative feedback implications, and for a consultant, potentially devastating to their reputation. My best advice, don't do it if you don't know what your doing.
"A 25% response rate is OK."
For organizational comprehension, action planning, strategy defining, its unusable. A 25% response is terrible. It speaks volumes about either the culture your working in, poor presurvey communication, no reward for taking the survey, no visioning about how to get to a critical 80% response level, lackluster management commitment, and maybe 10 other flaws in the survey process.
If your intent is to get a pulse, than I might soften my stance, but who wants a pulse if it doesn't even tell you if the patient is doing more than just breathing, How does a pulse help guide a professional consultant trying to blueprint a clients to better profitability. IT DOESN'T! Unreliable data results.
Survey taking is a business, Its serious and must be taken seriously. A failure might well have negative feedback implications, and for a consultant, potentially devastating to their reputation. My best advice, don't do it if you don't know what your doing.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Designing Your Survey To Your Vision
"My bottom-line is what does the organization's management want to happen, then what needs to happen." might best be served in the survey design phase.
Try designing the survey questions based on visioning (i.e. "where do you want to be in 2013?") . The second comment is key, "how would you get there?". Have a brainstorming session using Contingency Diagrams, Force Field Analysis tools or any systems you have to draw out conversation about the current state - the existing barriers and strengths.
Once the client describes how to get to that vision, add in open ended questions asking people to contribute or explain their experiences. You need a survey tool that can drive real client value used by consultants that understand survey analysis. Survey analysis using diagnostics is not a skill that is intuitive.
From survey results, the consultant can see which workgroup has developmental needs in order to contribute to the vision blueprint. Every question asked in the survey is directly correlated to the vision so improving the scores of any question by any workgroup is "continuous improvement" to the vision.
Not to forget the real power of analysis. Unlimited demographic slicing, cross tab within groups, unlimited comparing of groups and more is a key consultant's ally . If your survey diagnostic engine can function like an in depth market study, you have unlimited ability to find the misalignments. Correlation analysis, histograms, gap perception tools, value chain analysis, and alignment analysis tools are the keys to understanding how to really help clients.
Look for tools that have been designed and built by consultants. I'm not promoting what we do--I am only stating a fact. You know, the "until you walk in my shoes...".
If you really look and compare, all basic functionality of survey tools are the same. They collect data online, plug that data into a SQL database and then display results in bar charts for your analysis. The add on features for analysis aids should be your concern. If you are expecting survey tools to give you value, simply ask your vendor if the analysis engine has been built by OD consultants.
So, end of point. Consultants need skills and training in survey design, analysis and meaningful action blueprinting if they really want to gain a mastery of using surveys with clients. Consultant misfeasance in use of survey tools and results is alive and well; hence the naysayers of consultants about surveys.
Survey use can be the genesis of the best consulting experience for both clients and consultants.
Try designing the survey questions based on visioning (i.e. "where do you want to be in 2013?") . The second comment is key, "how would you get there?". Have a brainstorming session using Contingency Diagrams, Force Field Analysis tools or any systems you have to draw out conversation about the current state - the existing barriers and strengths.
Once the client describes how to get to that vision, add in open ended questions asking people to contribute or explain their experiences. You need a survey tool that can drive real client value used by consultants that understand survey analysis. Survey analysis using diagnostics is not a skill that is intuitive.
From survey results, the consultant can see which workgroup has developmental needs in order to contribute to the vision blueprint. Every question asked in the survey is directly correlated to the vision so improving the scores of any question by any workgroup is "continuous improvement" to the vision.
Not to forget the real power of analysis. Unlimited demographic slicing, cross tab within groups, unlimited comparing of groups and more is a key consultant's ally . If your survey diagnostic engine can function like an in depth market study, you have unlimited ability to find the misalignments. Correlation analysis, histograms, gap perception tools, value chain analysis, and alignment analysis tools are the keys to understanding how to really help clients.
Look for tools that have been designed and built by consultants. I'm not promoting what we do--I am only stating a fact. You know, the "until you walk in my shoes...".
If you really look and compare, all basic functionality of survey tools are the same. They collect data online, plug that data into a SQL database and then display results in bar charts for your analysis. The add on features for analysis aids should be your concern. If you are expecting survey tools to give you value, simply ask your vendor if the analysis engine has been built by OD consultants.
So, end of point. Consultants need skills and training in survey design, analysis and meaningful action blueprinting if they really want to gain a mastery of using surveys with clients. Consultant misfeasance in use of survey tools and results is alive and well; hence the naysayers of consultants about surveys.
Survey use can be the genesis of the best consulting experience for both clients and consultants.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Vital Conditions For Coaching Success
Establishing an open and honest conversation between the Coach and Manager is vital to their mutual success. If the Manager approaches a coaching conversation with fear, then that fear (and even more dangerous – the fear of retribution) will be interwoven into the fabric of the entire experience.
For coaching conversations to be successful, both parties need to see feedback as an opportunity to explore what elements will contribute to future success, and the basis of coaching will be strategies for successfully getting there. If fear erodes the conversations, trust and openness cannot be built – even when both parties have the best intentions in mind. This team effort must be focused on how to create environments that break from the past and allow connectivity and positive conversations to flow between the parties. Once this Coaching experience yields success between Manager and Coach, then the same experience can be replicated between the Manager and their Direct Reports – creating a positive ripple effect in the organization.
Suggested Questions for Coaching the Manager
1. How would you describe your accountability for coaching the people in your Department?
2. What percentage of your time do you think should ideally be spent coaching?
3. What percentage of your time do you actually spend coaching?
4. How would you characterize the link between development and performance?
5. How receptive to coaching are the people who report to you?
6. What are barriers or hindrances to coaching do you encounter?
7. What support would you need to enhance your coaching effectiveness?
8. How could the coaching you receive be improved?
9. What are the key questions we should explore in the session on coaching we are planning?
10. What other subject should we cover in the session?
For coaching conversations to be successful, both parties need to see feedback as an opportunity to explore what elements will contribute to future success, and the basis of coaching will be strategies for successfully getting there. If fear erodes the conversations, trust and openness cannot be built – even when both parties have the best intentions in mind. This team effort must be focused on how to create environments that break from the past and allow connectivity and positive conversations to flow between the parties. Once this Coaching experience yields success between Manager and Coach, then the same experience can be replicated between the Manager and their Direct Reports – creating a positive ripple effect in the organization.
Suggested Questions for Coaching the Manager
1. How would you describe your accountability for coaching the people in your Department?
2. What percentage of your time do you think should ideally be spent coaching?
3. What percentage of your time do you actually spend coaching?
4. How would you characterize the link between development and performance?
5. How receptive to coaching are the people who report to you?
6. What are barriers or hindrances to coaching do you encounter?
7. What support would you need to enhance your coaching effectiveness?
8. How could the coaching you receive be improved?
9. What are the key questions we should explore in the session on coaching we are planning?
10. What other subject should we cover in the session?
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
HR Happiness Survey
How can you expect HR to serve as the company engagement leader responsible for initiating a plan of "engaging" the People, when even HR might not be engaged themselves?
How and why can I say that?
Five years ago I conducted a Human Resource Happiness Survey in Trinidad (of all places) and got some rather startling results. Of course, that reflects the culture of a place 15 miles from Venezuela but being curious, I collected additional responses from HR folks in Connecticut - wow, was I stunned! The scores were the same. It appears that HR, no matter what country, can be treated like the gum on the bottom of the corporate shoe.
In 2006, out of 131 HR professionals, training folks, managers, even officers surveyed, only 66% say the CEO consults with HR about employee issues. What's really startling was the perception that only 60% of managers felt that HR is a valuable resource in driving worker productivity. What's absolutely wild is that of the 131 surveyed, only 46% said those same managers are doing a good job in motivating their people. Who's poking the eyes out of who?
That was 5 years ago, but the Toolbox for HR and SurveyTelligence are interested to see if corporate USA, and the rest of the world, are finally beginning to appreciate the great contribution HR is making to profitability and business performance. So we built a another HR Happiness survey. From the results, we intend to create a discussion forum about your responses, feelings your career choice being HR (if you are in HR), your frustrations, experiences, aspirations and value to your employer and yourself and whatever else. It's time to sound off! Step up and be heard!
This survey is for everyone. Please click the link below and take the HR Happiness Survey...or will it be known as the "HR Miserable Survey"? You don't need to be just HR. Write whatever you wish in the open ended questions. If you give us an email address in the last open ended question, we will send you a report of our findings.
http://infotool-online.net/index.asp?u=hrhappiness&p=1234&l=en
How and why can I say that?
Five years ago I conducted a Human Resource Happiness Survey in Trinidad (of all places) and got some rather startling results. Of course, that reflects the culture of a place 15 miles from Venezuela but being curious, I collected additional responses from HR folks in Connecticut - wow, was I stunned! The scores were the same. It appears that HR, no matter what country, can be treated like the gum on the bottom of the corporate shoe.
In 2006, out of 131 HR professionals, training folks, managers, even officers surveyed, only 66% say the CEO consults with HR about employee issues. What's really startling was the perception that only 60% of managers felt that HR is a valuable resource in driving worker productivity. What's absolutely wild is that of the 131 surveyed, only 46% said those same managers are doing a good job in motivating their people. Who's poking the eyes out of who?
That was 5 years ago, but the Toolbox for HR and SurveyTelligence are interested to see if corporate USA, and the rest of the world, are finally beginning to appreciate the great contribution HR is making to profitability and business performance. So we built a another HR Happiness survey. From the results, we intend to create a discussion forum about your responses, feelings your career choice being HR (if you are in HR), your frustrations, experiences, aspirations and value to your employer and yourself and whatever else. It's time to sound off! Step up and be heard!
This survey is for everyone. Please click the link below and take the HR Happiness Survey...or will it be known as the "HR Miserable Survey"? You don't need to be just HR. Write whatever you wish in the open ended questions. If you give us an email address in the last open ended question, we will send you a report of our findings.
http://infotool-online.net/index.asp?u=hrhappiness&p=1234&l=en
Consultants Need More Than Just Focus Groups
For centuries advisors used the art of communication with Kings, Captains, Pharoes, Presidents, Dictators, Corporate Leaders to understand the basic underlying issues creating chaos in a culture, country, organization. How else would you learn? The art of conversation, the probing, twisting, turning over of ideas, and not to be jaded, but through the lens of one person. Ahh, lets get several people together and have more probing conversations. This new initiative was called a Focus Group. Oh boy, a new dilemma. How do you sort the most important response from the most common responses? How about conflicting opinions? Who is right and who is wrong? Do these opinions or perception really represent the cause of chaos? Who really hates who and who is telling the truth? Anyone who can actually sort, identify and cope with these issue can be my advisor!
For centuries, the belief was that oral communication between people had evolved as the best way for consultants to learn and advise clients on how to rebuild or form a new culture. Judith Glaser has written several best seller books on the art of communication to create a "WE culture". This communication stuff really works, but it's slow, impacts a small group at a time, not sure if it really changes inbred behaviors, and lasts only as long as your temper or patience lasts. Plus it's only a 1 to 1 relationship. This takes weeks, maybe months.
Maybe more is needed than just one-on-one conversation, or even a focus group of a dozen to really understand the "heartbeat' of the people, or the "pulse"of the business.
Technology, with advanced web based capabilities and powerful SQL back end databases have changed the entire science of learning through communication. Regardless of the survey questions asked- either designer or off the shelf- the survey engine that "spits out the results" can now give the analyst an instant x-ray picture, with analysis and action steps, for each individual workgroup. Imagine know key barriers and issues confronting each manager, each VP, each supervisor or even the CEO.
The output is precise and granular enough to see what's broken, in which department, workgroup or demographics, what action steps must be taken, and with statistical accuracy. These tools need to contain functions as: correlation analysis, automated reports, cross tab analysis, alignment measures by workgroup, performance variation gap analytics, etc. for instant analysis. These tools must be easy to use, graphic, and interactive, having the equivalency of a CAT scan. It must be able to view and analyze each organizational body part. Surveying a company is too expensive both in time and commitment to fail, and so is misdiagnosing actions for companies to take. To combine conversation and diagnostic data, you can now really create value.
For centuries, the belief was that oral communication between people had evolved as the best way for consultants to learn and advise clients on how to rebuild or form a new culture. Judith Glaser has written several best seller books on the art of communication to create a "WE culture". This communication stuff really works, but it's slow, impacts a small group at a time, not sure if it really changes inbred behaviors, and lasts only as long as your temper or patience lasts. Plus it's only a 1 to 1 relationship. This takes weeks, maybe months.
Maybe more is needed than just one-on-one conversation, or even a focus group of a dozen to really understand the "heartbeat' of the people, or the "pulse"of the business.
Technology, with advanced web based capabilities and powerful SQL back end databases have changed the entire science of learning through communication. Regardless of the survey questions asked- either designer or off the shelf- the survey engine that "spits out the results" can now give the analyst an instant x-ray picture, with analysis and action steps, for each individual workgroup. Imagine know key barriers and issues confronting each manager, each VP, each supervisor or even the CEO.
The output is precise and granular enough to see what's broken, in which department, workgroup or demographics, what action steps must be taken, and with statistical accuracy. These tools need to contain functions as: correlation analysis, automated reports, cross tab analysis, alignment measures by workgroup, performance variation gap analytics, etc. for instant analysis. These tools must be easy to use, graphic, and interactive, having the equivalency of a CAT scan. It must be able to view and analyze each organizational body part. Surveying a company is too expensive both in time and commitment to fail, and so is misdiagnosing actions for companies to take. To combine conversation and diagnostic data, you can now really create value.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
What Causes Variablility In Workforce Performance?
What causes variability in workforce performance, within similar workgroups, has been the source of much study but the research that resonates is “among the many variables that discriminate between highly productive workplaces and those that are unproductive, is the quality of the local workplace manager and his or her ability to meet a core set of employees’ emotional requirements.” Primarily, emotional conditions are described as those that meet basic human needs. Buckingham,M & Coffman,C. (1999). First Break all the Rules: What the world’s greatest managers do differently. New York:Simon and Shuster. Coffman, C. & Gonzalas-Molina,G. (2002). Follow this path: How the world’s greatest organizations drive growth by unleashing human potential. New York: Warner.
Our 12 years of research as a survey consulting firms supports the hard evidence that variability of performance is predominant in most every organization. Why does one department outperform another? The answer is quite simple!
Each department has their own leader that has created the culture for that department in their own image. Usually this local culture is not the same culture declared in the corporate “value proposition”. It’s that simple.
The solution is having a strong corporate leader that has the insights, tools, will, and strategy that will assist each of the local managers in eliminating performance variability in their respective departments. Easy to say, hard to do; until now.
Here’s the ultimate goal. Each department delivers the best output possible, with primary focus on the “critical success factors" consistent with the leader’s stated mission. That means high performance execution of each workgroup, strategically linked to profitability and organic growth. It means eliminate lop sided delivery in the “value chain”; get that HEMI engine working on all 8 cylinders!
Thus, building workforce engagement falls squarely on the shoulders of the local manager and manager engagement falls squarely on the shoulders of the leader. It not trying to regulate humanity, but to build a “we” culture with a purpose of bringing out the best in people. It’s a people to people skill in communication; the growth of Employee Engagement as an operating principle.
Employee Engagement is the most researched management tool to understanding how to build a high performance culture; that managers need as much help as leadership can provide to bring this thinking to the departmental level. In a study of 2,178 business units from 10 companies, research evidenced that workforce engagement predicted levels of performance. Harter,J.K., Schmidt (2005, August). Employee engagement and business unit performance: A longitudinal meta-analytic study of casual direction
This relationship of leader-manager-worker is known as vertical alignment, (Dr. George Labovitz, Power of Alignment, 1997, Wiley) and is managed with ease with precise information.
In summary, high performing workgroups, with willingness, commitment and ability to effectively execute the leader’s vision, need a communication avenue to senior leadership, who has a willingness to meet the need. It all starts by the capture of information with extremely powerful survey analysis tools.
Our 12 years of research as a survey consulting firms supports the hard evidence that variability of performance is predominant in most every organization. Why does one department outperform another? The answer is quite simple!
Each department has their own leader that has created the culture for that department in their own image. Usually this local culture is not the same culture declared in the corporate “value proposition”. It’s that simple.
The solution is having a strong corporate leader that has the insights, tools, will, and strategy that will assist each of the local managers in eliminating performance variability in their respective departments. Easy to say, hard to do; until now.
Here’s the ultimate goal. Each department delivers the best output possible, with primary focus on the “critical success factors" consistent with the leader’s stated mission. That means high performance execution of each workgroup, strategically linked to profitability and organic growth. It means eliminate lop sided delivery in the “value chain”; get that HEMI engine working on all 8 cylinders!
Thus, building workforce engagement falls squarely on the shoulders of the local manager and manager engagement falls squarely on the shoulders of the leader. It not trying to regulate humanity, but to build a “we” culture with a purpose of bringing out the best in people. It’s a people to people skill in communication; the growth of Employee Engagement as an operating principle.
Employee Engagement is the most researched management tool to understanding how to build a high performance culture; that managers need as much help as leadership can provide to bring this thinking to the departmental level. In a study of 2,178 business units from 10 companies, research evidenced that workforce engagement predicted levels of performance. Harter,J.K., Schmidt (2005, August). Employee engagement and business unit performance: A longitudinal meta-analytic study of casual direction
This relationship of leader-manager-worker is known as vertical alignment, (Dr. George Labovitz, Power of Alignment, 1997, Wiley) and is managed with ease with precise information.
In summary, high performing workgroups, with willingness, commitment and ability to effectively execute the leader’s vision, need a communication avenue to senior leadership, who has a willingness to meet the need. It all starts by the capture of information with extremely powerful survey analysis tools.
Monday, August 8, 2011
What Makes a High Performance Organization?
Today’s normal is not the same as yesterday’s normal. With manufacturing being outsourced, Egypt and world instability, emerging markets, the subprime mortgage disaster, the unpopularity of the Iraq and Afghan war and the uncertainty of the next presidential race, with the size of unemployed Americans growing at staggering rates, renders a “same old, same old” business strategy obsolete.
How can leaders build organizations to create higher performing workforce cultures, coupled with a new competency of nimbleness, if they expect to continue creating value for their shareholders?
A ”high-performance organization” is one where all departments are in sync, working together, and aligned with each other so as to provide to their customers the very best, on time delivery of your services or products. Anything short of that state of excellence results in varying degrees of misalignment. In that reality, expect troubling impacts on issues of customer loyalty, profitability, process, people, culture and all those other states of being that create loss or create organic growth.
High performance is impossible to achieve so long as there are high degrees of variability’s in departmental work force performance. Simply stated, departments that are performing at different rates and levels of performance is a recipe for loss in profitability and /or growth. This is not a trivial matter, as the larger the variability of workforce performance, the larger the gap between the organizations delivery systems and its customer satisfaction.
How can leaders build organizations to create higher performing workforce cultures, coupled with a new competency of nimbleness, if they expect to continue creating value for their shareholders?
A ”high-performance organization” is one where all departments are in sync, working together, and aligned with each other so as to provide to their customers the very best, on time delivery of your services or products. Anything short of that state of excellence results in varying degrees of misalignment. In that reality, expect troubling impacts on issues of customer loyalty, profitability, process, people, culture and all those other states of being that create loss or create organic growth.
High performance is impossible to achieve so long as there are high degrees of variability’s in departmental work force performance. Simply stated, departments that are performing at different rates and levels of performance is a recipe for loss in profitability and /or growth. This is not a trivial matter, as the larger the variability of workforce performance, the larger the gap between the organizations delivery systems and its customer satisfaction.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
What You Need From A Survey Vendor
Technology, with advanced web based capabilities using powerful SQL back end databases, has changed the entire science of survey taking. Regardless of the questions asked- either designer or off the shelf- the survey engine that "spits out the results" must be able to give the analyst an instant x-ray picture of each individual workgroup.
Every survey vendor collects data, inserts it into a database and gives output. It's this "output" that becomes the value proposition for the survey customer and their internal analyst. The output must be precise and granular enough to see what's broken, in which department, workgroup or demographic, what action steps must be taken, and with statistical accuracy. These tools need to contain correlation analysis, automated reports, cross tab analysis, alignment measures by workgroup, performance variation gap analytics, etc. These are the benchmarks for comparing survey products.
These tools must be easy to use, graphic, interactive and have the equivalency of a CAT scan to view and analyze each organizational body parts. This is another benchmark for comparing survey products. To contain costs, look for a vendor that will certify internal HR to manage the data, with coaching capability for continued improvement long after the high priced survey folks have left.
Surveying a company is too expensive both in time and commitment to fail. Shop wisely...there are great new products out there.
Stanley Labovitz
SurveyTelligence, Powered by Infotool
http://www.infotool-online.com/
1-866-616-5552
Every survey vendor collects data, inserts it into a database and gives output. It's this "output" that becomes the value proposition for the survey customer and their internal analyst. The output must be precise and granular enough to see what's broken, in which department, workgroup or demographic, what action steps must be taken, and with statistical accuracy. These tools need to contain correlation analysis, automated reports, cross tab analysis, alignment measures by workgroup, performance variation gap analytics, etc. These are the benchmarks for comparing survey products.
These tools must be easy to use, graphic, interactive and have the equivalency of a CAT scan to view and analyze each organizational body parts. This is another benchmark for comparing survey products. To contain costs, look for a vendor that will certify internal HR to manage the data, with coaching capability for continued improvement long after the high priced survey folks have left.
Surveying a company is too expensive both in time and commitment to fail. Shop wisely...there are great new products out there.
Stanley Labovitz
SurveyTelligence, Powered by Infotool
http://www.infotool-online.com/
1-866-616-5552
Monday, August 1, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Don't Let This Happen To You
Don't let surveys be a waste of time. Make your surveys intelligent and meaningful. Taking multiple surveys a year will only tire your workforce and waste time and money. Provide people with a "WIFM" - What's in it For Me? Let your people know their feedback will help the company and make it a better place to work.
Who the Heck Needs Benchmarking?
Why the heck should you care about benchmarking your business against somebody else's business especially since every company is so different in so many ways?I always thought it was nuts and a waste of good energy.
Being a business adviser, I think I am starting to get it.
When dining at a fancy restaurant, my wife likes to look at all the other husbands and compare how they look, their dress, styles, fi to me. If she sees a shlumpy dressed guy, she now says "how handsome I look tonight". Me, I don't really care, but a driving need to compare seems important to make her, and all those those corporate types feel good ...or even feel lousy. Benchmarking has ZERO business impact, other than seeing how you compared to others. In fact you cannot compare yourself to others unless you are a twin, or both of you have the same fingerprint. From a business perspective, it must have some value in generating cash and customers otherwise it wouldn't be such a big business.
As a well know secret, benchmarking must be an internal self evaluation, over time, improving YOUR own critical business weakness.
As they say, "go with the flow", so we at SurveyTelligence and Infotool now have a benchmarking database, by industry, built from over 250 surveys and over 300,000 survey takers we have done over the last several years. We give it to clients, for FREE. As the hustlers would say, "for customer delight, give the customer what they want...even if it's not necessarily what they need!"
Being a business adviser, I think I am starting to get it.
When dining at a fancy restaurant, my wife likes to look at all the other husbands and compare how they look, their dress, styles, fi to me. If she sees a shlumpy dressed guy, she now says "how handsome I look tonight". Me, I don't really care, but a driving need to compare seems important to make her, and all those those corporate types feel good ...or even feel lousy. Benchmarking has ZERO business impact, other than seeing how you compared to others. In fact you cannot compare yourself to others unless you are a twin, or both of you have the same fingerprint. From a business perspective, it must have some value in generating cash and customers otherwise it wouldn't be such a big business.
As a well know secret, benchmarking must be an internal self evaluation, over time, improving YOUR own critical business weakness.
As they say, "go with the flow", so we at SurveyTelligence and Infotool now have a benchmarking database, by industry, built from over 250 surveys and over 300,000 survey takers we have done over the last several years. We give it to clients, for FREE. As the hustlers would say, "for customer delight, give the customer what they want...even if it's not necessarily what they need!"
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Best Practices for Employee Surveys
I was on LinkedIn and came across a discussion question I couldn't help from answering.
The question was:
"I am looking for some guidance in determining best practices for a 6-month new employee survey."
This was my response:
Is it really best practices from a new hire you need? Most still have yet to find the cafeteria.
What's really important is to know if they are engaged, working for a caring, knowledgeable manager, understand the underlying driving forces to help achieve the "business of the business" get along with co-workers, culture and a bit more.
We have been doing this survey stuff for over 15 years and the only need you have is to make sure new hires are keeping their "bloom" on the flower. The items asked must have a capability for a quick fix, usually through manager relationships. Have a means to identify each worker by manager, and give each manager a report card as to how well they are mentoring their hires. It's one thing to ask questions, its another thing to have actions and fix what you discovered.
For analysis to have meaning, upscale from survey monkey. Get away from tools whose results only give high level norms or polling type results without analysis competencies like cross tabs, unlimited demographic slicing, comparing, etc.
Instead, get results that give you directed action plans that you can wrap your hands around.
The question was:
"I am looking for some guidance in determining best practices for a 6-month new employee survey."
This was my response:
Is it really best practices from a new hire you need? Most still have yet to find the cafeteria.
What's really important is to know if they are engaged, working for a caring, knowledgeable manager, understand the underlying driving forces to help achieve the "business of the business" get along with co-workers, culture and a bit more.
We have been doing this survey stuff for over 15 years and the only need you have is to make sure new hires are keeping their "bloom" on the flower. The items asked must have a capability for a quick fix, usually through manager relationships. Have a means to identify each worker by manager, and give each manager a report card as to how well they are mentoring their hires. It's one thing to ask questions, its another thing to have actions and fix what you discovered.
For analysis to have meaning, upscale from survey monkey. Get away from tools whose results only give high level norms or polling type results without analysis competencies like cross tabs, unlimited demographic slicing, comparing, etc.
Instead, get results that give you directed action plans that you can wrap your hands around.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Advanced News Update for SurveyTelligence
SurveyTelligence, Powered by Infotool has been selected from a competitive field of survey vendors, as the Survey Consulting Firm for the 2011 "Transformational Culture" project for the University of West Indies. UWI has over 50,000 students in both undergraduate and graduate program, with a staff of over 3,000 within 3 Residencies, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad.
The project will start in July with a senior level conference in Kingston, Jamaica to identify the vision and build a defined set of survey items around it. This will be followed by a well-publicized communication plan for conducting the UWI High Performance Employee Engagement Survey. After analysis of survey results, a senior level executive report will be presented with defined action plans for the most effective path to the vision. We will transform the existing culture to one of high engagement energy, with revisions to process and leadership initiatives to maintain the university's reputation as the leading provider of higher education in the Caribbean. Post analysis, the intent is to train and certify internal HR staff as coach/mentor to each of the managers/supervisors and facilitate action plans at each of the department level using the precise results generated by the Infotool diagnostic.
The project will take three months, with a follow up measurement in twelve months. The certified internal staff will continue in their role as talent improvement experts long after SurveyTelligence has left.
Stanley Labovitz, CEO of SurveyTelligence and Infotool has been selected as the key note speaker in September 26, 2011, in San Jose, Costa Rica for the GBM world wide organization. Using GBM's facilities, he will be broadcasting to all GBM's countries, also including over 12,000 people from BAC, a large multi-international banking conglomerate, Nicaragua and Columbia. Labovitz, a recognized expert in organizational transformation installing alignment, engagement and measurement principles, will spend the day sharing experiences, leading a panel and presenting best practices of highly successful companies that have transformed their culture for greater profitability, and beginning through measurement, how to build that sought after engaged workforce aligned to the "business of the business".
The project will start in July with a senior level conference in Kingston, Jamaica to identify the vision and build a defined set of survey items around it. This will be followed by a well-publicized communication plan for conducting the UWI High Performance Employee Engagement Survey. After analysis of survey results, a senior level executive report will be presented with defined action plans for the most effective path to the vision. We will transform the existing culture to one of high engagement energy, with revisions to process and leadership initiatives to maintain the university's reputation as the leading provider of higher education in the Caribbean. Post analysis, the intent is to train and certify internal HR staff as coach/mentor to each of the managers/supervisors and facilitate action plans at each of the department level using the precise results generated by the Infotool diagnostic.
The project will take three months, with a follow up measurement in twelve months. The certified internal staff will continue in their role as talent improvement experts long after SurveyTelligence has left.
Stanley Labovitz, CEO of SurveyTelligence and Infotool has been selected as the key note speaker in September 26, 2011, in San Jose, Costa Rica for the GBM world wide organization. Using GBM's facilities, he will be broadcasting to all GBM's countries, also including over 12,000 people from BAC, a large multi-international banking conglomerate, Nicaragua and Columbia. Labovitz, a recognized expert in organizational transformation installing alignment, engagement and measurement principles, will spend the day sharing experiences, leading a panel and presenting best practices of highly successful companies that have transformed their culture for greater profitability, and beginning through measurement, how to build that sought after engaged workforce aligned to the "business of the business".
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Redefining Leadership
In the 70’s and 80’s, we talked mostly about the strong and tough leader, the courageous leader, the results-driven leader and the leader who measured success by how many people followed.
During the past 15 years, our view of leadership has changed. We have redefined great leadership by adding more human capabilities and capacities, including behaviors such as empathy. Supporting and developing others and caring about the impact we have on those who look up to us.
“Co-creating” is a new and different word. Its meaning is not about negotiating, giving in or accommodating one time so I can get what I want another time. Co-creating is a state of mind and a way of working with others that is much more inclusive than what most leaders previously thought. It requires that leaders learn how to facilitate conversations with others in a new way. It requires that leaders are aware of themselves to correct behaviors that can ruin relationships.
During the past 15 years, our view of leadership has changed. We have redefined great leadership by adding more human capabilities and capacities, including behaviors such as empathy. Supporting and developing others and caring about the impact we have on those who look up to us.
“Co-creating” is a new and different word. Its meaning is not about negotiating, giving in or accommodating one time so I can get what I want another time. Co-creating is a state of mind and a way of working with others that is much more inclusive than what most leaders previously thought. It requires that leaders learn how to facilitate conversations with others in a new way. It requires that leaders are aware of themselves to correct behaviors that can ruin relationships.
As a consultant or HR professional, it can be difficult to address these issues. Survey data is key. Measuring the level of how in synch a leader is with his/her team in all the critical measures is imperative for co-creating. Many times, leaders see the world through "rose-colored glasses" but reality cannot be subjective.
If you are a leader, ask yourself, "does your team see the world as you do?".
Monday, July 11, 2011
Change From A Certified Survey Consultant
Certified Survey Consultant and Founder of FutureNow Consulting, LLC. Michael J. Stabile shares his experiences using SurveyTelligence techniques and Infotool Technology:
I have been working with a high school planning team at a well-known school in Cincinnati, OH. They had recently completed a survey process using Infotool diagnostics to get a “snap shot” of their school culture. However, at this particular meeting the dialogue keep focusing on a major process and structural change. For over forty-five minutes the administrative team and staff were conflicted over the change and the reaction of the staff. I asked if I could interject an idea that might be helpful.
With our ability to dig deeply into the data using SurveyTelligence’s Infool to analyze their data, literally within five minutes, I was able to help their thinking to change directions that would have been toxic for the school culture. Using the horizontal and vertical alignment visual (modified for education) they were able to clearly get the message.
On the following Monday, I was asked to present the data results and analysis of the High School's DNA of Culture Survey to about 40 of their staff members to position their school culture with specific and target areas to address. I presented what I am now calling the Strategic Learning Alignment Model. The initial stress about process and structural change became less and less of an issue, because the data analysis helped them to see the higher priority of vertical alignment. The leadership and department within the culture had some major misalignments and the results were mistrust, lack of real collaboration, and entrenched territorialism that was causing “toxic” relationships. We delayed the process and structural change and they contracted with me for the next school year on building high performance teams to address the vertical alignment issues.
Michael J. Stabile, Ph.D. is an experienced educator, life/leadership coach, consultant, author, and part of the SurveyTelligence team. He works with individuals and organizations in people and organizational capacity development. Mike is a professor at Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH and founded and leads FutureNow Consulting, LLC. FutureNow is committed to personal, group, and organizational transformation. For more information on the Strategic Learning Alignment Model contact Mike at mstabile@futurenowed.com or www.futurenowed.com
If you are interested in building your business becoming a Certified Survey Consultant, contact us at info@infotool-online.com or call 1-866-616-5552
I have been working with a high school planning team at a well-known school in Cincinnati, OH. They had recently completed a survey process using Infotool diagnostics to get a “snap shot” of their school culture. However, at this particular meeting the dialogue keep focusing on a major process and structural change. For over forty-five minutes the administrative team and staff were conflicted over the change and the reaction of the staff. I asked if I could interject an idea that might be helpful.
With our ability to dig deeply into the data using SurveyTelligence’s Infool to analyze their data, literally within five minutes, I was able to help their thinking to change directions that would have been toxic for the school culture. Using the horizontal and vertical alignment visual (modified for education) they were able to clearly get the message.
On the following Monday, I was asked to present the data results and analysis of the High School's DNA of Culture Survey to about 40 of their staff members to position their school culture with specific and target areas to address. I presented what I am now calling the Strategic Learning Alignment Model. The initial stress about process and structural change became less and less of an issue, because the data analysis helped them to see the higher priority of vertical alignment. The leadership and department within the culture had some major misalignments and the results were mistrust, lack of real collaboration, and entrenched territorialism that was causing “toxic” relationships. We delayed the process and structural change and they contracted with me for the next school year on building high performance teams to address the vertical alignment issues.
Michael J. Stabile, Ph.D. is an experienced educator, life/leadership coach, consultant, author, and part of the SurveyTelligence team. He works with individuals and organizations in people and organizational capacity development. Mike is a professor at Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH and founded and leads FutureNow Consulting, LLC. FutureNow is committed to personal, group, and organizational transformation. For more information on the Strategic Learning Alignment Model contact Mike at mstabile@futurenowed.com or www.futurenowed.com
If you are interested in building your business becoming a Certified Survey Consultant, contact us at info@infotool-online.com or call 1-866-616-5552
Measurement for Turnaround Management Experts
Besides the metric of money, a Turnaround Management expert must have the support of the workforce (managers and workers alike) to exert the mental energy, commitment and innovation to continue supporting the effort to save the business. This is a turnaround and you need unbiased, critical historical operational information- not just from two or three people at top levels of an unsuccessful leadership team.
The measurement of organizational engagement is essential. Engagement measures include looking at strategies, process, people and customers through the lens of each workgroups. The more you understand your project, people, customers, and the entire culture, the more successful you will be in NOT CONTINUING TO PROPAGATE THE EXISTING CULTURE. (Principles of engagement are found in the Wiley best seller, Power of Alignment, a 1997 treatis by Dr. George Labovitz.)
This rapid learning process should take no more than four day, and it will be your "holy grail" blueprint moving forward with the entire project. Correlation and alignment tools provide a means to ID toxic managers and workgroups, operational needs, misfires in the value chain, as well as the strong people upon which you can rely will be at your fingertips. Expert analysis assistance should be available as you probably don't have time nor bandwidth.
Happy to tell you more...
The measurement of organizational engagement is essential. Engagement measures include looking at strategies, process, people and customers through the lens of each workgroups. The more you understand your project, people, customers, and the entire culture, the more successful you will be in NOT CONTINUING TO PROPAGATE THE EXISTING CULTURE. (Principles of engagement are found in the Wiley best seller, Power of Alignment, a 1997 treatis by Dr. George Labovitz.)
This rapid learning process should take no more than four day, and it will be your "holy grail" blueprint moving forward with the entire project. Correlation and alignment tools provide a means to ID toxic managers and workgroups, operational needs, misfires in the value chain, as well as the strong people upon which you can rely will be at your fingertips. Expert analysis assistance should be available as you probably don't have time nor bandwidth.
Happy to tell you more...
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