Climate Survey Tips

A common first step in improving climate in an organization is administering a climate inventory or survey. A survey can establish a baseline against which improvement can be measured and can point up areas of particular concern. Results can also be a means of increased communication throughout the organization.

Surveys are not helpful in all situations, however, so the decision of whether or not to begin a climate initiative with a survey is one that should be made carefully.

A survey should not be conducted if there is little or no potential of taking corrective action. In such a situation, a survey is likely to do more harm than good, highlighting the problems and creating additional cynicism.

If, however, there are people with intention and means within a group who are committed to improving the climate, a survey can be helpful as a launching step.

Kristine Hafner, a management consultant for the University of California says surveys can be effectively used as a means of improving the climate and communicating with members of the organization. She suggests that results should be used, not as a report card, but rather, as a road map. She offers tips for increasing effectiveness of climate surveys which are summarized below.

Keep the data anonymous but communicate the action
Decide how to analyze the data before collecting it
Involve a cross-section of employees in the survey process
Clearly communicate the survey process, recommendations and actions
Use surveys with high validity and reliability
Include the survey as part of an annual plan and larger measurement effort
Field test the survey before administering it

Do Not

Survey without action
Rely solely on the survey data and numbers
Identify individuals or small units that would make identification of individuals obvious
Look for what you already see

Haffner summarizes the “seven survey sins” identified by International Survey Research Corporation, an organization with 21 years of experience in designing and conducting surveys. The seven pitfalls she describes are these:

Bad timing
Surveying the entire organization instead of a representative sample
Surveying too frequently
Oversimplified surveys
Sample is too small
Results tied to performance bonuses
Arbitrary target numbers are set

She recommends utilizing professionals experienced in creating and interpreting employee opinion surveys. Reference Hafner, Kristine. (1998).

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