Option 1: Action Research

One strategy for using employing surveys is to start out with a commitment to change in a particular domain, such as

• new product development
• project management
• reducing costs in warranty service
• cultivating better management strategies or tools

Typically organizations already know where they could start before doing any survey. And the process is designed to self-correct if the initial wisdom turns out to be wrong. For example, an initial focus on project management could shift into an examination of corporate culture. The strong benefit, however, is that employees are engaged in the change process from the very beginning.

The process consists of two simultaneous cycles:

The first voice is that of the senior team. The key issue is identifying the strategic objectives that are currently considered at risk. This Executive Review of the current situation also identifies the topics or dynamics which the senior team believes to be operating. For example, executives might be most concerned about their ability to secure customers in a new market segment as part of their plan to expand the company's customer base. And they might be suspicious that a culture that avoids risk-taking is one of the reasons for the poor performance to date. That kind of information provides the backdrop for approaching the staff to surface their concerns.

Without waiting for staff input, the senior team can continue to explore their own development. If a risk-averse culture is one of their identified concerns, they can review how they respond to employee efforts, and whether they unconsciously reward caution more than courage. They can also ask how well they model the kind of spirit they hope for from employees. If the senior team is timid is addressing issues, they can hardly expect employees to be any different.

The second cycle initiated is built around staff energy. Through focus groups, employees are asked to identify those areas of company operation which they find most frustrating or confusing. The sessions are not meant to be free-form "bitch sessions"; conversation is quickly brought around to what topics they would like to address, and what initial steps they are prepared to take. That is, employees are treated as legitimate agents of change, and not allowed to merely toss out their complaints and wait for executive response.

Before proceeding, the topics of staff concern are reviewed with the senior team (the two cycles operate in tandem). They have a chance to shape the priorities and charter for staff efforts. Most important, the senior team can state the criteria for staff efforts. For example, staff may want to look at the review procedures for adopting new projects. This provides a chance to explore risk-aversion and courage in the operation of a particular process. The senior team can define the criteria that must be met for a redesign of the process, which then frees up the staff group interested in the topic to explore process alternatives without having to return to the senior team every step of the way for approval (which is part of what the senior team wanted in the first place!).

The staff group starts the cycle with action-oriented discovery, which explores a topic by considering possible interventions and the assumptions behind them.

The stage of lean design focuses on the smallest, high-leverage action that is likely to move the system to a healthier state. The goal is not a total solution, but to get started. Mobilizing staff energy and engaging them with the realities of the problem are more important than wrangling over a complete solution.

The implementation is highly interactive, in that we assume pushing for change will reveal new facets of the problem and return the cycle to discovery and definition of new action steps to be taken. Change efforts are done by the employees, not done to them.

Surveys in this model are typically quite short and targeted. A set of 5 questions might go out the 50 people most involved in new product development. Based on their responses, the next survey might ask another 100 people to comment on how well customer input is used in defining new products. And the cycle time is quite brief. Surveys designed on Monday go out on Tuesday, are taken down on Friday, and the data is available for next Monday's meeting of the task force.