The Hard Part of Employee Surveys: Creating Meaningful Change

1. The Hard Part of Employee Surveys: • Creating Meaningful Change • Scott M. Brooks, Ph.D. • Partner and VP • OrgVitality • Fran Sincere, SPHR • President • Sincere Consulting • August 29, 2013, 2:30-3:45

2. Presentation Introduction

3. The Presenters OrgVitality Partner and VP Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology 20 years of consulting experience Consulted with dozens of organizations such as: Caterpillar, Goodwill, Google, Limited Brands, MGM Resorts, Save the Children, Starwood, and Wells Fargo Fran Sincere, MSIR, SPHR Scott Brooks, Ph.D. President, Sincere Consulting 40 Years as HR Executive Kaiser Permanente Executive Champion of Employee Surveys Consults with organizations such as Colorado Department of Human Services, Department of Personnel Administration

4. What Does the List Below Describe? • Instill strong initial commitment to make a change • Focus on realistic goals with measurable results • Write a specific action plan • Make the goals public—declare your resolution • Have coping strategies to deal with problems • Use social support; the buddy-system really works • Get started immediately • Reward success Answer: Advice from the science of keepingNew Year’s Resolutions

5. What is an “Employee Survey”?

6. What is an “Employee Survey”? While there is fact finding and analysis, ultimately, goal is to do something different…. • Opportunity to focus the organization on a topic • Orchestrated, structured conversations • “New Year’s resolutions” for self-improvement Big Purpose = Change

7. Survey Process Overview Creating sustainable change is based on three components: Strategy – defining what change fits the needs of the organization Insight – evidence-based information to characterize the situation Action – efforts to make change

8. Top Challenges with Creating Change Framed differently, what will derail the process? Set-Up Implementation “%” refers to percentage each category was cited as a top challenge. Data based on survey of major employee survey consortium members, and reported in Wiley & Brooks (2010), Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

9. Creating Change Requires a Plan Success in ACTION depends upon: • What the survey is supposed to accomplish and Why managers and executives care? • Who gets an assignment and is responsible? • How the process will be supported? • When are things supposed to happen? These become the elements of the change management plan.

10. Whatis survey is supposed to accomplish?Whyshould executives and managers care?

11. Some Assumptions • Purpose of surveys is to create change • “Pick something, dear manager, do your best” approach sub-optimizes survey opportunity • Surveys are not strategic if: • Do not influence leader behavior • Do not extend leadership reach • Is not of interest to leadership

12. Focusing Survey Objectives If an executive could snap his/her fingers and have everyone focused on improving one thing, what would it be?

13. Case Study: Challenges for Company ABC PRIMARY • Developing/finding the next generation of growth • Slowing growth due to market saturation/competition • New product lines, customer segments to drive future RELATED • Deeper relationships with existing customers • Pace/capacity for innovation • Scalability – tension of growth vs. profitability • Talent to execute in future

14. Survey Objectives for Company ABC • Build discipline of listening, responding to employee input • Inform Executive Committee to make better decisions, champion productive, energizing work environment • Enable managers to create, execute impactful action plan • Provide tools for HR Generalists to support managers in survey follow-up, and design centralized HR processes • Support organizational strategy: • Enhance future customer loyalty • Enable rapid, scalable growth in mature businesses • Foster innovation to create the businesses that will drive success • Build, maintain employee engagement to fuel these directions Challenges define survey content Process needs imply roll-out decisions

15. Employee Surveys Not Just About Employees Employees are valid observers. Don’t just scrutinize them, ask what they see

16. Best Predictors of “X” Often Include “X” Survey Item Predictors of Customer Satisfaction Employee-Centric Predictors Customer-Centric Predictors None significant @ p  .05 All significant @ p  .01 Wiley, Brooks & Lundby (2006). Put Your Employees on the Other Side of the Microscope. Human Resource Planning, 29(2), 15-21.

17. Best Predictors of “X” Often Include “X” Principles apply beyond customer satisfaction Performance-Centric Predictors • Overall, we work in a safe environment. • Safety problems corrected quickly . • Measure progress in safety • Get feedback regarding safety • Recognized and supported for adhering safety standards • Point is to illustrate, not force safety items into customer framework • Can apply to quality, innovation, employee turnover, ethics, etc.

18. Design: How You Get Where You’re Going Engagement is the Fuel – there is no power without it Value creation is the Engine – it gets things done (examples: Customer Focus, Innovation Climate, Quality Processes) Sometimes, surveys may also measure steering, airbags, or GPS navigation

19. Who gets assignments and is responsible?

20. Driving Change: “Who” Gets Assignments? Not all report recipients have the same “assignment,” so shouldn’t get same support • Need: support larger system • Reporting: topline messages, system views supporting ability to understand, lead Leadership • Need: support internal clients, HR/centralized strategies • Reporting: “Bird’s Eye” views to zero in on questions HR/Centralized Staff • Need: support local action planning • Reporting: streamlined, guided information to fit routines, drive local dialog Line Managers

21. Tasks that cannot be delegated Establish, communicate strategic context Participate in prioritization, goal setting Allocate resources Create commitment, accountability Reward, recognize improvement efforts Monitor progress Executive Assignment

22. Leadership Action Snippets • A CEO got list of actions managers were supposed to start on any given day. He called to say: “Jane, I see you are supposed to start doing this today, is there something I can do to help this get done?” • Another said: “Ninety days from this presentation, I expect each of you to formally present priority areas and action to-date.” • On a “Blitz Day,” one organization sent leaders to meet every employee who came to work, hand out a piece of candy and a card that read: “Think of one idea to improve service and discuss with your work group.”

23. Manager’s Assignment?

24. 1. Learn Understand report to get most important lessons well enough to prepare for Step 2. Line Manager’s Assignment: Example 3. Act Continue brainstorming and convert discussion into action items. Implement and reinforce/track progress. 2. Focus-Discuss-Refocus FOCUS: Identify potential priorities. DISCUSS: Present results to work group, focus on priorities. REFOCUS: Based on discussion, confirm 1-2 priorities. Discuss why priority results are the way they are. Begin brainstorming solutions. Coordinate with your manager, HR.

25. How will the process be supported?

26. HR’s Support Role: “Personal Trainer” • Cannot exercise for managers • But can be a… • Guide • Trusted advisor • Motivator • Goal-setter • Facilitator • Help executives and managers live up to own good intentions

27. Define HR “Personal Trainer” Support Role Examples of HR support in each category HR staff, systems may need preparation to fulfill role.

28. What Are We Trying to Do? Support Organizational Change! Specifically… • Motivate: Inspire to change • Guide: Focus action plan to change • Enable:Enhance ability to execute change • Track: Provide measure of change • These support the organization’s disciplines of: • listening, responding to employees • evidence-based management

29. Action Support Grid—the “How” to Support Example Support (“How”) Activities Supporting surveys means supporting these 4 elements of action planning assignments. You don’t need to fill in all cells, but you do need to think about each one.

30. Three Components of Accountability A quick note on a big topic • Clear goals • Based on crisp assignment • Acknowledged and embraced • Measurement/tracking • Relevant to all follow-up segments • Known and visible • Perceived consequences • Intrinsic value • Visible reporting • Rewards

31. When are things supposed to happen?

32. Rhythm: The Big Picture of “When” Creating successful rhythms develops the organization’s discipline of listening and responding to itself Example of Survey-Based Cycle of Executive Touch-Points

33. Driving Change: “When” Timeline Example

34. Reinforce Value of Participation There is practical value to participating in rhythmic, organization-wide survey process • New Year’s resolutions 10 times more likely to succeed than resolutions at other times of year • Social support around New Year’s makes the difference • Surveys provide comparable social support for organizational improvement

35. Case Study from Kaiser Permanente Mission of the People Survey Resource Network (PSRN): Promote leaders’ understanding of Kaiser Permanente’s work environment and its effect on business outcomes and guide them in taking action to address work place and people issues. ~1993 Major steps evolved over 8 years and are ongoing today: • Identify common items among nine business units (regions) measuring aspects of not only engagement and commitment, but also getting work done • Find a link between what employees see as important in their work life and operational outcomes, i.e., patient and customer satisfaction • Engage all senior leadership in operations and HR in understanding linkage • Compelling linkage information led to use of numerous timely metrics and indices to monitor progress on strategic initiatives • Incorporate these metrics in business unit performance assessments • Modify and improve relevance of employees survey metrics as strategy evolves across enterprise to assure Kaiser Permanente prominence in each market

36. KP Indices Monitor Strategic Priorities Indices created to measure impact of organizational initiatives, or to provide overview information for target-setting purposes Examples include: • People Index-- 23 items created to measure commitment, predict customer service. • People Pulse Care Experience Index-- 10 items that measure the drivers of a satisfying care experience. Teams with high marks are better equipped to provide care and service to their internal and external customers. • Play-to-Win Index -- 8 items that speak to the “spirit” of the PTW culture, and is to be used for tracking and trending purposes (and not to evaluate the PTW program). • LMP sub score- 13 items that the Labor Management Partnership Metrics team chose to assess the work environment as it relates to the LMP goals. • Other Indices used less frequently or by specific groups • Customer Service sub score • Commitment sub score • MDQR (Medical Director Quality Review) score • INQIP (Inpatient Quality Indicator Program) score (used by Northern and Southern California only)

37. A Surprised Finding: KFHP Employee Turnover Rate1, 1990-2002 and the People Pulse Care Experience Index 1) KFHP Employee Turnover Rates, for Benefit-eligible staff, Biannual Human Resources Report, 1991, 1993-2001 *annualized for first 6 months of 2002

38. Remember: Begin with Business Need * Research has linked these business needs directly to the items in these survey dimensions.

39. The Organizational Change Checklist Create the plan even before survey is fielded • What/Why • Articulate objectives • Design relevant survey • Who • Assignments defined and accepted • One-page Action Map socialized • How • Action Support Grid completed • HR support defined, prepared • When • Timeline for action defined • Annual rhythm plotted out

40. Pair up and discuss

41. From the day’s discussions, what sticks with me most is….

42. About OrgVitality We help individuals and organizations thrive OrgVitality offers a full range of services to address critical organizational challenges. We are experts in designing projects that are linked to strategy, generate useful insight, and drive positive action. • Employee/Engagement Surveys • Employee Assessment & Selection • 360 Surveys • Exit Surveys • Coaching & Executive Assistance • Succession Planning • HR Metrics & Strategy • Customer Surveys

43. About Sincere Consulting Improving Performance through HR Excellence • Sincere Consulting serves private and public sector organizations with strategic and tactical support to improve their Human Resource services and organizational performance. Consulting practice includes: • Aligning HR with the business • Improving HR operations • Enhancing employee engagement • Executive coaching • Team development • Labor and employee relations • Recognition program design • Training assessment and talent development • system planning and deployment

44. Contact Information Fran Sincere, SPHR, MSIR Sincere Consulting fran.sincere@hotmail.com (303) 886-3467 Scott M. Brooks, Ph.D. OrgVitality scottbrooks@orgvitality.com (415) 401-5940 www.orgvitality.com