hr.com.transforming.surveys.webinar.feb.21.2011 pm

Making Metrics Matter: Transforming Surveys into Leadership Tools

Theresa M. Welbourne, PhDPresident and CEO, eePulse, Inc.

Research Professor, Center for Effective Organizations, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California

Editor-in-Chief, HRM, the Journal

1Copyright © 2011, Dr. Theresa M. Welbourne

eePulse delivers technology, research and consulting to energize and engage employees who deliver targeted action and measurable business results.

Global provider since 1996; rigorous scientific human capital research.

Transforming surveys into leadership tools and human capital data into actionable insights.

www.eepulse.comwww.leadershippulse.com

[email protected]


http://www.eepulse.com/�

http://www.leadershippulse.com/�

mailto:[email protected]�

Center for Effective Organizations

3

http://ceo.usc.edu/

Copyright © 2011, Dr. Theresa M. Welbourne

Goals for today

• Build the case for transformation • Introduce data coaching and story telling• Provide simple steps to change today• Knowledge base for future learning webinars • Start the discovery process;

there is another way …


Why transform surveys?


Survey on surveysSomething evil = “a situation that is very unpleasant, harmful, or morally

wrong”

11% of senior leaders said yes, our employee survey is

EVIL


Comments• “They are poorly worded, do not address the real issues, fail to be acted

upon constructively, and are typically used to manipulate employees.”

• “People have learned that surveys can be manipulated so the importance of surveys has been minimized.”

• “Auto dealership surveys tell you "they have to have an 'excellent' response to all questions". This is intentionally skewing the data.”

• “Most of the time the information goes into a black hole or is used to "beat people up" for not making the right scores. More often the focus is on fixing the numbers instead of understanding what is being said. The last one we did the CEO did nothing with the information.”

• “Surveys do not lead to improvements. It seems more like a "check the box" exercise.”

Copyright © 2011, Dr. Theresa M. Welbourne 7

More data


Question Percent agreeing Mean (SD)

The annual survey we use at my company is something all employees value.

24% 2.84 (.90)

There is a definite and high ROI from our annual employee survey. 27% 2.82 (.98)

I experience high value from participating in customer surveys. 30% 2.86 (1.05)

8

HR vs. others


3.283.20

3.012.82 2.92 2.85 2.912.85

1.99

2.27

1.822.02

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

Receive acustomer

service surveyfeel better

High ROIannual emp

survey

High valueparticipating incust surveys.

Empvalue.annual

survey

Annual empsurveys are

evil.

Cust surveysare evil.

HR Non HR

Although HR has higher scores, they are not much higher. Overall, the scores on all questions are low.

9

Engagement woes“Employee engagement scores going up while our firm performance is going down”


What is it? What isn’t it?

Quest for magic questions

Annual event; does not match rhythm of the company

Scores going up = Goal

10

Most surveys ignoring “engaged in what” question


You tell me …

Are we helping take off the blindfolds or contributing? Are managers and employees “blindly following?”

11

Conclusion


Transformation is Needed to Drive Measurable Business Results

And for higher impact human

resource management

12


Guide to Transforming Surveys into Leadership Tools

13

Today we are starting the dialogue.

Data

Dialogue

Action

Results

Results model

The “magic” is in the dialogue phase. Dialogue has a multiplicative effect on performance. Dialogue builds relational capital, persuades, and it improves sense of urgency and energy to move forward.


14

SurveysOne-way communication QuantitativeLow or no ROI Negative relationship impact

DialogueTwo way communication QualitativePotential for ROI High relationship impact for small groups

Data andDialogue

Interactive dialogueQuantitative & qualitativeSignificant and high ROIHigh relationship impactfor large groups


Dialogue


Data powers the story used in the dialogue phase.

Why is story important?

Neurological research tells us why.

16

What is a Story?

“A detailed character-based narrative of a character’s struggles to overcome

obstacles and reach an important goal”

Blend the art of story telling with the science of data analysis and research =

Power Story Telling


Story Arc

BeginningSetup, CharactersBackground, Who, What, Where

MiddleObstacles

Conflict

EndResolution

UnderstandingThe traditional survey follows this direct path; no challenge for the “knight in shining armor”


Finding the Middle• Need a metrics strategy

not questions• Communication platform,

not just a survey

• Need the “middle”– Plan to study the

obstacles, find the challenges, include them in your survey work


Example: The Leadership Pulse

www.leadershippulse.com

Started in 2003; global sample of leaders; real-time learning and benchmarking focused on human and relational capital topicsLeadership confidence asked annually. Quarterly Pulse Dialogues.



Leadership Confidence QuestionsSorted high to low based on mean score

677 executives answered in July; 40% are C-level executives; about 70% are director and above.

What’s the story in these data?Copyright © 2011, Dr. Theresa M. Welbourne 21

Story, Part 1


*

Economic climate is the only item that increased from 2009 to 2010.

Leadership Confidence Change from 2009 to 2010

Percentage of Confident and Very Confident Responses

How does the story change?Copyright © 2011, Dr. Theresa M. Welbourne 23

Part 2 of the Leadership Story


Part 2 of the Leadership Pulse Story

ConfusedLeaders


Part 3, Firm Performance Data Added

3.00

3.25

3.50

3.75

4.00

4.25

Low and Very Low Very High

Personal and Team Leadership by Financial Performance

Your own personal leadership and management skills.--2010Your organization's leadership team overall.--2010

In lower performing firms, confidence in “me” is much higher than confidence in the team

How do these data change the story?


Firm Performance Data Added

27

Success is not about me or my team; it’s not about the economy. Winning is about how we work together.


The Story: Hope and

Humility

This is how we told the story.


Story Arc

Leaders around the world want to improve their own performance, their business performance and they want to learn

A recession hits; conflict arises; rate of change escalates. This makes it difficult for them to perform. What does the “knight in shining armor” leader do to conquer and win?

Only the strong win; the firms with leaders who band together; they form their own “round tables” – they help each other; they are the best of leaders. These knights (leaders) conquer and win.


Story Arcs Can be Complex

SIMPLE

COMPLEXFrom Stargate, the series


Guide Tips 1 - 6

1. Complex data tell a better story; higher impact results. 2. Complex does not equal longer surveys (leadership pulse

uses short pulse surveys, done quarterly).3. From point in time data, to trend data, and added

performance data for the better story.4. Collect data to support your story telling to drive results.5. Good stories are limited when you use someone else’s

data (canned surveys, benchmarking).6. Be courageous: Find and discuss the obstacles or

challenges.


Guide tip #7Audit and strategize


Measurement Map™

In a follow-up webinar, we will go into detail on the Measurement Map for conducting data audits.

Measurement Map becomes place to “store” your “stories.”


DATA

DIALOGUE

ACTION

RESULTS

33

Result of Audit • What data are driving dialogue, action and results?• What data are not driving dialogue, action or results? • What results are needed this year?• What actions are needed to drive results?• What dialogue has to take place to influence people to

take desired action?– Performance dialogues; team conversations; celebrations; data as

part of regular business meetings; annual presentations?

• What data can propel the dialogues?

• Outcome = Custom metrics strategy


Sample Metrics Strategy


Horizontal vs. vertical metrics strategy; match the rhythm of the company.

35

Guide Tip #9: Speed Up


The #1 complaint about employee surveys is that they are overall

36

Speed of HRM


607 Senior Executives in the Leadership Pulse

HR only subsample

25% = slow

23% = slow

37

HR Speed versus HR Accuracy

SpeedLow High

High

Accuracy

Low

3.59 3.81

3.36 3.67

Leadership Pulse data provides some evidence on need for Fast HRM in general

If you have to choose fast or accurate, the data shows the more confident respondents go with Fast HRM (3.67 vs. 3.59).

Mean Overall Leadership Confidence Scores Per Quadrant


Fast, accurate and performance

Speed Low High

High

Accuracy

Low3.59 3.81

3.36 3.67

3.67 3.89

3.62 3.80

Fast and accurate leads to the highest level of performance, and fast with low accuracy beats out slow with high accuracy (3.80 vs. 3.67).

The performance data are obtained from respondents. We ask them to rate, using a 1 to 5 scale, how well their firm is performing compared to other firms of their same size in their same industry. The metric is compared to firm performance measures obtained via archival financial sources, and we find statistically significant correlations with these metrics.


Comments• “HR reacts slow and indecisive most of the time”• “They have no staff. They are only interested in top

management opinions. No foreseeable hope for them”• “Maybe its a communication issue, but it just feels like

things that are worked on by HR are just very slow processes”

• “I would like the HR Generalists to be more conversant with and capable of using the human resource management system to access data and produce reports. That would enhance both speed and accuracy.”


Speeding Up Surveys


Tips you can use today• You don’t have to survey everyone (think marketing; they choose segments)

– And I don’t mean random sampling

• Use a horizontal vs. vertical survey metrics strategy (survey NOT an event)

• Get reports to everyone immediately (build trust)

– Been doing this since 1996; it works

• With surveys, less is more (comment data for ethnographic approach)

• Don’t get data greedy (it slows down process, zero results)

• Technology is helpful; however you can speed up any HR process even if manual. (See Fast HRM work on www.eepulse.com)

– Implemented in 24 hours; results from large, global surveys within 48 hours (all views, all managers, all locations). Today more is possible.




Surveys can disengage employees and have negative effects on organizations. In an article by Jean Hartley[i] (2001: 188): she notes cites a comment made by Viteles in 1953, p. 394:

“An employee survey is like a hand grenade. Once you pull the pin out you

have to do something with it. Otherwise, it may harm you rather than

help you.”

[i] Hartley, Jean (2001). Employee surveys: Strategic aid or hand-grenade for organizational and cultural change? The International Journal of Public Sector Management, 14(3): 184-204.

What Matters


Resources: www.eepulse.comwww.leadershippulse.comhttp://ceo.usc.edu/www.energizeengage.com

Write to: [email protected]

Or call: +1-734-429-4400



http://ceo.usc.edu/�

http://www.energizeengage.com/�

mailto:[email protected]�

hr.com.transforming.surveys.webinar.feb.21.2011 pm

Documents

driving dialogue

transforming surveys

employee survey

drive results

info eepulse

story telling

dialogue

surveys