hr.com.transforming.surveys.webinar.feb.21.2011 pm
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Transforming surveys into leadership toolsTRANSCRIPT
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
2Copyright © 2011, Dr. Theresa M. Welbourne
Center for Effective Organizations
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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 …
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Why transform surveys?
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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
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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.”
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More data
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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)
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HR vs. others
Copyright © 2011, Dr. Theresa M. Welbourne
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.
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Engagement woes“Employee engagement scores going up while our firm performance is going down”
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What is it? What isn’t it?
Quest for magic questions
Annual event; does not match rhythm of the company
Scores going up = Goal
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Most surveys ignoring “engaged in what” question
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You tell me …
Are we helping take off the blindfolds or contributing? Are managers and employees “blindly following?”
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Conclusion
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Transformation is Needed to Drive Measurable Business Results
And for higher impact human
resource management
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Copyright © 2011, Dr. Theresa M. Welbourne
Guide to Transforming Surveys into Leadership Tools
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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.
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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
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Dialogue
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Data powers the story used in the dialogue phase.
Why is story important?
Neurological research tells us why.
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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
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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”
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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
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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.
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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
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*
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
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Part 2 of the Leadership Pulse Story
ConfusedLeaders
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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?
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Firm Performance Data Added
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Success is not about me or my team; it’s not about the economy. Winning is about how we work together.
Copyright © 2011, Dr. Theresa M. Welbourne
The Story: Hope and
Humility
This is how we told the story.
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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.
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Story Arcs Can be Complex
SIMPLE
COMPLEXFrom Stargate, the series
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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.
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Guide tip #7Audit and strategize
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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.”
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DATA
DIALOGUE
ACTION
RESULTS
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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
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Sample Metrics Strategy
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Horizontal vs. vertical metrics strategy; match the rhythm of the company.
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Guide Tip #9: Speed Up
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The #1 complaint about employee surveys is that they are overall
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Speed of HRM
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607 Senior Executives in the Leadership Pulse
HR only subsample
25% = slow
23% = slow
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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
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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.
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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.”
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Speeding Up Surveys
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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.
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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
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Resources: www.eepulse.comwww.leadershippulse.comhttp://ceo.usc.edu/www.energizeengage.com
Write to: [email protected]
Or call: +1-734-429-4400