Organizational Surveys: Tools for Assessment and Change.

• Author: Gaskins, Greg C.

Reviewed by Greg C. Gaskins, deputy finance director, City of Charlotte, North Carolina.

In recent years, many governmental organizations have discovered the need for better information about their employees, customers, and environment in order to respond effectively to the expectations of their citizens. In Charlotte, we have found it a necessity to use surveys to obtain critical information to help us improve. A key element in the finance department's business plan process, for example, is to survey our employees to measure our progress in changing our organizational culture. Organizational Surveys contains useful information for conducting and using such surveys. While the book focuses on employee surveys, it has useful information for other types of surveys.

The editor has done a good job of organizing material from diverse sources that discuss many facets of the organizational survey. Part I discusses the various reasons an organization might use a survey. I found the model and case in Chapter 2 and the information on the role of surveys in transforming culture in Chapter 3 particularly interesting since they closely mirror some of our experiences with surveying, measuring, and adapting to change. Chapter 4 may prove useful to governments since it deals with using surveys to align the positions of multiple stakeholders. We find this is a particularly difficult task considering the diverse interests of our employees, customers, citizens, and elected leaders. Chapter 5 is a description of 360 ° feedback, which might be useful to those looking at alternatives to traditional employee evaluation schemes.

Part II discusses the "how" of the organizational survey. In Chapter 6, many practical items relating to conducting the survey are presented. Expectations and reporting matters are discussed in Chapter 7. Anyone who needs to use a survey as part of a change process should read this chapter first. In Chapter 8, the data side of surveys is...