Global Surveying via the Web: Better, Faster, Cheaper ... and More Chaotic

1
Global Surveying via the Web Better, Faster,
Cheaper ... and More Chaotic

• Presented by
• L. Allen Slade and Nicholas Mills
• at the
• Society for Industrial and Organizational
  Psychology,
• 14th Annual Conference
• April 30 - May 2, 1999

2
Overview

• Introduction - The Ford Pulse Survey System
• Globalization
• Chaos in Surveys
• Electronic Surveying

3
Survey Quality Standards

• Trustworthiness
• Provide valid and reliable data.
• Usefulness
• Support effective decisions.
• Efficiency
• Use least resources possible.

4
The Pulse Vision

• To pursue feedback about people
• as aggressively as
• we pursue feedback about profits and products.
• --------------------------------------------------
  ----
• Provide a people metric for management.
• Support work-group level feedback and action
  planning.

5
Pulse Core Dimensions
Dimension Name ( Questions, ??

• Supervision (6, .91)
• Empowerment (5, .83)
• Diversity (6, .84)
• Business Issues (10, .88)
• Survey Process (4, .92)

• Training Development (4, .84)
• Stress (4, .87)
• Reward Recognition (4, .84)
• Workload (4, .82)
• Job Company (4, .80)
• Quality (5, .80)
• Work Group/Teamwork (4, .73)

6
Pulse Process Supplemental Questions

• Country Questions - 5 (optional)
• Function Questions (optional)
• 3 levels
• 5 Questions per level (optional)
• Up to 2 functions per employee

7
Some Key Decisions

• Web Browser vs. E-mail Based Surveys
• Anonymity vs. Integrity
• Timing is Key
• Universal Suffrage vs. Efficiency

8
Survey Support Tools

• Web Survey System
• Central Item Bank
• Promote common items
• Allows data sharing
• Survey Results Data Base
• Store survey results in Ford data base
• Ford software generates reports from results data
  base
• Allows quicker and cheaper reaction time to
  requests for survey information
• Maintain confidentiality and anonymity - no
  individual data on Company system - rather an
  electronic storage of paper reports we currently
  get from vendor

9
Does Technology Pay Off?
10
Linguistic and Cultural Diversityon the Pulse
Survey

• Chinese (2)
• Czech
• Dutch
• English (2)
• Finnish
• French (2)
• German
• . . . in 46 Countries

• Hungarian
• Italian
• Japanese
• Polish
• Portuguese (2)
• Spanish (4)
• Thai

11
Impact of Language, Culture and Distance on
Employee Surveys

• Survey Content
• Translation of words
• Translation of constructs
• Cultural Differences in Survey Use
• Trust of Management
• Familiarity with Surveys
• Use and Appropriateness of Anonymous Feedback
• Delays Caused by Distance

12
Effective Management of Linguistic and Cultural
Diversity

• Goal Survey robust in design, interpretability
  and acceptance across Ford
• Communication among Survey Coordinators
• Monthly Conference Call
• Annual Global Conference
• Incessant e-mails

13
TranslationStandards

• Use of External Translators and Internal
  Reviewers
• Standards for Translators
• Certification
• Survey Translation Experience
• Ford Experience - 3 years or more
• Standards for Reviewers
• good understanding of countrys language
  culture
• reading and writing proficiency in both English
  and target language
• orally communicate effectively in target language
• knowledge of survey process

14
TranslationProcess

• Web Interface
• Translation Steps
• Question approved in English.
• Translator does initial translation.
• Lead translator approves translation
• Reviewer checks phrasing and Ford lingo.
• Back-translation - second/external review, not
  blind back translation.

15
TranslationThe Need for Statistical Analysis

• Maintain translator and reviewer accountability
• Depersonalize criticism
• Create Order out of (n questionsn languages)
  questions to review

16
Simplification

• Principles
• Try to please everybody and you will please
  nobody.
• Common as possible, different only when
  necessary.
• Simplification Planned for the 1999 Pulse
• Limiting supplemental (non-core)
• Reducing demographic questions
• Simplifying report definitions
• Reducing number of preliminary reports
• Growth is natural - Pruning is necessary.

17
Causes of Chaos

• Speed of Change
• In the external environment
• Of management expectations
• Chaos Among our Customers
• Increased Complexity
• Globalization
• Centralization

18
Reactions to Chaos

• Ineffective Reactions
• Panic
• Over-planning
• Effective Reactions
• Simplification
• Effective Management of Chaos
• Speed (Electronic Surveying)

19
Effective Management of Chaos
20
Ford Pulse Web Process Flow
ID Survey Participants
Survey Administration
Vendor Processes Data

• Survey Design
• Timing
• Participation
• Questions

Translation

• Report
• Delivery
• Browser
• Print File

ID Managers Receiving Reports
Organization Mapping
Report Definition

• Ford Intranet Server
• www.pulse.ford.com
• Database/Software
• Text - Questions, instructions, menus, etc.
• Organization Mapping Information
• Report Definitions
• Processed Results (Group Data)

• Vendor Server
• Inside Ford firewall
• Oracle Database
• Raw Survey Data
• Processing and Data
• Cleaning Rules

Process Flow
2-Way Data Exchange
1-Way Data Exchange