AVOID #1 - Don’t ask for opinions but for verifiable facts and -behavior

The Transformation Executive sighed. And sighed again.

‘Oops, what’s wrong?’ the young manager asked worryingly.

‘You tell me what’s wrong with this employee survey question’ and she slipped him a note:

I have a good understanding of the company's strategy

Disagree     slightly disagree     Neutral     Slightly agree     Agree

She then explained to him that something that is ‘good’ for you might be ‘mediocre’ for another person. And how scientific research showed that approximately 50% of all answers to such questions are ‘slightly agree.’

 ‘Such questions are poison!’ she fulminated. ‘Science explains how there is an 80% chance of scoring a sufficient mark (5 or higher on a scale of 0-10) when using such a type of question format in an employee survey. Danielle with her score of 7! Almost every employee survey scores a 7-point something. It only gives a false sense of security because the score is high. Only that everyone scores high. So useless! As if you would check the wheels for whether they liked the previous curves or whether they think you are a good driver! If a Chief Financial Officer overstated the financial figures by 30%, he would be fired on the spot. But the same happens when asking employees, and apparently, it’s OK.’

‘OK. Now what …?’

‘Well, there is nothing wrong with asking everyone. But rather than asking for agreement, satisfaction, or opinions, you should ask for verifiable facts or verifiable behavior. Do not ask for interpretations but merely tally how far the employees are given the transformation.’