Using surveys for change: an applied example in a pharmaceuticals organization

Regardless of changes in an organization′s environment, its mission, structure or culture, employee satisfaction and quality of worklife remain significant concerns for most organizational change and development efforts. While morale and motivation are not often the impetus for such change programmes, they are almost always tied inextricably to the problems that have manifested themselves. One of the most effective tools a practitioner has for understanding and diagnosing the issues involved, as well as for highlighting key levers for change, is the organizational survey. Describes an applied example of how survey feedback was used in conjunction with an organizational change effort in an international pharmaceuticals company to explore the relationships between managerial and work‐group member behaviours and employee outcomes (e.g. feelings of satisfaction, contribution and team spirit). After an overview of the consulting project leading up to the diagnosis, presents and highlights key findings of a survey of 1,428 employees. Discusses the results in terms both of the implications of these data for the organization involved in the consulting engagement and of the utility of survey‐based feedback and modelling techniques as tools for organizational development and change practitioners.