Paul Dreiss Quality Advisor
Paul Dreiss has a proven track record of establishing and revitalizing organizational quality systems in multiple industries and service organizations. Two areas of focus...
Are we making Progress?
Using the Baldrige questionnaire (Baldrige Website) and survey results can provide volumes of information about how well your organization is progressing in its journey toward success.
The following graphs were derived from the 2011 survey on the Baldrige Board of Examiners. The Examiner self-identified themselves as member of a workforce (BPEP) or leaders (BPEPal).
Some broad assumptions are made. The primary assumption is: this is NOT one organization’s data, but an assimilation of individual responses from Examiner’s experience of their current employer.
Top-Box Results: The survey uses a five-point Likert scale. A response of “Agree” and “Strongly Agree” has been combined to represent what is consider the Top-Box results. For example, if 58% Agreed and 12% Strongly Agreed the Top-Box result is 70%.
Here are some initial observations and notes regarding the results (Figure 1):
Figure 1 – Overall Results
Integration-Maps also point to the lower fruit. Management has the right cultural base and overall attitude within the workforce (i.e., 1a, 3a, 5d. 5f, and 7f), but both management and the workforce know about roadblocks (7e; Our organization removes things that get in the way of progress).
Figure 2 – Integration-Map, Comparison of Leader and Workforce Results
Observations include:
Figure 3 – Top-Box Scores @ 90-100 for Leaders (BPEPal)
Figure 4 Top-Box Scores @ 90-100 for Workforce (BPEP)
Figure 5 – Top-Box Scores @80-90 for Leaders (BPEPal)
Figure 6– Top-Box Scores @80-90 for Workforce (BPEP)
Figure 7 – Top-Box Scores 70-80 for Leaders (BPEPal)
Figure 8 – Top-Box Scores 70-80 for Workforce (BPEP)
Figure 9 – Top-Box Scores 60-70 for Leaders (BPEPal)
Figure 10 – Top-Box Scores 60-70 for Workforce (BPEP)
These interpretations again are only assumptions, but hopefully you see the advantage of the survey and understanding how integration impacts results (both positive and negative).
The analysis in this post is only an analysis between Leadership and Workforce (i.e., level). To improve our analysis, we should add trend. Leadership should repeat the survey in a 1–2-year period. Hopefully, if appropriate post-survey action is taken then positive trends will be seen. Conduct the survey at a frequency to sustain current results and support the improvement process.
The next improvement to our analysis is to add comparison data. You can use the raw data in post for comparison or source data from comparable or best-in-class organizations.
Do not forget to consider internal comparative data, which is segmentation. Conduct your survey by region, age, gender, new employee vs long-term employee, department, emerging market groups, or any method that is found acceptable and resourceful for your organization’s success.
Ultimately, the key is to use integration and learn from these exercises. Use the ADLI Cycle and look for related Approaches, effectiveness of Deployment, opportunities for Learning and Integrate it back into the organization.
Use this approach to help you refine and build new strength and maturity within your organization. A new post in the series Integration within the Organization is coming next week. Hope to see you there.