The 360 Story – Introduction to 360s

360-Degree surveying is a popular way for organisations to evaluate performance, assist employee development, and support talent management processed. By one estimate, multi-source feedback such as a 360 surveying is used in 90% of Fortune 1000 organisations, and this trend is reflected across a broad range of organisational industries and sizes.

Although a 360 can be seen as a one-stop-shop, the process must be handled with care to ensure the outcomes are positive and meaningful. To help ensure sustained developmental change among participants there are some key points to keep in mind.

Culture Surveys and Your Organisation

Measuring culture and attaining data can provide valuable information for any size organisation. How this data is positioned, analysed, and used however is where the real value can be found. Schneider, Ehrhart, and Macey (2013) assert that when looking past Organisational Culture from a scholarly perspective, executives in organisations wish to know what their corporate culture is, understand what they can change and how, and how they can create competitive advantage through organisational culture. Although the first step of the process appears to be the measurement of culture, there are in fact many other steps to consider in the process. Below are some points to consider when measuring employee data in an organisation.

1. Reasons for engaging in a measurement tool

When implementing a measurement process in an organisation it is important to clearly define the reasons for doing so. Is it for the board, customers, or stakeholders benefit? Is it for the benefit of the executive team to guide future planning? Is it an affirmation to HR that they are on the right track? Or is it to develop the best company in all sense of the word. It is important to set expectations of what will be done with the data. Asking employees to invest time to respond to workplace surveys can inevitably lead them to expect time invested back in explaining the results and strategies for the future. Understanding from the outset the reasons for using the tool is important.

2. Deciding on a measuring tool

Not all survey tools are created equal. In order to have a robust process it is important that the tools used are fit for purpose, and are reliable and valid. Gaining an accurate picture of the current organisational culture means that decisions made about future initiatives are made on the basis of sound data. A sound measuring tool should pass a series of psychometric tests, provide evidence that individual data can be aggregated to the organisational level, and be linked to performance (Denison Culture, 2013).

3. Leveraging the data to create competitive advantage

Once data has been obtained, an action plan around next steps needs to be developed. This can include things such as creating concrete plans for the future based on an accurate understanding of culture survey results; assessing current leadership and “people” need; understanding of how engaging and leveraging human capital can be attained.

4. Repeat

Measuring progress and obtaining feedback for continued improvement based on a clear set of business performance and organisational culture metrics is important for sustained culture improvement and change.

Schneider, B., Ehrhart, M. G., & Macey, W. H. (2013). Organizational climate and culture. Annual review of psychology, 64, 361-388.

Denison Culture (2013). What are you really measuring with a culture survey? Denison research notes, 8, 1.

Why do people leave, and what can we do about it?

Why do people leave, and what can we do about it?

We all know that high turnover can be a major issue – it is both expensive and time consuming for an organisation to be continually replacing staff and training new employees. In 2013 it was estimated that in New Zealand the average employee turnover rate sat between 11% and 20%, while in 2012 it was estimated to sit at 17.7%. So, how can organisations reduce turnover and the associated expense?  This is not by any means a simple question to answer, and generally leads to the bigger question of why people leave organisations.

The number of variables that go into why an individual chooses to leave their job and/or organisation is huge. They may have been unhappy with their pay, it may have been an issue with their manager, it could be an issue with the job itself, they may want better training opportunities, and the list goes on. Due to the variety of factors involved in turnover, it makes sense to ask staff why they’re leaving, and then use that information to implement changes that are directly targeted at why people move on. This is where the exit interview comes in.

There are some great examples out there of organisations who were spending millions of dollars on turnover per year, who have then implemented a strategic approach to utilising exit interview data and have managed to significantly reduce turnover and the associated costs. On the other hand, there are also many examples of organisations conducting exit interviews and seeing no benefits. So how can your organisation achieve reduced turnover with exit interviewing?

Not all exit interviews are going to give you useful data, and, you will only get useful data out of the exit interview process if you know how to use it. Firstly, exit interviews need to be designed well. Questions should cover the most common reasons that people leave, and provide clear, actionable data. Exit interviews should not be too long, and they should provide opportunity for free comments as well as quantitative ratings.

They should also be easy to complete and analyse.  Online exit interviews have been found to lead to significantly larger participation rates compared to paper and pencil, and also facilitate effective and efficient use of the data. In the click of a button exiting employees can be sent an online exit interview, which can then be filled in at their own convenience or alternatively in a phone call with HR or an outside consultant. The data can then be reported on at an individual, group, and organisational level at any frequency, providing useful information and trends about why people leave the organisation. Such an approach is also cost and time effective, while giving you clear direction on how to keep people for longer.

Why wouldn’t you want to take a strategic approach to exit interviews?

For information about OPRA’s exit interview offering please see www.exitinterviewer.com