Designing and Using Organizational Surveys: A Seven-Step Process (Jossey-Bass Business & Management) [Hardcover]

Allan H. Church (Author), Janine Waclawski (Author), Allen I. Kraut (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0787956775 | ISBN-13: 978-0787956776 | Edition: 1

The survey process is a highly complex and situationally dependent one, in need of careful management. If poorly designed and administered, surveys can create disappointment and even disaster. Little has been written so far for those responsible for designing and implementing surveys in organizations. These authors have drawn on their extensive consulting experience to develop a concise, pragmatic, seven-step model covering the entire process, from initiation, to final evaluation, to making the results meaningful to the future of the organization. They pay special attention to the political and human sensitivities concerned and show how to overcome the many potential barriers to a successful outcome.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In my view, this book is simply the best, A to Z resource for organizational survey and assessment practitioners available. . . . A fresh and lucid perspective that inextricably links theory and practice. Comprehensive and practical, the seven-step process approach provides a closed-loop blueprint for designing and implementing organizational surveys that work!" (Salvatore V. Falletta, manager, global HR research, Intel Corporation)

"The many tools that Church and Waclawski offer alone make this book a treasure chest. . . . A considerable array of figures, examples, and samples that are helpful to the experienced and inexperienced practitioner (and consultant), including sample scripts and content for communications and focus groups."(David W. Bracken, partner, Mercer Delta Counseling, LLC)

"A great primer on organizational surveys. Church and Waclawski integrate into their approach to surveying both the science of the field and the art of practice in dynamic organizations. . . . Will provide valuable discussions among even the most seasoned professionals as well as insight for those just starting out in the field."(Karen B. Paul, manager, HR Measurement Systems)

From the Inside Flap

While many books have been written about survey research methods, few have been designed to provide the organizational practitioner with a clear, concise, and pragmatic working guide on how to go about actually doing a survey-until now. Designing and Using Organizational Surveys offers a hands-on, seven-step process to guide professionals in human resource development, organization development, industrial-organizational psychology, training and development, and other related fields on how to conduct a successful organizational survey. Using a careful, reader-friendly approach illustrated with real-life examples from large-scale survey efforts, Allan H. Church and Janine Waclawski cover all of the critical decisions that must be made in order to conduct an effective survey. The authors review the major issues to be confronted at each stage of the process, examine the options, and suggest the appropriate action to take. They show how to put together a quality survey questionnaire, administer the survey, process and interpret the results, report the findings to the organization, and translate the newly acquired information into meaningful action. And they include practical checklists at the end of each chapter, information about technology application, approaches to action planning, and sensitive coverage of the inevitable political and human issues that arise throughout the process. The AuthorsAllan H. Church is director of organization and management development at PepsiCo in Purchase, New York. He is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University and a distinguished visiting scholar in the College of Business, Technology, and Professional Programs at Benedictine University. Church is the author of numerous articles in professional journals and coeditor (with David Bracken and Carol Timmreck) of The Handbook of Multisource Feedback (Jossey-Bass, 2001). Janine Waclawski is a principal consultant in the Management Consulting Services line of business at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP. She is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and has been an instructor in Hunter College at the City University of New York. Waclawski is a past recipient of the American Society for Training and Development's Donald Bullock Memorial Dissertation Award for her research on large-scale organizational change and performance.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pfeiffer; 1 edition (March 28, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787956775
• ISBN-13: 978-0787956776
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #697,307 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superbly written, very practical, with technical excellence and integrity, August 9, 2006

By 

Jonathan Troper - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Designing and Using Organizational Surveys: A Seven-Step Process (Jossey-Bass Business & Management) (Hardcover)

Church and Waclawski deliver exactly what practitioners needed - a book on how to bring the critical people together to form a team, discover the deeper purpose for going forward, design a technically excellent and user-friendly survey, analyze and report the data, and build on the findings to promote action in the organization. Each chapter contains some very useful political wisdom along with descriptions of the survey process.

With a crystal clear style, the authors explain challenging concepts clearly enough for learners and senior practitioners alike. This book stands out as the most important on the topic today.

In a future edition, I would like to see a special section comparing advanced modeling methods including relative weights analysis. It should make them comprehensible to users who have had some statistics, but aren't stats mayvens.