E-couragement: The Survey Says...

“Companies and marriages derail because people don’t say what they are really thinking.” Susan Scott, Fierce Conversations I had an “Aha” moment recently. While reviewing current research on the value of measuring employee engagement within organizational cultures, I came across this statement: “That’s why you need to take the measure of employee engagement at least once a year through anonymous surveys in which people feel completely safe to speak their minds.” At first glance, this idea seems to makes sense. Yet, if you look a little deeper, you may have a reaction similar to mine, “This type of thinking isn’t part of the solution, it's part of the problem!”

I do see the value of an occasional well executed employee survey. There are times when an online assessment makes sense. Especially when gathering feedback from a national or global organization in which logistics can be challenging.

What concerns me most is this concept: “…through anonymous surveys in which people feel completely safe to speak their minds.” Did you catch that? This article is discussing employee engagement and in the same breath implying that companies are not safe places to speak our minds! Is anonymity the only way to say what you’re really thinking? Am I the only one who is baffled by this logic? The last I understood, having a safe place to speak my truth is a core human need. To be heard in a nonjudgmental manner is fundamental to an engaged culture, yet we deploy anonymous surveys so this can happen?

Friends, let’s take some advice from the Beatles who sang, “You say you want a revolution. Well you know, we all want to change the world.” It’s time for a revolutionary new way of thinking and behaving. Let’s begin by building an environment of trust in the workplace. Let’s be known as people who are congruent and do what we say. How about we intently listen to those around us, valuing their voice and unique insights. Perhaps we begin craving feedback from those we lead and take action based on what we hear from them. Let’s commit to regular conversations so that we understand the world of our followers. This is radical. This is engaging.

Here’s what will happen as a result. There will no longer be a need for anonymous surveys. Work will be a safe place to speak our minds. Honest conversations will abound. People will say what they really think and be heard. Meaningful feedback will be exchanged between people at all “levels.” This is what an engaged culture looks like no matter how you measure it. This is the world class organization of the future.

Leave your comments: In what ways have you been successful in creating a culture of trust and honest conversation? What challenges are you facing in this area?