Cover

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1 - Organizational Surveys: An Overview

Uses of Surveys in Organizations

Gathering information

Improving Communication

Monitoring and Evaluating the Effects of Organizational Change

Factors to Consider Before initiating the Survey Process

Is a Survey within the Organization's Budget?

Are Personnel with Survey Expertise Available?

Are there other Ways to Answer the Question?

Are Organizational Personnel Being Oversurveyed?

Setting the Table: Presurvey issues

The Survey Team

Using internal Versus External Personnel to Conduct the Survey

Writing a Statement of Purpose

Conducting Organizational Surveys: A Look Ahead

Chapter 2 - Identifying Survey Content

Methods for Identifying Survey Content

Developmental interviews and Focus Groups

Past Surveys in the Same Organization

Published Scales

Archival Sources

Theory and Academic Findings

Other Sources of Survey Content

Conclusions

Chapter 3 - Creating the Survey, Part I: Writing Survey Items

Item Formats: Closed- and Open-Ended Questions

Closed-Ended Questions

Open-Ended Questions

Should the Survey Team use Closed- or Open-Ended Questions?

Item Content: Demographic, Factual, and Attitudinal Questions

Demographic Items

Factual Items

Attitudinal Items

Writing "Good" Items: Some Basic Rules

Ask What you Want to Know

Keep Items Simple and Short

Ask About Only One Topic per Item

Avoid Ambiguous or Vague Questions

Use Appropriate Language

Be Specific

Double Negatives: NOT!

Avoid Biased Items

Take Care with Sensitive Items

Conclusions

Chapter 4 - Creating the Survey, Part II: Response Alternatives, Item Order, Survey Length, And Response Bises

Getting Good Answers: Choosing Closed-Ended

Response Formats

Multiple-Choice Response Format

Yes-No and True-False Response Formats

Likert Rating Scales

Thurstone Scaling

Semantic Differential Scaling

Response Biases: the Downside of Using Closed-Ended Items

Response Order Effects

Yea-Saying or Nay-Saying

Acquiescence

Socially Desirable Responding

How Many Survey Items?

What Are the Goals of the Survey?

How Much is the Company Willing to Pay?

Who Will Complete the Questionnaire?

Are the Items Open or Closed Ended?

What is the Administration Method?

How Fast Are Data Needed?

Are Fatigue Effects an issue?

What is the Bottom Line on Survey Length?

Ordering the Items, or Putting It All Together

Clustering Versus Scattering the Items for a Single Dimension

Item Order Effects

Some Practical Advice

Conclusions

Chapter 5 - Selecting Survey Respondents

Identifying the Target Population

Should the Population or a Sample Be used in Data Collection?

Probability Sampling

Simple Random Sampling

Stratified Sampling

Nonprobability Sampling

Convenience Sample

Quota Sampling

Sampling Error and Sample Size

Sampling Error

Sample Size

Chapter 6 - Organizational Survey Administration

Self- Versus Group-Administered Surveys

Modes of Survey Administration

Paper Surveys

Computer-Administered Surveys

Face-to-Face interview Surveys

Telephone interview Surveys

Conclusions

Chapter 7 - Fielding the Survey

Adding the Finishing Touches to the Survey

Instrument

Survey introduction

Survey instructions

Pretesting the Survey

Obtaining Organizational Approval

Top Management

Unions

Institutional Review Boards

Preparing, Assembling, and Distributing the Survey Packet

Preparing the Contents of the Survey Packet

Distributing the Survey through the Mail

Chapter 8 - Monitoring And Maximizing Response Rates

Monitoring Response Rates

Calculating Response Rates

What is an Acceptable Response Rate?

Nonresponse Bias

Dealing with Nonresponse Bias

Ways to Maximize Response Rates

Prenotification: the Survey is Coming! the Survey is Coming

Follow-Up Until you Drop

If they Won't Respond, Bribe them

Make the Survey Meaningful

It's as Easy as TDM

What Works: A Summary

Practical Suggestions for increasing Response Rates

Chapter 9 - Data Processing

Preparing For Data Entry: Data Coding for Closed-Ended Questions

Naming and Labeling Variables

Assigning Values to Responses

Designating Code(s) for Missing Values

Entering Data

Data File Organization

Data Entry for Computerized and Scannable Surveys

Manual Data Entry

Cleaning the Data File

Types of Data File Cleaning

Missing Data

Reasons for Missing Data

Assessing the Missing Data Problem

Handling Missing Data

Categorizing and Coding Open-Ended Answers

Creating Categories

Content Coding

Conclusions

Chapter 10 - Analyzing Data And interpreting Results

Planning the Analyses

Analyzing the Data

A Review of the Sample and a Description of the Data

Describing the Respondents

Frequencies and Percentages

Means and Standard Deviations

Analyzing Subgroup Differences

Other Data Analysis Procedures

Poststratification Weighting

Interpreting the Results: What Do All the Findings Tell the Organization?

Comparing Findings with other Findings from the Same Survey

Using Norms: Comparing Survey Findings to other Standards

Conclusion

Chapter 11 - Presentation of Survey Findings

Oral and Written Presentations of the Survey Process

Organizing the Presentation

Introduction: Why Was the Survey Done?

Method: What Was Done and with Whom?

Results and Discussion: What Did the Survey Reveal?

Conclusions and Recommendations: What Are the Next Steps?

A Hodgepodge of other Advice

Visual Aids

Practice

Handling Questions

How to Handle Negative News

Handling a Hostile Audience

Linking Survey Results to Action

Conclusions

References

Author index

Subject index

About the Authors