In a stable environment,
staff surveys can be useful instruments for Human Resources Management. They
provide clear-cut data, suitable for quantitative analysis to be repeated year
after year.
In a rapidly changing world
and multicultural environments, however, things are too complex for the
traditional approach. Employees present countless cultural and ethnic
backgrounds, worldviews, and value systems. Their personal definitions of workplace
norms differ widely. The capacity of staff surveys to account for these
background factors is limited.
When the company and survey
languages are different from one’s own native language, the validity of the
assessment weakens significantly. Even the most fluent language skills may hide
ambiguous and conflicting thinking structures, concepts of right and wrong,
good or bad, too much and too little.
Further, background cultures
largely define people’s perceptions of their roles, rights, and opportunities
to participate and influence. People silently ask: Do I really count? Are my
views valuable? Is my answer right or wrong? Is it appropriate to be critical?
What is the agenda behind this survey? Will my responses remain confidential?
What will be their consequences?
Technology-driven
assessment and communication pose the risk of face-to-face communication being
pushed aside. Without a true dialogue, cultural value systems and individual
motivations behind the responses remain unknown. Consequently, the interpretations
of the findings may be biased and driven by false assumptions.
While staff surveys do
encourage people to express their views on current status of issues, they tend
to ignore culture-sensitive ideals and expectations. It takes much
more personal involvement and true leadership from managers and HR experts to reach
the weak signals reflecting people’s feelings, motivation levels, and
commitment.
