Organisational Alignment Survey Helps Create Best-in-Class Competitors

More quality-conscious companies are asking their employees two simple questions:  "What should organizations be doing in twelve key customer-focused quality areas?  And, how is our organization doing?"  These questions are at the heart of Persona's new Organisational Alignment Survey, a powerful strategic tool for helping employees align their behavior with customers' real needs.

The survey solves the problems that has sunk many Total Quality initiatives—failure to develop culture change that impacts customers.  "The Organisational Alignment Survey is the first to relate employee attitudes to business results," explains developer Shaun Smith of Hong Kong's Service Skills International.  Through assessment, benchmarking and action planning, the Survey shows a company where it is, where it wants to be, and how to get there.  When vision and behavior match market needs, companies achieve organizational alignment—the goal of the Organizational Alignment Survey and the guiding principle of best-in-class competitors.

Supporting a Broad Network

"Best-in-class" is a fitting description of highly profitable Inchcape International.  Operating in 60 countries, the $4.2 billion conglomerate is the world's 44th largest diversified services company.  Most of Inchcape's broad network of businesses in Europe and Asia use the Organisational Alignment Survey as their primary tool for assessing employee attitudes.  Inchcape Pacific Quality Service Manager Cheryl Cromer says the survey has become an integral feature of their group-wide culture change program.  "It has allowed us to establish the current status of each of our businesses and action plan what they need to do to move forward," she says.

Inchcape employees spend about an hour completing 60 survey questions relating to the twelve key customer areas.  Responses are anonymous and, since the surveys are optically read and computer scored, confidentiality is absolute.  Inchcape businesses receive survey results in about 10 days, including performance improvement recommendations based on more than 247 tactics.  Results are benchmarked against companies in Persona's rapidly growing international databank.  Three years of results are held in the databank, which means Inchcape businesses can track trends over a three-year period.

Sharpening a Competitive Edge

Many companies use the Organizational Alignment Survey to sharpen their competitive edge.  Australia's Fantasia Information Network, which provides reservation systems for travel agents worldwide, is an award-winning customer service market leader.  To make sure they stay on top, employees across Australia and New Zealand will complete the survey as part of Fantasia's ongoing "Quest for Quality" change initiative.  "The company wanted a user-friendly assessment complement to 'Quest for Quality' that focused on more than just internal processes," explains Barbara Jones, Managing Director of Sydney's Communications Directions.  "Benchmarking and confidentiality were also important.  We conducted focus groups and one-on-one interviews to identify the most effective way to implement the Organizational Alignment Survey, which all employees will complete over the next two years."

Creating Measurable Improvement

Companies use a variety of techniques to improve their customer focus.  Some choose reengineering, the radical process redesign that results from the question:  "If we could start over, how would we run the company?"  Others implement continuous improvement strategies based on quality teams or other bottom-up change initiatives.  But all of them share the goal of organizational alignment—and the same twelve customer focused performance areas that will "make or break" their effort to align with customers.

For that reason, improved survey scores translate to improved business results no matter what culture change program is in place.  Average scores for all twelve customer-focused quality areas often rise more than 10% per year following implementation of the Organizational Alignment Survey.  Business results typically follow suit.  Inchcape's Crown Motors reduced staff turnover 16% and increased revenue by 193% in 1992 after implementing a range of actions to enhance people-care and performance.  From 1990 to 1992, another Inchcape business improved employee alignment by 20% and reduced employee turnover by 55%.  It was no surprise that their 1992 annual Organizational Alignment Survey scores rose 20-38% in six customer areas.

Best-in-class competitors achieve their success through proven methods, not magic.  "It's evident that shared vision and aligned action contribute to organisational effectiveness," says Smith.  "When your organisation understands where it is now, where it wants to be, and how to get there, you'll be equipped to ensure employees are truly aligned with customer requirements."