Pulse surveys are a critical resource for our ongoing organizational change management efforts. Our core stakeholders tell us what is – and what is not – working through these assessments. As a result, we can plan, implement, and succeed in our change efforts.
“The ongoing feedback that we receive from our leaders, managers, and employees is a real treasure for our organizational change management efforts.”
A recent email that I received was a friendly reminder of the importance of pulse surveys. A key stakeholder responded to some deployment pulse survey results that I had sent. He stated, “This is a very good survey to know where we stand … Thanks for the valuable information/feedback. This is a treasure for us.”
My initial response was, “Is this a treasure?” His site’s assessment had highlighted specific knowledge gaps for some of our end users. I was initially skeptical that communicating areas of improvement could really be considered a gift.
However, after pondering the response some more, I recognized that this type of feedback really IS a treasure. Understanding where our teams are from an engagement standpoint- at any phase of deployment- ultimately sets us all up for long-term success.
So, what are some strategies that we can use to continue this type of engagement with our core stakeholders? There are three key steps that you can easily build into your transformation efforts to engage this type of feedback.
Here are three key tips that I highlight with clients when implementing pulse surveys:
- Develop a baseline. It is important to develop an initial baseline to effectively manage your transformation. Do not forget to send out an initial survey to establish what your baseline is, prior to your change efforts!
- Continue to manage the change by monitoring through pulse surveys. Pulse surveys can help you manage the change. The information that is gleaned through these types of assessments can help your team quickly respond and pivot when necessary.
- Celebrate success. As you make progress in your change initiative, make sure that you celebrate your success. Pulse surveys are an extremely effective tool to highlight your progress with sponsors and core stakeholders.
This email from my colleague really was a great reminder. The ongoing feedback that we receive from our leaders, managers, and employees is a real treasure for our organizational change management efforts. These gifts can benefit any phase of our change initiatives- from original identification, into deployment and even in establishing lessons learned.
What can you do now?
Over the next few weeks and months, evaluate how you are gathering feedback from your core stakeholders. Where can you add in different strategies to assess your change initiatives? In addition, please feel free to reach out if you would like to think through your strategies and develop different methods to gather input.
