Workplace Research, FUTUREU'S 5-STAR STRATEGY

The need to be heard is met by:

Workplace Research
Employee input is the building block
of every great workplace.

A major motivation for workplace loyalty is the degree to which individuals believe that their ideas and opinions matter. The first step in a successful program for retention and development is to learn what every member of the team thinks, feels, knows and wants. By giving people a way to voice concerns and provide input, workplace research influences behavior, helping managers and other personnel see the big picture, consider alternative perspectives, participate in shared governance and build a sense of community that reinforces their commitment to your organization. Accurate, complete, up-to-date information enhances planning, decision making, and buy-in.

Different types of inquiry serve different purposes.

FutureU recommends a mix of research methods as part of every organization’s culture.

A combination of research methods helps—

Use email surveys if possible.

In past decades, FutureU distributed surveys on paper, often in payroll envelopes. Although that is still a reliable method, today’s email survey software has important advantages. Data collection is simpler, faster and less costly. Participants see aggregate results as soon as they submit their own responses. Analysis is more thorough and flexible. For individuals who must reply on paper, responses are still collected by hand. If desired, FutureU will train your staff to use the survey software, while continuing to advise you on survey design, analysis, recommendations, and reporting.

Adopt a standard of full disclosure of results.

The goal of workplace research is not to "study" the participants but to collect valuable information within a safe forum that encourages response and thus reinforces commitment to the team. The sharing of results engenders trust. Trust inspires loyalty.

Surveys are not the whole answer to shared governance, of course, but they do give everyone a voice. They also create a revealing "self- portrait" of the group, helping individuals accept facts and, where appropriate, make decisions by consensus.

FutureU clients know that any survey instrument, written analysis, and recommendations presented by us will be well thought out, clearly presented, and focused on positive perspectives and practical solutions; in other words, people want to read the results, and this adds to their sense of involvement. FutureU can also help you maintain momentum, by facilitating follow-up discussions via teleconference, email or online forums.

For truly informed decisions, go beyond employee surveys.

When executives and managers are fully informed, they tend to make win-win decisions and budgetary choices that contribute to employee retention. It pays to invest in the following three additional kinds of workplace research. FutureU has many years of experience in all three:

1. Analysis of external forces and major issues.

Knowing what your organization and your industry are facing can give personnel a greater understanding of why unpopular decisions are sometimes necessary. For example, FutureU’s white papers on the health-care crisis have given nurses, physicians, and other health-care personnel a greater appreciation for the complexity of the issues. The result is a keener desire to be part of the solution.

2. Impartial analysis of products for communication and learning.

FutureU’s comparative analyses of leading software products for learning and collaboration are used by decision-makers world wide. These reports help people understand how various solutions differ from one another; decide where, how and when to cut costs or invest more in a solution; and identify the products best suited to their needs. FutureU also keeps abreast of the ever-changing world of educational content, in order to introduce you to superior training options.
Impartial product comparisons simplify and improve purchasing decisions, reducing frustration and often preserving scarce dollars for other needs. Don't rely on what vendors say, and don’t expend your own valuable time on the research. FutureU’s independent researchers can help you investigate any aspect of a wide variety of products, product categories and industry segments—before you buy.

3. External Stakeholder Surveys.

Employees and managers take to heart what they hear from customers, other stakeholders and one another. Research is the first step to addressing all stakeholder needs—which in turn is a key step in influencing morale, goals, and choices.

Why FutureU?

Implement recommendations and evaluate results.

Implementation. Once you know what your people need, and once you and your staff fully understand the options and challenges ahead, FutureU can help you gather the resources to best meet the identifiable needs, communicate your message, and deliver opportunities that will enhance loyalty, leadership skills, and effectiveness in teams.

Project Evaluation. Often the same process used for assessing need and readiness can be repeated later to fulfill reporting requirements and satisfy overseers with accurate, complete outcomes data. Additional qualitative analysis of learning and performance improvement is also a part of most project evaluations. FutureU can also help you use Kirkpatrick Levels III and IV as well as 360-Degree Analysis, Action Inquiry, Empowerment Evaluation, Ethnographic Auditing, and the traditional tools of ethnography, to deepen your understanding of project success and the lessons learned.

The Many Applications of Workplace Research

Shared Governance

Planning for Employee Advancement

Retention Strategy Planning

How FutureU Has Helped Others with Workplace Research

One of NASA's institutes was able to enhance communication and collaboration across distance among 700 widely dispersed scientists, after engaging FutureU to assess individual needs and capabilities around information technology, identify various software tools to meet their unique needs, and design and facilitate a strategy for introducing the new tools in a way that encouraged participation and best practices.

A California medical center
began seeing improvements in internal communication after engaging FutureU researchers to assess existing communication methods—and the attitudes of managers, employees, physicians, and volunteers—and recommend changes.

One of the Baby Bells evaluated the impact of deregulation on small business customers' perception of the company as a small business advocate, by engaging FutureU researchers to survey this stakeholder group and analyze the responses.

A college in the Southeast secured a major federal Title V grant for faculty training by substantiating its application with the results of a needs and readiness assessment designed, delivered, and analyzed by FutureU. A follow-up assessment after the training helped fulfill reporting requirements.

A university in the Midwest planned a more successful online program for pre-service training, because FutureU had first assessed the faculty's technical skills and attitudes.

A European conglomerate improved the outcomes of its annual senior management retreat by using online surveys and discussions provided by FutureU to engage participants in the experience both before and after the actual retreat.

A 500-member organizational support network regularly relies on FutureU to conduct financial and demographic surveys of its membership, including qualitative studies that measure the characteristics of a successful organization.

A Research Team With Unique Qualifications

Every member of the FutureU research team has the distinction of expertise in both virtual communications AND applied research. This doesn't mean that some have led virtual groups while others have conducted research. It means that every FutureU research specialist has been developing, implementing, and analyzing surveys for at least five years (in most cases 25 years) and has also facilitated online groups. This unique combination of skills gives the FutureU team a special capability for understanding and addressing your needs.

Gail Terry Grimes, FutureU's CEO, spent 20 years interviewing researchers, health care professionals, and academic, corporate, and civic leaders on behalf of large non-profit institutions, for purposes of cultivating support. She appreciates the value you place on every interaction. Her commitment to respecting your relationships is a core value at FutureU. When FutureU represents your organization, you are assured of a positive experience.

Claude Whitmyer, CIO, was one of the earliest pioneers in virtual communication and education. Mr. Whitmyer also has 25 years of research experience, including independent comparisons of technology products related to communications and education. For example, in his work as faculty advisor to the American Hospital Association's Health Forum fellowships for senior healthcare executives; he often surveys participants about their needs and readiness for virtual communication. In 1996, Mr. Whitmyer was part of a pioneering research study of a group of organizational leaders and consultants that met for 6 months, entirely online, and explored the use of various conversational practices and supporting groupware for virtual community building.

David Fetterman, Ph.D., is former president of the American Evaluation Society, professor and director of the MA Policy Analysis and Evaluation Program in the School of Education at Stanford University, and a former principal research scientist at the American Institutes for Research.

Tom Hargadon, M.S., LL.B., recently served as principal investigator in studying the economic impact of broad-band cable and telephone architectures on the European community. He continually researches the convergence of visual computing with high-band-width telecommunications, providing strategic analysis of the multimedia development market, interactive television, alternative telecommunications, and the impact of new telecommunications architectures and standards on enterprise networking to Fortune 500 firms, the U.S. Government, and the MIT Research Program in Communications Policy. Mr. Hargadon also publishes The Inside Report on New Media.

Sue Marcus, Ph.D. has designed and directed marketing surveys, focus group projects, needs assessments, studies on the outcomes of medical treatments, and computer software and clinical information systems. She developed a national online health information service for consumers and health care professionals and produced customized health information as source materials for audio tapes.

Dale S. Rose, Ph.D., is an expert in psychometric measurement, evaluation research, and assessment-based human resources solutions. Previously, Dr. Rose held research positions with Ameritech, National Computer Systems and Acumen International. He has presented papers nationally to the Academy of Management, Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology, American Psychological Association, American Psychological Society, and the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action.

Dr. Rose has taught undergraduate courses ranging from statistics to group dynamics and is currently adjunct faculty in the School of Management and Finance at California State University, Hayward, where he teaches Human Resources Management and Organization Development. He has also written book chapters and published articles in academic journals including Current Psychology, Journal of Business and Psychology, and Evaluation Review. Dr. Rose received his Doctoral degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from DePaul University with a minor in Organizational Effectiveness Technologies.

Barry Tuchfeld, Ph.D., founded and directed one of the first graduate programs in assessment and evaluation that was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): the Center for Organizational Research and Evaluation at Texas Christian University. Today Dr. Tuchfeld focuses on the use of the Internet in e-learning initiatives, with a special emphasis on front-end evaluations and strategic visioning. His experience includes national research projects as well as results-oriented projects that may involve surveys or non-statistical efforts like key informant interviews or focus groups.

Can you move forward without research? Sure. But be prepared for more resistance, more troubleshooting, and more costly changes later on.

Could you do the research yourself? Possibly. But you could churn your own butter too. At FutureU, it's our job to make your job easier.