How many people were invited to take the survey and how many participated?
All 300 IST staff were invited to take the custom online survey. A total of 181 IST staff, just over 60%, participated in the survey.
When was the survey done (both the survey questions and in person interviews)?
In-person interviews were held with leadership in early May, then with a randomly selected group of 28 IST staff May 23-25. All IST employees were invited to fill out the survey on June 11. The survey remained open until June 22.
How long did the survey take on average to complete? How many questions? What was the range of questions?
The 160 question survey took an average of 30-45 minutes for IST employees to complete. Questions ranged from asking about different kinds of workplace experiences, to perceptions around leadership, organizational relationships, and job satisfaction. The survey concluded with several open-ended questions asking for input on how to improve the culture and invited participants to be involved in the Action Team that will be assembled to create a strategic plan to address any issues discovered and help us move toward becoming a more inclusive environment.
Why was this report done?
The report was conducted to gauge all aspects of workplace climate within IST, and to develop a clear plan to better ensure an inclusive and supportive workplace environment.
Hearing from staff at all levels of the organization -- and bringing such voices and perspectives into the process of creating and executing an action plan -- is critical to create a solid understanding of the culture and to spur meaningful and effective discussions and outcomes.
The report is based on a survey, in-person interviews, and data analysis conducted by Civility Partners, a La Mesa, CA-based consulting firm that works with organizations to address workplace culture issues. All members of IST were invited to take the survey, and 60 percent did so.
Why didn’t IST conduct such a survey before?
This is not the first IST survey related to workplace matters. Research has shown that engaged employees are more involved in and enthusiastic about their work; since 2016, IST has gathered information annually about staff engagement via the Gallup Q12 Engagement Survey. In IST, results of these surveys reflected very strong employee engagement. For example, on the Gallup Survey’s Q12 (This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.), IST’s score was 4.13/5, which is considered remarkably high. The response to Q7 (At work, my opinions seem to count.) averaged 4.02/5, which is similarly considered to be a high score.
What happens next? Will this report sit on a shelf?
The report is just the beginning. It will be shared with the IST community, and an Action Team, made up of people from all levels of IST, will be assembled to create a strategic plan to address any issues discovered and to help the organization move toward creating a more inclusive, equitable culture. IST leaders also intend to conduct a follow up survey in one year to gauge progress.
Why should we believe it will result in any real changes?
While leadership is responsible for leading change, culture cannot change without the participation of everyone in the organization. The Action Team will be assembled in order to ensure change is not only coming from the top, but is being driven from all units and levels of IST.