Improving Organizational Surveys

Timely and original, this publication presents the latest tools, techniques, and applications for conducting sucessful organizational surveys. --International Review of Administrative Sciences Surveys are part of our culture. From political polls predicting who the new president of the United States will be, to consumer surveys determining which new ice cream flavor is best-liked, surveys reach out and touch everyone. However, recent technological and methodological advances, as well as changes in the demographics of the workforce, have posed new and unique challenges to those charged with gathering survey information. Timely and original, Improving Organizational Surveys presents the latest tools, techniques, and applications for conducting successful organizational surveys throughout a wide range of settings (private sector, government, and the military). Separated into three sections, some of the relevant topics reviewed are how a survey is conducted, including a step-by-step guide; how to go about asking sensitive and potentially embarrassing questions; the advantages and disadvantages of computer-administered surveys; what to do about measurement error; lessons learned from conducting sexual harassment surveys; and a review of the definitional, methodological, and practical aspects of conducting a quality-of-work-life survey. This diverse volume is a must for individuals who develop and administer organizational surveys, for managers who utilize survey information, and for researchers and students who are interested in surveying public and private sector organizations.

In addition to editing this book, Jack Edwards has published two survey books cited in the Recommended Readings section of this chapter. He is currently an Assistant Director in the Office of Applied Research and Methods at the U.S. General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. His prior positions include Chief of the Personnel Survey Branch at the Defense Manpower Data Center and tenured Associate Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology. (The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. General Accounting Office.)