Social Organization Change

Social Organization Change

SOC100 – Introduction to Sociology

Social Organization Change

Employee opinions can impact financial performance by affecting retention; and quality of work, morale and productivity; so measuring workers’ attitudes is critical to enhancing what is called “Performance through People.” There are many different types of employee surveys. Some examples are the full-scale employee opinion survey that covers a comprehensive range of topics and is usually administered to the entire workforce every year or two; and the pulse survey that is used between cycles of the full-scale employee opinion survey. The pulse survey is shorter than the full-scale survey and may be focused on; (a) a small set of “key indicator” questions drawn from the full-scale survey and is used as a progress measure; (b) allows for feedback to be quickly obtained; and (c) generally the survey is focused at a subset of the employee population, (i.e. a small but representative cross-section of all employees).

Information is the lifeblood of businesses today; companies live and die by their ability to obtain reputable information. Surveys are one of the primary vehicles for collecting the information businesses need. When done right, surveys can reduce new product risk; generate insights about employees, customers, and markets; and align communications programs with target constituencies. When poorly done, they can derail strategy and generate misguided marketing, customer service and communications plans. Businesses are only as good as the information they have.

The focus of this employee survey is to collect employees’ perception of what is being done and to provide insight into what the employee feels needs to be done in the areas of the work climate, culture and organizational structure. The first step is to identify what information the survey is looking for and understand what surveys can and cannot do. This survey focuses on exploring employee/company relationships, and identifying both strengths and areas that need improvement.

The objective is to allow for a random sampling of a qualified representation of employee participation. It allows for the collection of measurable data but also allows for a level of anonymity. This will allow for an employee to answer questions honestly and with the confidence that their answers won’t draw attention to their identity. From the questions presented the answers can be tallied and general conclusions can be had. It can be derived from the answers given the education level and tenure by percentage of employee participation. The general answers provided can point management toward areas where the company is performing well and the responses can also flag areas where more in-depth questions may be asked regarding employees’ perception of their work environment and atmosphere.

Using a random selection of the 250,000 employees of the Ford Motor Company, it was determined that 40% of the employees are not happy in their present position within the company and 60% of the employees are happy. The majority of the employees, approximately 150,000 employees, are happy in their present position based on this survey. Ford employees are the most valuable resource that the company has available to them; therefore, Ford invests a great deal of time, talent, and energy in the success of Ford Motor Company’s employees per the Ford Sustainability Report 2005/6 (Ford.com, 2007).

It was also noted in the survey that 20% of the employees do not feel that the company provides growth opportunities. This seems like a small percentage but putting this 20% into total employees, you can see that of the 250,000 employees 50,000 employees are not satisfied with the growth potential within the company. This needs improvement based on this survey’s results. You can also see that 80% of the employees feel that the company provides growth opportunities within the company structure. The majority of the employees feel that growth opportunities are provided for the employees. Leaving room for growth is a very important part of the Ford Motor Company policy.

As far as social organizations within the company that benefit the employee and the employer, the survey shows again that 20% of the employees feel that there are not enough social organizations within the company. Social organizations can be described as labor unions and various other beneficial organizations within the company that support the interests of the employees and the employer and their desire to help others in need. It was reported recently on Ford’s website that “for nine years, Ford's employees, retirees, dealers, suppliers, family members and friends