1. Making the most of your culture surveys
25th May 2011
Making the most of your culture surveys
Presenter: Tim Heywood
1000 Lives Plus culture surveys

2. Session objective
To provide advice and share learning to help organisations gain maximum benefit from 2011 culture survey reports as a tool for culture change.
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3. 2008 and 2010/11 surveys – similarities and differences
GP Practice surveys used the same tool, administered online in the same way in 2008 and 2010
Survey guidance and “Frequently Asked Questions” did not change for the GP 2010 practice survey, but employee survey guidance was updated to reflect changes in the 2011 survey
Employee surveys differed in a number of respects:
Additional questions were inserted in the 2011 survey, as proposed by the national Partnership Forum.
In 2008 Trust staff completed in hard copy. In 2011 the employee survey was on-line (with a hard-copy option)
ABM and North Wales Trusts did not participate in the 2008 survey (they had recently completed in-house surveys).
A national level report was not produced from the 2008 survey.
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4. GP Practice survey 2010
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5. GP Practice survey 2011
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6. How GP survey reports are being used Practice level reports include the following introductory wording:
“It is important that the report is shared within the practice and that all staff are given the opportunity to discuss and reflect on the results”
“Even in practices where there is excellent leadership and team work, there will always be scope for change and improvement, so don’t be embarrassed about raising questions and suggestions about things that could be improved”.
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7. GP Practice reports Suggested discussion issues listed in reports:
Communication
Do staff feel communication is good or could it be improved?
What barriers have been identified to effective communication?
What could be introduced to improve communication?
Reporting and Learning
How effective are you at sharing experiences and learning within the practice?
What can be done to ensure experiences are shared and learning gained from these experiences?
Are staff comfortable sharing negative experiences?
Are staff members recognised for good work?
Resources
Are all resources, including staff, used effectively and efficiently?
How can staff raise concerns about resources?
Who will respond to concerns and what will happen?
Relationship with the Health Board
How important do you think it is to work closely with the Health Board? Who benefits from closer working?
How could you engage more closely with the Health Board? What can you do? What can they do?
General
Are the responses what you would have expected?
Do any of the results cause concern?
What was the most surprising response?
What areas are you doing well in?
What areas do you feel you could improve, as a practice?
What areas do you feel you could improve, as individuals?
Leadership and Teamwork
Do staff feel like they are part of a team?
What would improve team relationships in the practice?
What barriers are there to better teamwork?
Is there good leadership in the practice?
What may need to change in terms of leadership (e.g. style, visibility)?
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8. GP Practice survey feedback…
It was a useful tool that highlighted things about the Practice that we did not previously know.
The report was useful for in-house training.
There was a real value in including ALL staff in the process.
We would like to do the survey again.
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9. Next steps for the GP survey Health Board level
Ensure all Directors of Primary Care and Directors of Workforce and OD are aware of Practice level report wording
Review the HB level report and provide opportunities for findings to be discussed with appropriate stakeholders.
Make contact with Practices with good response rates (especially those who participated in both the 2008 and 2010/11 surveys). Ask them about their learning and if they have stories they would be happy to share.
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10. Health Board and Trust employee survey 2011
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11. 2011 employee survey response numbers
Completed
Aneurin Bevan Health Board
1546
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
1151
Abertawe & Bro Morgannwg University Health Board
3695
Cardiff & Vale University Health Board
1873
Hywel Dda
564
Cwm Taf Health Board
338
Powys Teaching Health Board
165
Velindre NHS Trust
157
Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust
478
Public Health Wales
383
Total
10350
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12. “Every time you open your mouth you create culture.”
The way you share and use employee survey reports is more important than the findings themselves.
This is about bringing issues to the surface, generating meaningful discussion and practical actions. The report is not about bench-marking so don’t over-analyse your results
“Every time you open your mouth you create culture.”
Covey 2011
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13. Using your employee survey reports
Make sure every one who responded to the survey has an opportunity to discuss the findings (do not just present people with an action plan!).
Use existing meetings to discuss findings wherever possible – special focus groups or forums may not be necessary in many cases.
Use the report generator to provide reports tailored to different meeting forums (make sure people know they can request reports tailored to their own areas/services/staff groups, where numbers allow).
If response rates are low – use the national report as a starting point for discussions. (‘This is what over 10,000 colleagues from around Wales have said – how do we feel this compares with how things are round here?”)
Provide guidance for people leading discussions.
Use the reports as context to frame learning about organisational culture in professional and leadership development programmes.
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14. Some general questions to help employee survey discussion leaders
Reflecting on the findings
What good things come out of this for us? Are there any areas where we should give ourselves a pat on the back? 
What looks negative, or should be a concern for us? 
Do these findings highlight things we've worried about for a while? 
Do these findings highlight anything individuals have tried to raise before, but not got anywhere with ?
Do any findings come as a surprise - or have we just accepted this is the way we do things round here?
Thinking about actions
Are there particular things we do that we should share?  Can we share our good practice with anyone else?
What practical actions can we take to change things within our control?
What actions would we like to see taken at Directorate/Division/CPG or organisational level?
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15. Negative feedback can be valuable, so make sure people leading discussions are equipped to deal with it.
Set ground-rules for the discussion – including an expectation that people will be mutually respectful when expressing their views.
Listen carefully – don’t go on the defensive.
Don’t take criticism personally.
Explore issues by using ‘what’ or ‘how’ questions, rather than ‘why’ questions
(E.g. “ What issues do you think might have contributed to lower than expected response levels?”, rather than “why do you think response rates were low?”)
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17. Next steps
The national GP and employee survey reports will be available by 9th June.
National level publicity will be produced that you will be able to adapt for local use.
Include your organisation surveys in your story boards for the national Learning Set on 10th June.
Tim Heywood will be requesting meetings with Directors of Workforce and OD to discuss what further central support would be useful.
WebEx 11am Friday 3rd June: Sharing learning about the 2011 culture survey tools and administration processes.
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