Conducting surveys in high-tech companies and global organizations obliges consideration of the unique characteristics of these companies - organizational structure and interfaces, organizational culture and network of global connections. Metoda's surveys provide methodological tools for researching questions that concern organizations in the high-tech world, and global sites. The surveys examine parameters relevant to the organizational culture and the nature of the work in high-tech companies. The analysis levels are set to match the organizational structure of the various companies (departments, groups and teams, global sites, executive groups, etc.).

 

Metoda’s Surveys provide customized methodological solutions at all phases of the survey: Methodological characterization and devising a customized research-plan for the organization; timing the survey (when and how frequently), phrasing customized questionnaires; designing online questionnaires in various languages; defining organizational groups (divisions, departments, teams); maintaining employee anonymity; taking steps to raise survey response rates; statistical analysis of the survey data; creating user-friendly executive summary presentations in Hebrew and English.

 

Communicating the survey to employees - The employees’ willingness to participate in surveys is not self-evident. It is important to communicate to employees the survey’s purpose and importance - for the organization and for the employees. It is important that the management help convey the messages to the employees and create a positive survey atmosphere within the organization. Organizations whose managements recognize the value of employee surveys, facilitate the process and stress the importance of the survey to the employees, enjoy a higher response rate for surveys.

 

Phrasing Tailored Questionnaires - Questionnaires in employee surveys should be tailored to the needs of the organization. The questionnaire must tackle the research question in a reliable and valid manner and be adjusted to the organization’s vernacular and culture. The content of the questionnaire (wording, structure and inner logic) should increase the chances that the employees will understand the questions as the survey authors intended and answer the questions fully and honestly.

 

Designing the Questionnaire - The graphic design and structure of the questionnaire should be user friendly. It is recommended not to overload the questionnaire with graphic elements and design gimmicks. All these distract the respondents from the questions and create methodological noise. In global surveys, the questionnaires are computerized in Multiple-Languages.

 

Defining Organizational Groups - It is necessary to profile the organizational groups relevant to the survey (departments, units and teams; employees on international sites, non-Hebrew speaking employees; employees without access to a computer, etc.). A proper definition of the organizational groups will enable proper planning of the research program when formulating the questionnaire, collecting the data and analyzing the findings.

 

Keeping Employees Anonymity - Employee surveys should be done anonymously. The option of anonymity affects the willingness to participate in the survey and provide honest answers. During the questionnaire and upon submission of the survey, it should be made clear to the employees that the survey is anonymous in order to dispel any concerns in this regard.

 

Minimizing Refusal - Any survey in which the number of respondents differs from the number of research population / sample, is theoretically at risk of producing biased results. The response rate in the survey reflects the respondents’ motivation to disclose to the company their thoughts, feelings and experiences. The employee’ / customers’ willingness to participate indicates their level of trust in the company and the survey process itself (trust in the guarantee that the information in the survey will remain anonymous; trust in the company’s’ intention to listen to the employees – customers and improve based on their responses to the survey, etc.). Various measures can be taken to reduce the number of people who refuse to take part in the survey (and increase the number of respondents): motivating respondents to respond and raising awareness of the survey; ensuring the anonymity of the respondents’ answers to the survey; involving the organization's management in the survey process – having them stress the importance and applications of the survey; phrasing and designing user-friendly questionnaires with clear questions, clean design and a properly structured order of topics and questions; stating the survey’s objectives and its significance to the organization and employees / customers; affirming the organization's intentions to implement the findings of the survey in order to ensure continuous improvement in employee well-being and customers experience.

 

Sharing Survey Results with Employees / custpmers - Once the survey is completed, it is important to share the findings with the employees / customers and inform them what the company intends to do in light of them. It is not necessary to present all the findings and subsequent objectives. However, the company should convey to employees / customers that they are listening to them and are truly intending to make changes and improvements to the employees’ well-being and customers’ experience. Sharing the survey findings with the employees / customers is an important stage in the effort to persuade them to participate in future surveys and, increasing their trust in the process and the company.

 

Implementing Survey Results - After sharing the survey findings with the employees / customers, it is important to implement them. The findings serve as an effective empirical basis for devising work plans. companies should conduct employee surveys and customer surveys only when they have a genuine intention and willingness to listen and act in accordance with what they hear.

 

Metoda’s Startups Surveys Are an important tool in the process of product planning and building the business plans for new ventures. The surveys are conducted among potential target audience for the purpose of evaluating various aspects of attitudes, perceptions and anticipated consumer behavior. The surveys are effective empirical tools for decision-making processes regarding the planning, implementation and marketing of new products, adding an additional layer to the business plan. Establishing a new venture (be it developing a new software or app for a high-tech startup or starting an independent business or developing a new product for an existing business) entails several stages, such as conceptualization, finding investors who have faith in the product’s potential and the development of the product itself. At each of these stages, the entrepreneur needs to know what those for whom the product is designed actually think about it.

 

The concept stage for a new product or business begins with necessity. Often it is the personal need of the entrepreneur or a need they notice among those close to them. But does this necessity apply to enough people? What are others currently doing to address the existing need? Will people be willing to pay for the product? If so, how much? When contriving the business plan, the entrepreneur must demonstrate to investors the potential of the new product; and the target audiences, including their characteristics and needs. By the time the product design and development stage is reached, the entrepreneur must know what the product should look like, what features it should have, who will be interested in it, and what will make its use an effective and positive experience.

 

Metoda's surveys are given to the potential target audience for the purpose of evaluating various aspects of attitudes, perceptions and anticipated consumer behavior. The surveys allow the start-up company to identify and classify the potential target audience by various characteristics; to identify the target audience’s needs and expectations; and to evaluate the attitudes regarding the concept they seek to promote: surveys on app development processes, software and technological products, business plans, customer satisfaction, customer needs and potential use.