<< PLAN IN MOTION

HERE'S WHAT SOME GROUPS HAVE DONE IN RESPONSE TO SURVEY FINDINGS

Survey results mean little if nobody follows up on the numbers. Here's how several programs and sites have shaped and executed plans based on previous Employee Survey results.

>> Ken Kirwan, strategy and People Plan lead for Boeing Commercial Airplanes Engineering, said his organization uses Employee Survey data as one element of a multipronged approach to improving the workplace environment.

"We try and look at the overall picture, which includes the organization's ESI score and our employees' answers to individual survey questions, including the 10 lowest scores, as well as comments, e-mails and other feedback we receive," Kirwan said. "We integrate those learnings into our existing plans, including the Engineering People Plan."

BCA Engineering has focused on workforce development over the last two years in response to the low scores on the Employee Survey's job security question and other feedback, Kirwan said. As part of this, Skill Team leaders have formed plans to identify future workforce requirements and the training and skills needed for those jobs. The organization also adopted a workforce stability goal, which promotes cross training and managing reductions through attrition.

Over the past four years, BCA Engineering has increased its ESI score 16 points.

>> With a 16-point increase in the question "My Operating Group uses the employee survey feedback to make improvements," Homeland Security & Services will continue to involve employee teams to create and execute action plans that address concerns mentioned in the Survey.

"The employee survey has been very effective in helping us understand how we're doing on issues of concern to our people, where we're making progress, and where we're not," said Ron Prosser, vice president and general manager of HS&S.

HS&S will identify teams to address 2004 Survey results by late this month and create action plans by mid October. Implementation is expected to begin in November.

>>Since October, the Anaheim (Calif.) Employee Survey Response team has been carefully evaluating the 2003 Boeing Employee Survey to address and take action on survey issues. The 15-member team identified six areas for improvement, developed an action plan for each area and is responsible for communicating the plan to site leaders and employees. Actions taken by the survey team include

. Communications. In response to the need for improved communications between senior leaders and employees, the team created and initiated Cross Talk, a series of monthly lunchtime meetings where employees can directly ask Anaheim executives questions.

. Performance management. Anaheim managers received information on targeted coaching courses available online or via the Boeing Learning Centers to help address low-scoring items regarding managers and supervisors' coaching and feedback to employees.

"The key word is 'respond,'" said Bob Baird, who leads the team. "You can't just evaluate, you have to act."

>> Using feedback from the survey, the Aerospace Support business unit of Integrated Defense Systems annually identifies areas to improve and creates an action plan. Over the past two years, one of those areas has been leadership effectiveness.

In response to the survey, Aerospace Support created and tracked a Leadership Effectiveness Index, which demonstrated for each manager the strong relationship between leadership effectiveness and employee satisfaction. The average Leadership Effectiveness score rose from 60.6 in 2002 to 66.9 in 2003 for all Aerospace Support managers.

"Though employees had been telling us their leaders were already doing a good job, we knew that by doing even better we could make a significant impact on our business," said Ken Mraz, Human Resources leader for Aerospace Support.