Surveying Staff: The Value it Provides for Organization Strategy
Author:
Christopher E. Maynard
Introduction:
Organizations are constantly striving to improve their performance and achieve their objectives. However, this cannot be achieved without the help of their staff. Therefore, it is essential for organizations to gather information from their staff through surveys to make informed decisions, improve employee engagement, and ensure that their strategies align with their staff's needs and goals.

Below are some of the ways that surveying staff provides value for organization strategy.
Identifying Staff's Needs and Priorities
Through surveys, organizations can identify what their staff considers important in their work environment. This includes their needs, priorities, and the areas where they feel the organization could improve. This information can help the organization align its strategy with the staff's needs, ensuring that their efforts are focused on the areas that matter most to their staff.
Improving Employee Engagement
Surveys help organizations understand the level of engagement of their staff. Employee engagement is critical to the success of an organization, as engaged employees are more productive and committed to their work. Through surveys, organizations can identify areas where they need to improve engagement, and take action to address these areas, which in turn can lead to higher levels of employee satisfaction and productivity.
Identifying Opportunities for Innovation
Surveys can also provide valuable insights that can help an organization identify opportunities for innovation. By asking staff for their ideas, suggestions, and feedback, organizations can get a better understanding of the challenges their staff faces and the improvements that can be made. This information can help the organization develop new products, services, or processes that are tailored to their staff's needs and expectations.
Strengthening Communication
Surveys can also be used to strengthen communication within the organization. By asking for feedback on communication, organizations can identify gaps in their communication channels, and take action to address these gaps. This can include improving the frequency and quality of communication, and ensuring that the messages are clear, concise, and relevant to the staff's needs.
Ensuring Organizational Alignment
Surveys can help ensure that an organization's strategy is aligned with the staff's goals and objectives. By asking for feedback on the organization's mission, vision, and values, organizations can ensure that their staff understands and supports the organization's overall goals. This can also help create a sense of shared ownership and purpose among the staff, which can lead to increased motivation and commitment to the organization's success.
Conclusion
Surveying staff is an essential tool that provides valuable insights to support organizational strategy. By gathering feedback on staff needs and priorities, improving employee engagement, identifying opportunities for innovation, strengthening communication, and ensuring organizational alignment, organizations can develop strategies that are more effective, efficient, and tailored to their staff's needs. Ultimately, this can help an organization achieve its objectives and improve its overall performance.