Sleezer et al. (2020) - Needs assessment for employee empowerment in a large multinational

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Needs Assessment for Employee Empowerment in a Large Multinational: A Case Study In: Case Studies in Needs Assessment By: C. M. Sleezer, D. F. Russ-Eft & K. Gupta Edited by: Darlene F. Russ-Eft & Catherine M. Sleezer Pub. Date: 2020 Access Date: April 18, 2022 Publishing Company: SAGE Publications, Inc. City: Thousand Oaks Print ISBN: 9781544342337 Online ISBN: 9781544342351 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781544342351 Print pages: 183-188 © 2020 SAGE Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This PDF has been generated from SAGE Research Methods. Please note that the pagination of the online version will vary from the pagination of the print book.

Needs Assessment for Employee Empowerment in a Large Multinational: A Case Study Abstract An existing client asked us to conduct an employee empowerment workshop based solely on observations of senior management. To determine the need for such a workshop and, if needed, its content, we conducted a literature review, a review of existing survey results, interviews, and focus groups. The survey was reviewed, edited, and distributed. We recommended executive coaching; the client opted for an extended workshop, along with peer coaching. The client did not allow follow-up of the year-long workshop to determine impact. Below is an overview of the case. Where the Needs Assessment Was Conducted Who Conducted the Needs Assessment Focus of Needs Assessment How Data Were Collected How Data Were Analyzed Large multinational R&D External consultant Determining the needs and content for a workshop on employee empowerment A literature review, a review of existing survey results, interviews, and focus groups Reliability using Cronbach alphas; checked for multicollinearity; ran experimental factor analysis on half of data to determine if there were subfactors; ran confirmatory factor analysis on the second half; t- tests; chi-square analysis Background One of our ongoing clients, a large multinational headquartered in the United States (more information is not provided to protect the required anonymity of the client), asked us to conduct a workshop for managers on employee empowerment in one of its large divisions responsible for research and development (R&D). The R&D function had not been successful going back 10 years, and senior management had decided that the problem related to micromanaging and a lack of empowerment for employees by their managers. Preassessment Information The company had not anticipated doing a needs assessment, as the division had conducted extensive focus groups to define empowerment prior to contacting us. Top management assumed that we would simply take SAGE 2020 SAGE Publications, Ltd. All Rights Reserved. SAGE Research Methods Page 2 of 7 Needs Assessment for Employee Empowerment in a Large Multinational: A Case Study

their word for the solution and begin work on developing the workshop. We pushed back and indicated that, even if a workshop were the appropriate intervention, we really needed to understand what was happening, whether a lack of employee empowerment was really the issue, and what aspects of empowerment needed to be emphasized in the workshop, assuming that a workshop was appropriate. Many years before, the division had done an employee survey that included some questions on empowerment. Further, the entire company did an annual employee survey that included a couple of survey items related to empowerment. So, we began by reviewing the related items and identifying where within the division apparent issues existed related to employee empowerment. From the few questions available, it did appear that there was a perceived issue related to empowerment based on responses to these questions. We also reviewed the outcome of the focus groups that they had conducted on defining empowerment. But we decided, in concert with senior management, that there was insufficient information to determine an appropriate intervention or to direct the development of a workshop. After asking several questions of top management, they agreed that they had insufficient information based on the information available. They bought on to the need for additional work to determine where in the division the problems existed and what types of problems might be addressed through an intervention, whether or not that intervention was a workshop, coaching, or some other organization development intervention. They agreed to allow us to do an extensive needs assessment. Strategic Needs Assessment Process The strategic needs assessment (Sleezer, Russ-Eft, & Gupta, 2014) began with an extensive literature review to identify factors found in research to be related to employee empowerment, productivity, and innovation. For each factor identified, I wrote a draft item for a potential survey. A review of the existing information from the surveys and focus groups was also used to insert and modify items into the potential survey. This was followed with a number of interviews with both managers and employees. The question posed for both groups was, “What experiences have you had related to employee empowerment?” Probing questions were asked, but the interviews were completely open ended. These responses led to additional questions being drafted for the potential survey. Next, focus groups were held in four different regions using both on-site groups and the company’s Telepresence system. The potential draft was updated further based on the focus-group responses. The draft survey was then reviewed extensively for clarity, reducing redundancy, ensuring that no item contained more than one concept, keeping the wording simple, and other factors involved in good questionnaire construction. Once this process was completed, we then asked the senior management team to review the survey, providing feedback with further clarifications and adding items that they thought needed to be added. The survey was again updated, and then both face-to-face and Telepresence focus groups were asked to review the survey, item by item, with instructions to provide feedback on all of the issues related to high-quality surveys as mentioned above. Following the focus groups, the survey was again reviewed and SAGE 2020 SAGE Publications, Ltd. All Rights Reserved. SAGE Research Methods Page 3 of 7 Needs Assessment for Employee Empowerment in a Large Multinational: A Case Study

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finalized. Senior management reviewed the survey one more time and approved the finalized survey. The final survey consisted of 50 items: 20 related to general empowerment, 20 related to employee experiences with their manager, and 10 items related to empowerment by top leadership. Each item required two responses: one indicating the importance of the item and one requiring their experiences related to that item. The survey was administered using SurveyMonkey, distributed to all employees worldwide in the division. To ensure anonymity, we were given the emails for all employees, and we sent out the survey. In that way, the company would not be able to trace the IP address of respondents, adding a measure of confidence that we meant what we said about anonymity. The response rate exceeded 90%. Results of the Needs Assessment The results of the survey were then treated with appropriate psychometric analyses. Reliability was determined using Cronbach alphas (it was very high, exceeding .9). We checked for multicollinearity to ensure that there was no redundancy in the items (there was none). We ran an experimental factor analysis (EFA) to determine if there were subfactors to the survey (there were). We had a sufficient number of respondents that we were able to divide our responses randomly and run the EFA on one half and then conduct a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the second half. The factor analyses provided good results. The psychometrics allowed us to have high confidence in the results of the survey. We then met with subgroups of employees and managers to feed back the results. As an R&D division, many of the employees had PhDs. Unlike a normal client, this client wanted more and more statistics. In fact, it was a challenge to keep them focused on the results and not be fascinated by the statistics and wanting more and more analyses and statistical tests. At their request, additional statistics were run, and we held a final feedback session with all of the requested statistics. We had, initially, provided a rank-order list showing the difference between importance and experience. We were asked to do t-tests (which we had done for our own interest) to determine the point at which such differences were statistically different. They also asked us to do chi-square analysis to determine the impact of the demographic factors; again, we had done this for our own interest. Because of our own curiosity, we were able to provide the results of these statistical tests quickly. In my experience, this was very unusual; most clients do not want to be bombarded with statistics. The statistics were very useful in providing the desired information. They also asked for regression analysis, but on pushing them to identify the predictor and criterion variables, they gave up on this request, as did we. The next step was to determine the intervention that would be most appropriate. In sharing the results with senior management, and based on the nature of the results, we tried to encourage them to adopt an executive coaching approach. However, senior management preferred staying with an extended workshop system that would be combined with coaching for managers who had been identified as having the greatest difficulty with employee empowerment. One of our subcontractors was selected to develop and implement the workshop over a period of a year. The results of the survey were used to determine the priority foci of the development of the workshop. Unfortunately, in spite of our counsel to administer the survey at the end of the 1-year series SAGE 2020 SAGE Publications, Ltd. All Rights Reserved. SAGE Research Methods Page 4 of 7 Needs Assessment for Employee Empowerment in a Large Multinational: A Case Study

of workshops and coaching to determine whether there had been a change in employee empowerment within the division, senior management decided against this and relied on satisfaction feedback, not a very robust measure of a successful outcome. This measure, though, was very positive, confirming to the client our value as consultants—even though we tried to convince them not to rely on happy sheets. Influences There are no data to support my conclusions about the factors that influenced the processes and the outcomes of this needs assessment. The first factor I would point to is the culture of the organization. It is a top-down, hierarchical organization. So, even while the senior team was asking us to investigate employee empowerment in the department, they were, themselves, exercising top-down authority. They knew what was best. They didn’t care about what the research said. They didn’t care, particularly, what the consultant (me) had to share. They knew what they wanted. In my experience, this is a common phenomenon. So, the culture of the organization, among managers, is the first factor. A second factor was the nature of the product produced by this organization, resulting in the employment of many PhD scientists. This did not seem to be a factor in the results of the survey, but it definitely influenced the analysis that they wanted. This was not a negative, by any means, but it was so unusual in my experience that it caught me off guard. We were readily able to respond to the request for more and more statistics, but such were not included in the initial report. It did make for a robust conversation about the data having greater sophistication in the analyses. A third factor was the technology available to this company. Using the Telepresence to conduct focus groups was an amazing experience that allowed focus groups to be inclusive of all locations where the company did business. Given the available budget, there is no way that the needs assessment could have been conducted with input from around the world in this rich way without such technology. Another piece of technology that was very useful in the needs assessment process was the availability and flexibility of SurveyMonkey. A fourth factor was the ongoing practice of using organization development processes. These processes created a comfort with the proposal to do a needs assessment. These processes included experience with focus groups and surveys. They provided us with existing data in the form of reports from those focus groups and surveys. Our needs assessment would have taken much longer and been less comprehensive had it not been for these preexisting data. A final factor to highlight is the specific set of individuals involved in both the management of the department and the willingness of employees to share so openly. In spite of initial resistance to doing a needs assessment, it went forward with positive support. And the diversity of responses from focus group and survey participants allowed for strong insights into what was needed in support of employee engagement. SAGE 2020 SAGE Publications, Ltd. All Rights Reserved. SAGE Research Methods Page 5 of 7 Needs Assessment for Employee Empowerment in a Large Multinational: A Case Study

Issues and Challenges It is interesting that some of the issues and challenges are related to the factors that influenced the needs assessment process. The first issue that confronted us was convincing the department management that a needs assessment was necessary. They were content to proceed directly into a workshop without doing a needs assessment, though what would be included in such a workshop was a mystery to us (and to them). We knew it was not as simple as telling the department’s managers, “Empower your employees.” But, until we could determine exactly where the problems were and what it was the employees desired, it was impossible to create a customized workshop. We would have had to plan it based solely on the literature, which, as it turned out, would have been very inadequate for the department. Fortunately, management was open-minded enough to hear our concerns and agree to the implementation of a needs assessment. A second issue was employees’ lack of trust in management because of their long experiences of management being top down in its decision-making processes. This issue was reflected in focus groups as they tried to determine what process would be used for the survey. Once they heard that all emails and subsequent communication would come from our company IP address, they were much more comfortable in participating. A third issue was related to the push for more and more statistical analyses to be shared with the steering team. It proved difficult to keep them on task with the information that was being shared, rather than becoming enamored by the results of the increasingly sophisticated statistics being requested. Further, the steering team consisted of clerical employees who had no idea how to use the statistical analyses that were being presented. As a result, we needed to provide double feedback—first, in a simplified format, and second, with the more sophisticated statistics. Language was another challenge. While the company conducted its business in English, they had employees in parts of the world in which English was not a first language. Because the company’s language policy was that all business was to be conducted in English, the survey and the focus group process were conducted in English. We did try hard to keep the language of the survey relatively simple for those for whom English was not their first language. There was no pushback from any potential participants regarding the language. Another challenge was trying to convince management to use both executive coaching and the workshop to implement the findings of the needs assessment. With this issue, we failed. We were not able to convince management to do this. However, at the end of the year-long workshop, there was a greater willingness on the part of managers to use executive coaching, and, at a modest level, it was then implemented. A final challenge, not technically part of the needs assessment but, in our view, critical to the entire process, was our inability to convince management to repeat the survey to determine if the long series of meetings associated with the workshop had made a difference in managers’ behaviors. The use of a happy sheet was so insignificant in determining if the workshop really accomplished its goal. SAGE 2020 SAGE Publications, Ltd. All Rights Reserved. SAGE Research Methods Page 6 of 7 Needs Assessment for Employee Empowerment in a Large Multinational: A Case Study

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Discussion Questions 1. How would you convince management that a needs assessment was necessary before implementing the workshop? What arguments would you make? 2. What questions would you have posed in the individual interviews and focus groups? 3. How would you have responded to the request for increasingly more sophisticated statistical analyses? Why? 4. How would you have tried to influence management to repeat the assessment tool at the end of the year-long workshop? Why would this be important? 5. What is your overall assessment of the processes used in this strategic needs assessment? Reference Sleezer , C. M. , Russ-Eft , D. F. , & Gupta , K. ( 2014 ). A practical guide to needs assessment ( 3rd ed .). San Francisco, CA : Wiley & ASTD . http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781544342351.n22 SAGE 2020 SAGE Publications, Ltd. All Rights Reserved. SAGE Research Methods Page 7 of 7 Needs Assessment for Employee Empowerment in a Large Multinational: A Case Study

Sleezer et al. (2020) - Needs assessment for employee empowerment in a large multinational

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