Case Study 3
EXIT INTERVIEWS AND ORGANIZATION CLIMATE SURVEY
Rather than escalating conflict, as some feared, the feedback opened up new channels of communication and brought difficult issues to the surface.
Periods of change in leadership are often stressful in organizations and result in people leaving the organization. Many organizations fail to use this opportunity to learn what employee’s value and think about when they decide whether to stay or leave the organization. One governing board decided too many top level managers had left the organization and they wanted to know why. The consultant had a long relationship with the organization and this foundational relationship allowed her to directly contact departed employee and interview them using a structured and open-ended interview format. In addition, the board agreed to conduct an internal climate survey (using a written questionnaire) to provide a picture of current levels of satisfaction among employees on various areas of organization life, such as leadership, capacity building and work culture.
The consultant compiled the responses of the interviews and surveys into meaningful formats and met with the Board in a confidential setting to facilitate a discussion among the group about the results. The board was quite surprised at the candid and insightful comments prepared by employees. The session opened the way to dialogue with management and one another about the concerns, hopes and beliefs expressed by the employees. Rather than escalating conflict, as some feared, the feedback opened up new channels of communication and brought difficult issues to the surface.