We have spoken. So, what now?
Results from the We Speak faculty and staff survey, conducted last fall, were released last week. They showed a university community engaged with the institution at nearly sector-best levels, but room for improvement at the faculty/unit level.
“This was helpful in understanding our internal strengths,” said Amit Chakma, Western president. “There are areas where we can improve, but it is also an opportunity to celebrate, which we don’t do often enough. The community spirit and school spirit we have at Western is second to none.”
For a university in the midst of crafting its Strategic Plan, it’s a wealth of information with which to work.
“As we move forward with the Strategic Plan, there are a number of factors that lead to our success,” said Gitta Kulczycki, vice-president (resources and operations). “We know environmental factors play an important role, including finances and our infrastructure, but what we know will differentiate us is the people side – our leadership, our talent, our workplace culture and the level of engagement of our faculty and staff.”
While the numbers are generally positive, doing nothing going forward is not an option.
Kulczycki continued, “Culture and engagement matter. People, who are engaged with their work and are committed to their organization, are more likely to stay and perform more effectively than those who are not. We aspire to be a globally recognized university and it’s an important question to ask – Do we have the right workplace culture and level of engagement to be successful. If not, what is blocking it?”
While the first wave of results includes only universitywide numbers, those reflecting the faculty/division level will be rolled out over the next few weeks, as each dean and associate vice-president will meet with Metrics@Work officials, who will break down their results individually.
Over the next few weeks, dean’s and associate vice-presidents are meeting one-on-one with the president of Metrics@Work, reviewing local results in detail. Deans and AVPs are also planning how and when to most effectively share results with their faculty and staff members. Most areas will be communicating results by the end of May, depending on what works best for the group. For example, some areas have retreats planned for this purpose. That is the most important aspect of the survey results – the opportunity for dialogue about areas of success and opportunities for improvement.
Units will be asked to indicate their plans for addressing survey results as part of the annual fall planning process. The university’s goal will be to maintain momentum – keeping areas of strength, raising the bar on average areas and seeking to have positive impact where improvement is most needed.
Change of this nature takes time; Western will likely re-survey in about three years to assess progress.
Everyone has a part to play in improvement, stressed John Yardley, Metrics@Work president. His organization conducted the survey last fall.
“We need to act,” he said. “If you sit back on your laurels, it will regress. What are you going to continue doing to hold these higher results up? What are the little things you might do to improve some average scores? And, if you have some issues and things aren’t particularly positive, what aid and help are you going to ask for in order to change that?”