Survey Approach

A survey can be broadly defined as a detailed investigation of a topic. Although interviews and focus groups are often included under this broad umbrella, the term survey has become synonymous with a questionnaire approach to research. Surveys are arguably the most common approach to data collection in organizations, primarily because of their broad applicability. They can be used to gather information both inside and outside the organization. Surveys can be used to assess employee attitudes, gauge readiness for organizational change efforts, gather performance feedback, or measure customer satisfaction. To gather accurate information for any of these purposes, certain steps need to be followed; however, users often underestimate the time necessary to do a survey properly. The critical steps of planning, designing, communicating, administering, analyzing, ...