“There are companies out there that are all great at delivering these generic management surveys that cut the data however you want it cutting and will feedback. Where you add value, Robyn, is that you follow through. Your work does not stop at you handing me a report, you will help us with introducing the skills to deliver the change.”

The fact that your management surveys can be tailored very closely to the clients requirements; that it can be taken in individual sections or as a whole; and repeated as often as is deemed appropriate makes it truly unique.

Most providers adapt the client to their products whereas you adapt your products to the client and that is one of your differentiators Robyn; that and working with clients over the longer term and holding them to account.

The data is great but I think drawing conclusions is equally as valuable. Robyn delivers an independent view that helped us to follow through and act on what we have received. Often survey providers don’t make recommendations and business leaders can be left none the wiser. The true value of surveys is in what you do with the information and Robyn’s conclusions gave us a head start.

Lots of companies do surveys and then don’t do anything with the data. When you’re busy it isn’t easy to make this kind of feedback a priority; and then the reality is, too much time can pass and acting on old information seems pointless. Robyn held us to account and ensured that what we had agreed got followed up.

Why organisations undertake management surveys

I believe companies do management surveys for a number of reasons, for us it was about…

getting information from employees about what they think in a non-threatening way

introducing them to the fact you’re listening to what they’re saying

Showing them, by acting on what they said, by doing something about it

Working with Robyn helped to pull all that together in a meaningful and proactive way.

It’s not always perceived as something that adds to the bottom line; it can be seen as an expense or a time sucker. And yet, ultimately it does deliver to the bottom line – that’s what all the research says – and you’ve got to be committed to it. You can’t just complete a survey and then do nothing with it.

The report is valuable and there were a lot of practical insights that we could just lift and share.

The fact that Robyn makes recommendations means we can agree together what we’re going to do; and then the fact that you follow-up with us is part of the value. Nobody generally holds the leaders of an organisation to account; and as a leader it can feel good to have someone checking that you have delivered on your commitments.

We’ve done a few iterations of this kind of thing and where you are unique Robyn is in the personal feedback; which then encourages the debate, which informs the decisions. You then hold us to account and make sure that we deliver on some of this; and that’s all part of the package.

Helen Broughton MBE, Managing Director, DANBRO