In the previous column, I proposed abandoning the delusion of "industry norms" for 360-degree feedback. I suggested that we use the results of our own 360s to provide locally valid normative data.

This week, I suggest we ditch another great illusion: the notion of "industry validated" questionnaires.

No question, you do need your questionnaires to be valid. They must ask the right questions in the clearest form, to provide meaningful 360 results.

The validity illusion

But there's no such thing as a questionnaire that's valid throughout an industry.

Ask one worker whether her boss manages their team effectively and she'll respond in a heartbeat: "Totally. We all feel empowered."

Another worker, in another setting, will ponder and reply, "What team? We're not playing sports here."

For the second employee, the question was not valid. She might need a question that addresses the boss's fairness, or trustworthiness, or clarity, or vision, to elicit a meaningful reply.

Validate locally

The key to validity is to design questions that make sense to your particular employees, based on your organization's needs, in the current economic climate, in your specific cultural and regulatory environment.

Such questions will be valid (meaning that they will attract a meaningful response) no matter whether you're a small-town plant, a multi-national giant, or a government department.

Want some help?

Not everyone is a natural writer. If you use the Panoramic Feedback 360-degree feedback system, most of the work is already done for you.

You can download hundreds of unambiguous questions designed by professionals. Simply select those that address your organization's needs.

How will you know if they're valid?

Forget about so-called industry norms. Your most crucial task is to validate the questions locally.

First step, examine them yourself. Do they reflect the goals of your organization? Do they fit your environment?

Second, ask a sample of your people to read them, and tell you what they see. Do they find the questions clear, meaningful, and relevant to their workplace?

Third, revise as needed, and get feedback on your revisions.

That's how you develop a meaningfully validated questionnaire. That's how you invite feedback that will help your people grow and your organization prosper.

COMMENT

"This article is spot on. We fight against the validity illusion every day. Glad someone in our industry finally set the record straight."

Joe Vance

EchoSpan, Inc.