Executives get honest feedback on their management style with Zoomerang

At The Opportunity Group, the consultants rely on Zoomerang to deliver easy-to-use follow-up testing, as well as management assessment surveys that allow for honesty through anonymity.

Bob Freese founded The Opportunity Group in 1997. A professional training and organizational development firm based in Webster, NY, the company offers management training in programs ranging from Leadership Development and Team Building to Effective Communications Skills.

Surveys successful across any sized firm
Freese's clients range from small- and large-sized corporations to public sector agencies such as the Department of Social Services. He's used Zoomerang for about three or four years and with his broad client base and breadth of offerings, he regularly finds innovative uses of Zoomerang. "I use it all the time," he says.

For the Department of Social Services, Freese runs employee satisfaction surveys using Zoomerang. "We measure corporate culture using eleven culture metrics to analyze program effectiveness," he says.

"We also use Zoomerang for a testing mechanism," he says. "Sales people are trained how to sell a product. After the class is complete, they use Zoomerang to answer questions about the product online," Freese says. Using Zoomerang allows him to set up and score the test easily. "The great thing about Zoomerang is that it's easy to use. The back-end features are great, and there are always new features being added," he says.

Direct feedback helps shape management style
Besides the traditional follow-up surveys, Freese also uses Zoomerang for his 360 surveys. "These are surveys created for managers, to learn what their staff and peers think of them," he says. "It's basically a person handing out a questionnaire about themselves. How they behave affects the people completing the survey," he says. "It can be very humbling."

Freese begins by interviewing the manager, then developing a Zoomerang survey. "We send out surveys to 15 people, to ensure we get 10 responses," he says. He requires 10 completed surveys to have enough data to make analysis of the results worthwhile.

The individual assessment helps the person understand how their management style and patterns of communication affect those around them. Each survey is customized for each organization, "We survey to understand core beliefs of the company, for example, culture, and emotional intelligence questions," Freese says.

"The surveys are extensive," he says, consisting of 10 questions with 11 sub-categories. "Most of the questions are close-ended, with an opportunity to add a narrative in each section if you want. People respond better to multiple-choice questions," he says, but he doesnt want to lose an opportunity to get additional feedback, so includes a section for an additional written response, if the respondent wishes. As the surveys maintain the anonymity of the respondent, "they find it freeing to say what they want," he says.

Freese leaves the surveys open for three days. "If they haven't responded in three days, they're not going to," he says.

Surveys can result in pleasant surprises
People can be quite terrified of the survey results," Freese says. Some of the comments are positive and others offer constructive criticism. "But a lot of people learn that they're better than they thought they were."