Get More Insights With TINYpulse Questions Backed By A Leading Organizational Psych Ph.D.

A top request by TINYpulse users in recent history has been "better questions."

But what actually makes questions "better"?

At the end of the day, you want to make sure you’re measuring the factors that actually matter and make a difference.

Dr. Brooks Holtom, Professor of Management & Senior Associate Dean at Georgetown University, is a world-renowned research expert on how organizations acquire, develop, and retain people.

In close collaboration with Dr. Holtom, we are refreshing our question bank with content that that is research-backed and research-proven to do exactly that.

Facts about the new questions

1. What is the purpose of the new questions and categories?

In today's environment, leaders who want to maximize human performance need to know if their employees are engaged.

With more people working remotely than ever before, it is critical to regularly assess the factors that most influence productivity and retention.

The purpose of the new questions is to help leaders quickly identify problem areas so they can develop effective, targeted responses.

2. How were the new categories determined?

The new categories were developed through a very careful review of world-class academic research.

Drawing on insights from meta-analyses and award-winning empirical studies, the strongest predictors of performance and retention were identified.

Then, hundreds of questions validated in prior research were reviewed and the very best were selected.

3. What is the format of these new questions?

The majority of these questions are 1-5 scale.

4. Why are questions now 1-5 versus 1-10? Will we lose data diversity by lessening the number of options?

Per Dr. Holtom:

“Research shows that the more points on a scale the longer it takes for a respondent to answer a question. Moreover, the enhanced precision of longer scales (e.g., 10 point scale) is only realized with highly educated audiences. There are also cultural preferences for shorter or longer scales. We believe that the best results across all of these considerations are likely to be achieved using 5 point scales and so we have recently transitioned.

If you are only asking one question and the respondents have a well-defined intuition for the difference between a 6 and a 7, then you should use an 11 point scale. However, if you are asking many questions and have diverse audiences, then the advantages of an 11 point scale are lost."

Now that TINYpulse provides you topical survey templates via "Flexible Surveys," it's appropriate to have a point scale that best supports these multiple question surveys.

The new question categories

Attract talent

The most important aspects employees consider when assessing employers.

Attrition

The key factors that influence the decision to leave.

Collaborative culture

The essential elements of an organizational culture that enables employees to thrive.

Communication

The fundamentals of effective communication that impact an individual's ability to prioritize and execute.

Effective management

The way managers shape an individual's work environment that affects the day-to-day experience.

Empowered work environment

The components of a culture that signals employees are prepared and trusted to make good decisions.

Fast start

The key elements of onboarding that enable employees to become effective in their new roles.

Growth and development

The critical dimensions employees consider when determining if they are making career progress.

Happiness 

THE summary variable to assess employee engagement: "How happy are you at work?"

Inspirational leadership

The degree to which leaders motivate employees to achieve the strategic objectives of the organization.

Job embeddedness

The factors that systematically connect people in organizations and communities and thereby reduce the probability of turnover.

Performance

A summary assessment of employee performance.

Organization

A collection of questions that assess a variety of organizational questions.

Diversity and inclusion

A measure of the degree in which an organization has policies in place to encourage diversity and inclusion as well as behaviors and social norms that ensure people feel welcome.

Health and wellness

An assessment of seven aspects of health and wellness as well as an overall summary of progress towards a healthy and fulfilling life.

Visit the Content Library in your TINYpulse account to browse the questions on September 28th.