2003 IMTA Proceedings - International Military Testing Association

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Congressional committees that the Navy is actively monitoring its EO climate and SH rates, and
also to demonstrate through these survey results that progress has been made.
ARE NEOSH RESULTS UNDERUTILIZED?
Although the NEOSH results have had both internal and external uses, it is probably
accurate to say that they have been underutilized. Indeed, in a study that contacted individuals
who had not responded to the 1999 NEOSH Survey, Newell et al. (2003), found that one of the
major reasons that individuals cited for not responding to surveys like the NEOSH was that they
felt that no changes would result or that their results didn’t matter. As noted in Alma Steinberg’s
and Susan Nourizadeh’s paper in this symposium, part of this dissatisfaction may be the result of
a divergence in expectations between survey respondents and survey sponsors and policymakers
about how survey data are to be utilized. Survey respondents tend to personalize the uses of
survey data and often see utilization in terms of tangible changes that may impact them. While
this may occur in small organizations following climate assessments, this sort of dramatic
survey-driven change is rare in large institutions such as the military. One notable exception is
the Marine Corps. In 1993, the Marine Corps conducted a service-wide Quality of Life Domain
Survey that indicated dissatisfaction with housing. Based on these results, the Marine Corps was
able to get additional funding for housing. A follow-up survey in 1998 indicated a significant
positive trend in perceptions of housing satisfaction, providing some evidence that the increase in
funding for housing was successful.
More commonly, military organizations use large-scale surveys such as the NEOSH as a
benchmark for how they are doing and to determine whether they have improved compared to
the past. It is rarer to make large-scale changes such as those that followed the Marine Corps
Quality of Life Survey and then use a future survey administration to evaluate the efficacy of the
change. Since respondents expect change but leaders utilize surveys for purposes other than
organizational change, we recommend that steps to reduce this divergence be taken.
Specifically, we recommend better feedback to survey respondents about survey results and uses,
and some limited but targeted actions based on survey results.
BETTER UTILIZATION OF NEOSH SURVEY RESULTS
Feedback to Respondents
Although the NEOSH Survey results have been used, one obvious limitation is that
individuals within the sample have not been given feedback on what the results were or how they
have been used. The Navy has recognized this limitation and is currently requiring that all
approved personnel surveys include a plan through which survey respondents would be provided
feedback about the results. This typically occurs through follow-up letters to all who were in the
45 th Annual Conference of the International Military Testing Association
Pensacola, Florida, 3-6 November 2003