Teamwork and high performance work organisation
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Annex 1: Sample survey questions
Examples of good ways of asking about teamwork
Czech Republic
Question: My work is rather teamwork based, mainly organised by the members of the team themselves
Response options: 1. applies entirely; 2. generally applies; 3. partially applies; 4. does not apply at all; 5. don’t know. I cannot judge
Source: Quality of Working Life 1994, 2000 - Research Institute for Labour and Social Affairs (see Annex 2 for an outline of all surveys cited in this report)
Netherlands
Question: Do you work in a team with a minimum of four and maximum of 20 persons who work on a product or service together?
Response options: 1. yes; 2. no; 3. don’t know
Source: TNO survey of labour relations 2005
Denmark
Question: Do you work in an autonomous team? (i.e. a team that organises everyday work by itself)
Response options: yes/no
Source: SARA Baseline
Finland
Question: Do you work in a permanent work group or team that has common tasks and the possibility to plan its work?
Response options: yes/no
Source: Quality of Work Life Survey 2003
Examples of good ways of asking about team typology
Czech Republic
Question: If you have the opportunity of working in a team in your company, what form does it usually take?
Response options:
1. Flexible teams using member rotation, set up for individual projects or problems
2. Entirely independent, separately functioning teams (which decide on work distribution and rewards)
3. The group is responsible for its results, but at the same time is reviewed from outside
4. The group does not have special responsibility for its results and is managed as a whole entity
5. Regular cooperation in the group with emphasis on task allocation for individuals
6. I mostly do not work in a group or team
Source: Changes in employment relations survey 1998
Netherlands
I. Question: To what degree can you take decisions on the following aspects of organisation and the content of your job?
Response options:
1. Mainly others, like my supervisor or management, take decisions on this aspect
2. I can take decisions myself on this aspect
3. Decision authority is delegated to the team I work in, so my colleagues and I can jointly take decisions on this aspect
Choose the appropriate response option from above for each of the following aspects:
a. work planning: 1 2 3
b. product or service quality: 1 2 3
c. improving work processes: 1 2 3
d. dealing with internal or external clients/customers: 1 2 3
e. working schedule and/or working times: 1 2 3
f. working conditions: 1 2 3
Source: Steijn, B., Working in the information society, Assen, Van Gorcum (in Dutch), 2001, pp. 69-74.
II. Questions (virtual team):
1. Does your establishment have permanent work groups or temporary project groups with shared tasks?
2. Do these groups collaborate from different locations/buildings?
3. What type of communication tools do these groups use?
Response options:
1. yes/no
2. yes/no
3. elephone, mobile, conference calls, video conferencing, email, chat, FTP, document sharing
Source: Kraan, K., van Dalen, E.J. and van de Bovenkamp, M., Virtualisering van Organisaties 2004; Resultaten uit een survey onder 500 organisaties uit vijf bedrijfstakken, TNO Arbeid, Hoofddorp, 2004.
Italy
I. Question: Which of the following organisational practices do you use?
Response options: (more than one answer possible)
1. Quality circles
2. Production by means of teamworking
3. Just-in-time production or supply
4. Total quality management
5. None of these
Source: Reggio Emilia 2004 and 2006 (Pini et al, 2004 ; Pini and Delsoldato, 2006 (in Italian, 953Kb PDF) )
II. Question: Which of the following organisational practices are used in your work activities?
Response options: (more than one answer possible)
1. Job rotation
2. Job enlargement
3. Competence enlargement
4. Wider autonomy
5. Wider autonomy of groups and/or individual employees in problem solving
6. Structured forms of discussion on employee suggestions and/or proposals on work organisation and process/product quality
7. Continual training related to organisational needs
8. Reduction of hierarchical levels within the same company function
9. Target setting for teamworking and/or individual employees
10. None of these
Source: Reggio Emilia 2004 and 2006 (Pini et al, 2004; Pini and Delsoldato, 2006 (in Italian, 953Kb PDF) )
III. Question: Which of the following statements reflect the way the team operates?
Response options: yes/no
a. The team members can nominate their head
b. The team members decide together how to do the work
c. Teams are responsible for specific services/products
Source: Bergamo, 2002 (Leoni et al, 2001 (170Kb PDF) )
Spain
Question: Does the company you work in use any of the following management tools?
Response options: yes/no
1. Total quality management
2. Quality circles or conflict-solving groups
3. Multi-tasking of workers
4. Autonomous work team
5. ‘Just-in-time’ production or supply
6. Outsourcing of the company’s activities
Source: National Survey of Working Conditions
Examples of good ways of asking about teamwork autonomy
Bulgaria
Question: Are you able, or not, to choose or change each of the following work aspects?
Response options: yes/no
1. Order of tasks
2. Methods of work
3. Pace of work
4. Volume of work
5. Work to include new tasks
Source: National working conditions survey
Denmark
Question: Which tasks does this group undertake?
Response options: yes/no
• No group
• It hires employees
• It fires employees
• It conducts quality control
• It distributes tasks among the group members
• It takes a position on the skills and competence development of its members
• It takes decisions on minor investments
Source: SARA Baseline
Netherlands
I. Question: (Supervisor level) To what extent do the following statements apply to your team:
Response options: 1. certainly not, 2. hardly, 3. a little, 4. certainly, 5. most certainly, 6. don’t know/not applicable
• As a team, we can decide how we do our tasks.
• As a team, we can decide what will be our end products or services.
• As a team, we can decide which tasks we do when.
• As a team, we can distribute the work ourselves (‘who does what’).
Source: TNO survey of labour relations 2005
II. Question: (Company level) To what extent are the production workers responsible for these?
Response options: 1. not at all responsible for; 2. partly responsible for; 3. mainly responsible for
• pricing policy
• investments in technology policy
• innovation of products or services
• own work planning and distribution of work
• own work team
Source: TNO/SZW survey of Labour in the Information Society 1998
Finland
Question: Are you able to influence a lot, quite a lot, a little, or not at all, any of the following?
Response options: A lot/Quite a lot/A little/Not at all/Not applicable
a. The content of your tasks
b. The order in which you do your tasks
c. The pace of your work
d. Your working methods
e. The division of tasks between employees
f. Choice of your working partners
g. Schedules of projects, goods deliveries and services
h. Your working hours
Source: Quality of Work Life Survey 2003
France
Question: In general, when your immediate superiors tell you what to do
Response options:
1. do they also tell you how to go about doing it?
2. do they tend to give you an objective and then leave it up to you to choose how to achieve that objective?
Source: Organisational changes and computerisation survey, 1997
Italy
Question: Do your supervisors involve you in decisions concerning:
Response options: yes/sometimes/no
• strategy definition/targets to be reached
• choice of work methods and techniques
• work scheduling
Source: Quality of Work Survey 2002
Examples of good ways of asking about satisfaction with teamwork
Netherlands
Question: Can you indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements?
Response options: agree, disagree
• I feel very uncomfortable when something goes wrong in work, even when it is not my fault
• I have this organisation very much at heart
• My job means a lot to me
• I feel very much at home in this organisation
• Compared with most other organisations, working in this organisation is very attractive
Source: TNO/SZW survey of Labour in the Information Society 1998
Finland
Question: How well do the following statements describe your group work?
Response options: Totally true/True to some extent/Only slightly true/Totally untrue/Don’t know
h. I am generally satisfied with a team-based way of working
i. I am satisfied with the way I can take part in the decision making of the group
Source: Quality of Work Life Survey 2003
Examples of good ways of asking about connection between teamwork and work intensity
Netherlands
I. Question: Do you work under time pressure?
Response options: 1. never; 2. sometimes; 3. often; 4. always; 5. don’t know
Source: TNO survey of labour relations 2005
II. Questions:
• Do you have to work very fast?
• Do you have to do a lot of work?
• Do you have to work extra hard?
• Do you in general have enough time to finish all your work?
• Is your work schedule hectic?
Response options: yes, no
Source: TNO/SZW survey of Labour in the Information Society 1998
Finland
Question: How well do the following statements describe your group work?
Response options: Totally true/True to some extent/Only slightly true/Totally untrue/Don’t know
e. Work pressure is evenly distributed in the group
Source: Quality of Work Life Survey 2003
Examples of good ways of asking about connection between teamwork and learning environment
Netherlands
I. Questions:
• Does your job demand skills/craftsmanship?
• Is your job varied?
• Does your job require that you learn new things?
• Does your job require creativity?
• Do you have the opportunity to develop your skills/craftsmanship?
Response options: yes/no
Source: TNO/SZW survey of Labour in the Information Society 1998
II. Question: In the past 12 months did you, through your employer, pursue training/education to increase your expertise or skills?
Response options: yes/no
Source: TNO/SZW survey of Labour in the Information Society 1998
Finland
Question: In your current workplace, do you have good, fair or poor opportunities for receiving training to improve your professional skills?
Response options: Good/Fair/Poor/Don’t know
Source: Quality of Work Life Survey 2003
United Kingdom
I. Question: What proportion of experienced [workers in the largest occupational group] have been given time off from their normal daily work duties to undertake training over the past 12 months?
Response options:
All (100%)
Almost all (80%-99%)
Most (60%-79%)
Around half (40%-59%)
Some (20%-39%)
Just a few (1%-19%)
None (0%)
Source: Workplace Employee Relations Surveys 1998 and 2004
II. Question: Did any experienced [workers in the largest occupational group] have time off from their normal daily work duties to undertake training over the past 12 months?
Response options: yes/no
Source: Workplace Employee Relations Surveys 1998 and 2004
Examples of good ways of asking about connection between teamwork and work productivity
Netherlands
I. Question: (Supervisor level) Compare your team to teams who do comparable activities, inside or outside your own organisation. How do you evaluate the performance of your team? Give report marks.
Response options: Very bad 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very good; not applicable; don’t know. (In the Netherlands, the standard norm is that report marks run from 1 to 10, with 1 = very bad, 5 = just insufficient, 6 = just sufficient and 10 = excellent.)
• the extent to which costs are kept low
• the extent to which team goals are realised
• the extent to which my team is financially healthy (high profits and low costs)
• the extent to which we succeed in carrying out our work within budget
• the extent to which services or products are produced without faults
Source: TNO survey of labour relations 2005
II. Question: (Supervisor level) How do you evaluate the performance of your team? Give report marks.
Response options: Very bad 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very good; not applicable; don’t know. (In the Netherlands, the standard norm is that report marks run from 1 to 10, with 1 = very bad, 5 = just insufficient, 6 = just sufficient and 10 = excellent.)
• the extent to which my workers can be mobilised broadly in different tasks
• the quality of delivered products and/or services
• the extent to which agreements with (internal) customers are kept in a timely manner
• the extent to which new products/services are being developed
• the extent to which (internal) customers are satisfied
Source: TNO survey of labour relations 2005
Finland
Question: How well do the following statements describe your group work?
Response options: Totally true/True to some extent/Only slightly true/Totally untrue/Don’t know
f. The productivity of work improves in group work
Source: Quality of Work Life Survey 2003
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