Change Management Survey — Top Questions You Need to Ask (Free Template Included)

Did you know that 70% of change initiatives fail due to employee resistance and lack of engagement? 

Managing change within an organization can be a complex process — especially when change negatively impacts your workforce. However, it becomes easier to navigate with the right tools and strategies. 

An employee engagement platform helps streamline the process of conducting surveys within a company, enabling you to overcome the common challenges related to change management by easily collecting and analyzing your employees’ feedback.

In this article, we outline the top questions you need to ask in a change management survey, thus providing you with a free template to get started.

Top 30 change management survey questions

Perception and understanding of change

Change can be unsettling for employees, especially if it negatively impacts their work. A good change management questionnaire will focus on gauging their perception and understanding of the change being implemented. Through their responses, you can identify areas that require clarification and address any misconceptions. 

Here are five questions to consider:

a) How well do you understand the reasons behind the upcoming changes?

b) Do you believe the changes will positively impact your work and the organization?

c) What concerns do you have regarding the upcoming changes?

d) How would you rate the communication of the change information to date?

e) Do you feel adequately informed about the progress and timeline of the changes?

Communication effectiveness during the change

Effective and thorough communication is probably the most important element during times of change within an organization. It needs to be thought through to the letter and leave no room for misconceptions or confusion.

These questions will help you evaluate the effectiveness of your communication efforts:

a) How would you rate the overall communication during this change initiative?

b) Are you receiving timely and relevant updates regarding the changes?

c) Which communication channels do you find most effective for receiving change-related information?

d) Do you feel comfortable providing feedback or asking questions about the changes?

e) Are there any improvements you would suggest for the communication process?

Support and resources

Providing adequate support and resources should not just matter when it comes to developing employee competencies. These are equally important during a transformation of any major change within your company, as they can facilitate a much smoother transition. 

Here are some questions to assess the level of support and resources available to your employees:

a) Do you feel you have the necessary resources to adapt to the changes?

b) Do you feel supported by your immediate supervisor or manager?

c) Do you believe the company invests enough in training and development to support the changes?

d) Do you require additional resources or support to navigate the changes effectively?

e) How would you rate the level of support provided by the organization during this change?

Change adoption questions

Sometimes, it may seem that change adoption is a one-way street. Simply put, employees get informed of the change, and they are expected to cooperate. However, understanding how well employees adopt the changes can help you identify areas where additional support or appraisal may be needed. 

Consider these questions:

a) To what extent have you incorporated the changes into your day-to-day work routines?

b) Have you encountered any obstacles while trying to adopt the changes?

c) Are you confident in your ability to perform effectively under the new processes or systems?

d) Have you observed any positive outcomes resulting from the changes?

e) How would you rate your overall experience with the changes thus far?

Change readiness questions

Prior to implementing any change, assessing employees’ readiness for it allows you to gauge their preparedness and identify potential barriers. 

Some of these questions can help, and managers can also use them during regular performance reviews: 

a) How open are you to embracing change within the organization?

b) Are you confident in your ability to adapt to new circumstances?

c) Do you believe the organization adequately prepares employees for upcoming changes?

d) Are there any personal concerns or challenges that may affect your ability to embrace change?

e) What support or resources would you find helpful in preparing for future changes?

Best practices for conducting a change management survey

Conducting a change management survey requires careful planning and execution. Here are some best practices to consider:

• Define clear objectives. Clearly define the objectives of your survey from the outset. What specific insights are you seeking to gather from the change management process? Are you focusing on employee perceptions, communication effectiveness, or readiness for change? Clear objectives will guide the development of relevant questions and help you align the survey with your change management strategy. As renowned management consultant Peter Drucker said, “What gets measured gets improved.”

• Tailor questions. Customize the change management pulse surveys to fit your organization’s specific change initiative. Generic questions may result in unhelpful or misleading feedback. When you tailor the questions to your company’s context, you can ensure that the survey addresses the most critical aspects of the change. Later, you can incorporate some of these questions into employee performance reviews as well.

• Distribute the survey. Choose the most appropriate method to distribute your survey in order to ensure maximum participation. Tools like Plai have built-in distribution tools that include Slack and email, but you should also consider your organization’s intranet and internal comms system. Communicating the purpose of the survey is extremely important; emphasize the confidentiality of responses, and encourage honest feedback. After all, as author and HR thought leader Marcus Buckingham said, “When people are free to speak, they tell you what they really think.”

• Analyze survey results. Once you collect the responses, the next major step is to analyze the data to actually gain meaningful insights from them. Look for patterns, trends, and areas of concern within the survey results, and then, identify strengths and weaknesses to inform your change management strategy. Plai, for example, comes with an AI capability that looks at the response data and helps you pinpoint patterns and trends, as well as summarize key information in seconds. 

• Address areas of concern. Take action based on the survey results. Share the findings with relevant individuals and communicate the actions being taken to address areas of concern. This demonstrates that you are committed to responding to your employees’ feedback, which helps build trust and engagement. As Simon Sinek, leadership expert, said, “When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.”

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How to upgrade your change management survey with Plai

To streamline the process of conducting change management surveys, consider using Plai, the leading performance management software for SMBs. A platform like Plai offers several advantages to boost your survey efforts in the following ways:

• Efficient survey administration
• Data collection and analysis
• Real-time feedback and action planning

Plai offers a range of competitive advantages that make it the ideal choice for HR surveys and ongoing employee satisfaction feedback. The team behind our platform understands the unique needs of HR professionals and provides the necessary functionality to enhance the survey process.

With Plai, you can schedule recurring surveys and effortlessly track key indicators over time. This includes tracking metrics like Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) and Employee Satisfaction (ESAT) scores, which are used to monitor trends and progress. When you regularly conduct surveys and analyze their results, you can gain a more detailed and precise insight into employee sentiment and identify areas that require attention.

Unlike other competitor platforms, Plai offers the capability to add newcomers to recurring surveys automatically. This feature ensures that new employees are seamlessly included in the feedback process from the beginning, which helps capture their perspectives and experiences as part of the ongoing survey initiatives.

Action planning is another area where Plai can make a huge difference. The platform enables you to integrate survey results into action plans, empowering you to take immediate steps based on the feedback received. For example, you can link survey results directly to an employee’s profile, enabling managers to discuss the feedback during one-on-one meetings. 

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Furthermore, Plai can integrate survey results with the goals of HR departments, allowing you to align feedback with broader organizational objectives.

Plai also offers a comprehensive access structure that mirrors your organization’s hierarchy. This means that managers can automatically access survey responses of their respective teams without the need for HR to export and filter data manually. In this way, Plai saves time and eliminates potential errors associated with manual data handling.

With Plai, you can take performance management with OKRs to the next level, as well as drive meaningful change and empower your organization to navigate through periods of transformation with confidence.

Conclusion

A change management survey is a powerful tool for organizations navigating periods of change. Asking the right questions when you conduct change management surveys is of the biggest importance, but utilizing an employee engagement platform like Plai will help ensure that you implement change successfully and align it with your overall key performance indicators. Sign up for a Plai demo and start upgrading your change management surveys today by unlocking the full potential of your change initiatives.