Abstract:

This paper essentially covers two specific areas: The first half, by virtue of two Case Studies, looks at employee surveys conducted within a Total Quality context. The second looks at findings of staff research making comparisons across different types of company. The initial section of the paper examines why staff research is important and the growth in staff research with the first case study illustrating, in particular, what was done by the commissioning company to implement the recommendations from the staff survey undertaken. The last half of the paper concentrates on a relatively new area, the role of staff research and staff satisfaction as a business health monitoring tool and the variation (or lack of it) in response across different industry types and sectors. Total Quality Management is the focus of this year's ESOMAR Congress. Total Quality Management and Continuous Improvement are providing the philosophy and the framework for many companies globally, and now particularly in Europe, to move forward. Many are looking to it to help them "manage their way out of recession". This paper looks at staff research within the wider context of Total Quality Management research.