Status Report

1996 NASA Agencywide Employee & Customer Satisfaction Survey Results: NASA Headquarters

By SpaceRef Editor
September 12, 1996
Filed under ,

1996 NASA Agencywide Employee & Customer Satisfaction Survey Results: NASA Headquarters

Total Response: 310

Last update 2 November 1996.

Note: The following questionnaire was distributed to NASA employees on/around 22 August 1996 as an enclosure to a letter from Acting Deputy Administrator Jack Dailey.

We have highlighted what we feel are the particularly poignant results of this survey in red.




1) To your knowledge, does NASA have formal, integrated mission
and goal statements?







Yes No
[96.0 ] 4.0]



How Familiar are you with NASA’s Mission and goal statements?











Very Familiar Familiar Not Very Familiar Not At All Familiar
23.2 58.6 17.5 0.7





2) To your knowledge, does your installation (or Headquarters
single-letter code) have formal, integrated mission and goal
statements?







Yes No
74.7 25.3



How Familiar are you with your installation’s Mission and goal
statements?












Very Familiar Familiar Not Very Familiar Not At All Familiar
37.8 47.3 14.4 0.5





3) To your knowledge, does your division/work unit have formal,
integrated mission and goal statements?







Yes No
56.8 43.2



How Familiar are you with your division/work unit’s mission and
goal statements?












Very Familiar Familiar Not Very Familiar Not At All Familiar
59.0 33.7 6.6 0.6





4) How clear is it to you what your role is in achieving the
goals of…























Organization Very Clear Pretty Clear Not Too Clear Not At All Clear
NASA 33.2 40.3 16.3 10.2
Your
Installation
(HQ Code)
42.8 30.4 16.6 10.2
Your Division/Work
Unit
54.7 25.9 10.4 9.1





5) How familiar are you with the following documents?

































I’ve read this
and I
understand
how it applies
to
my work
I’ve read this I’ve seen this I’ve heard of, but
haven’t seen this
I’ve never heard
of this
NASA Strategic
Plan
35.0 43.6 16.6 3.8 1.0

Installation
(HQ Code)
Strategic Plan
26.5 18.4 10.6 12.3 32.3

NASA
Customer
Service Plan
6.5 6.8 12.7 23.1 51.0

Government
Performance
& Results Act
13.8 13.8 16.0 28.8 27.6



6) Do you believe NASA is implementing its programs in
accordance with the Strategic Plan?









Yes No Not Sure/Don’t Know
43.3 20.2 36.5



7) How consistent does NASA operate in accordance with the following values from the strategic plan?









































































Very Consistent Somewhat Consistent Neither Consistent Nor Inconsistent Somewhat Inconsistent Very Inconsistent
Our greatest strength is our workforce 4.2 13.3 7.8 27.3 47.4
We empower our employees 1.9 21.0 9.1 34.6 33.3
We encourage and reward creativity 4.6 25.1 17.9 28.0 24.4
We encourage and reward teamwork 6.5 29.3 20.2 22.8 21.2
We foster a culture built on trust 0.7 8.8 11.1 26.1 53.4
We foster a culture built upon respect 2.6 14.7 13.7 25.8 43.1
We build a team representative of America’s diversity 10.5 40.5 19.9 14.4 14.7
We cooperate across organizations 3.3 28.7 17.6 30.0 20.5
We are open and honest with one another 1.3 14.9 17.5 32.7 33.7
We are open and honest with our customers 5.8 34.7 20.8 21.4 17.2
We are accountable for our performance 14.6 35.9 17.5 16.8 14.9



8) Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements:




































































Agree Completely Agree Somewhat Neither Agree nor Disagree Disagree Somewhat Disagree Completely
I am optimistic about NASA’s future 9.6 30.4 7.7 31.0 21.4
Agency senior management can be expected to do the right thing 2.6 18.2 11.5 37.5 30.4
Once a decision is made, management communicates the results and rationale to employees 2.2 17.6 15.1 38.8 26.3
Innovation in NASA is appreciated and supported 6.1 32.9 23.3 21.1 16.6
There is a willingness to accept responsibility for failure 1.6 24.1 20.6 30.2 23.5
NASA centers work effectively together to accomplish NASA’s mission 1.9 17.4 19.3 37.0 24.4
Trust is the norm across work units 1.0 15.3 21.3 36.6 25.8
Trust is the norm within work units 7.4 41.2 17.7 19.6 14.1
Employees can say what is right without fear of reprimand from management 3.8 13.8 16.3 29.5 36.5
I feel free to speak my mind 16.6 22.0 12.5 25.2 23.6





9) On average, what percentage of your time do you spend on work
involving NASA’s external customers?











0-25% 26-50% 51-75% 76-100%
47.9 24.3 17.6 10.2





10) On average, how frequently do you interact with
external customers
?













Daily Weekly Monthly Less than once a Month Never
34.7 28.7 16.2 16.2 4.1





11) Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements:

My organization is open to new ideas and best practices from:








































Agree Completely Agree Somewhat Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Somewhat Disagree Completely
Other organizations within my installation 25.2 40.3 18.8 12.3 6.1
Other installations 22.0 40.8 18.8 12.3 6.1
Headquarters 23.8 40.7 19.9 5.9 6.6
Other government agencies 17.1 38.4 26.8 11.6 6.1
The space and aeronautics community 18.7 39.7 27.5 9.5 4.6
Outside the space and aeronautics community 14.9 33.1 37.3 8.8 5.8





12) On average, what percentage of your time do you spend on work
involving NASA’s internal customers?













0-25% 26-50% 51-75% 76-100%
10.9 27.5 26.2 35.5





13) On average, how frequently do you interact with internal
customers?













Daily Weekly Monthly Less than once a Month Never
86.3 12.1 1.6 0.0 0.0





14) Does your division/work unit set customer service standards?









Yes No Don’t Know
44.7 47.9 7.4


If yes, does your division/work unit measure output against the
established customer service standards?









Yes No Don’t Know
70.7 15.0 14.3





15) Does your division/work unit collect customer satisfaction
data?









Yes No (Skip to question 17) Don’t Know (Skip to question 17)
49.7 42.0 8.3


If yes, what methods does your division/work unit use to gather
these data from its customers? (Mark all that apply.)




















Informal phone calls/visits 80.6
Formal meetings 56.8
Written surveys/questionnaires 58.7
Phone surveys9.7
Focus groups20.0
Advisory groups/subcommittees 47.1
Customer response cards 23.9
Integrated product work teams 21.3
Other 21.3
Don’t know0.6





16) Are the customer satisfaction data collected by your
division/work unit used to improve its products/services?











Yes No Don’t Know Does not Apply
90.9 2.6 11.0 6.5





17) How confident are you that your division/work unit is fully
satisfying its customers?













Very Confident Confident Not very confident Not at all confident Don’t Know
11.5 54.8 19.9 5.4 8.3





18) Are there NASA employees or activities who deliver products or
services to you for use in your work (i.e., you are
their customer)?







Yes No
97.4 2.6


If yes, how satisfied are you with the services and products you
receive as a customer? Mark Not Applicable for those services you
do not receive, and indicate your satisfaction with those you do
receive.










































































Not Applicable

Do not Receive
Very Satisfied Somewhat Satisfied Somewhat Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied
Financial
data/management
[ – ] 25.1 46.8 16.9 11.3
Training
products/programs
[ – ] 35.6 51.6 11.0 1.8
Legal assistance [ – ] 52.1 36.5 8.2 3.2
Basic
supplies/services
[ – ] 36.7 49.6 9.4 4.3
Personnel
administration services
[ – ] 29.3 47.8 16.7 6.3
Payroll
administration
[ – ] 54.6 38.7 4.8 1.8
Computer
software/hardware support services
[ – ] 38.1 41.5 13.5 6.9
Procurement
support
[ – ] 26.7 46.7 17.11 9.5
Public affairs
support
[ – ] 42.9 38.7 15.2 3.1
Security
services
[ – ] 48.8 39.8 8.7 2.8
Technical support
services
[ – ] 31.3 59.7 5.7 3.3


19) Have you been asked to provide feedback to your work unit’s
suppliers concerning your satisfaction with the services/products
they supply you?














No Yes, but only rarely Yes, occasionally Yes, frequently Yes, too often
32.4 26.9 29.8 10.3 0.6





20) Listed below are potential barriers that may prevent your work
unit from providing the best in customer service. For each item,
indicate how much of a problem this is for your work unit in
performing its job.



































































Not a problem A Minor
Problem
A Major
Problem
Lack of skilled
personnel
43.6 33.7 22.8
Lack of financial
resources
37.9 28.4 8.0
Lack of physical
resources
63.6 28.4 8.0
Inflexible
management
40.7 37.5 21.8
Inconsistent
management
27.0 37.0 36.0
Lack of staff
involvement
in decision making
35.7 36.0 28.3
Unreasonable
customer
demands
49.5 41.8 8.7
Lack of day-to-day

employee recognition
44.6 34.6 20.8
Overly bureaucratic
laws,
systems, and practices
26.3 45.2 28.5
Lack of information
from
management officials
22.8 47.1 30.1
Over dependence
on
contractors
73.0 16.7 10.3
Lack of teamwork

within organizational units
41.9 40.6 17.6
Lack of teamwork
among
organizational units
23.5 50.8 25.7
Lack of control
over suppliers
71.4 23.2 5.5
Limited opportunities
for
education & training
64.5 25.9 9.6
Inability to
market
programs and/or services
65.9 27.6 6.5
Organizational
instability
14.7 30.7 54.6
Lack of
customer
satisfaction data
57.7 32.1 10.3
Lack of
customer
service standards
57.4 31.0 11.6
Lack of time 24.7 44.6 30.8



Questions 21 and 22 are concerned with your current work
environment; these follow-up on previous internal surveys.



21) How satisfied are you with the following aspects of your
current work environment?





















































































































Very Satisfied Somewhat
Satisfied
Neither Satisfied
Nor Dissatisfied
Somewhat
Dissatisfied
Very Dissatisfied
Amount of
paperwork
8.9 20.8 30.4 29.1 10.9
Opportunities for
advancement
10.9 9.3 19.9 24.4 35.6
Job
fulfillment/challenge
28.5 25.6 9.9 20.8 15.1
Recognition 20.8 26.5 14.4 20.1 18.2
Use of your skills on
the job
30.4 31.0 7.0 17.3 14.4
Amount of
independence
44.1 28.1 11.8 9.3 6.7
Fairness of
evaluation/
promotion system
23.0 21.4 13.1 14.4 28.1
Feedback on your
work
25.6 29.7 17.3 14.4 28.1
Physical work
environment
37.7 31.9 12.5 11.5 6.4
Coworkers 38.1 39.4 14.4 5.4 2.6
Morale 3.9 15.8 10.9 28.3 41.2
Salary 23.6 35.1 17.6 15.3 8.3
Benefits (e.g.,

health, retirement)
39.1 34.3 16.3 8.7 1.6
Focus on
customers
24.3 32.9 30.7 8.3 3.8
Your direct
supervisor
41.9 25.2 10.5 12.8 9.6
Installation
management
10.0 22.8 19.6 23.2 24.4
Communications
within work unit
21.1 33.5 15.7 17.9 11.8
Communications
within the
Agency
4.2 16.9 16.6 32.9 29.4





22) Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the
following statements.































































Agree completely Agree somewhat Neither Agree
Nor Disagree
Disagree Somewhat Disagree Completely
The members of my
division/work unit have sufficient clarity about what is expected
of them
29.9 39.5 8.0 15.0 7.6
My managers actively
seek innovative ideas
26.8 31.5 10.5 18.8 12.4
Recognition and
awards are nice, but the real reward is the work itself
20.8 32.3 19.2 16.9 10.9
NASA employees are
treated fairly and equitably
5.4 18.5 16.6 33.5 25.6
Supervisors and
managers take time to discuss career planning with their
people
4.5 20.8 13.8 27.2 33.7
I am proud to work
for NASA
47.8 29.6 10.8 7.6 4.1
People outside NASA
have an accurate view of what the Agency is all about
3.2 19.1 17.5 40.4 19.7
NASA management
communicates a consistent and clear strategic direction
2.9 16.0 14.7 32.6 33.9
The members of my
division/work unit understand how their efforts fit into the
Agency’s cascading Strategic Plan
9.9 28.8 20.8 26.2 14.4


23) Of which occupational group are you a member?











Engineering: includes professional

engineering positions engaged in

aerospace research, technical program

management, development, operations,

professional engineering support,

mathematics support, computer science

and related work.
21.9

Scientific: includes professional scientific

positions engaged in aerospace research,

technical program management, development

and operations, including professional physical

science and mathematics support and related

work.
3.9

Life Science Support: includes life science

professional positions such as medical officers

and other positions performing professional

work in psychology, the biological sciences,

and professions that support the science of

medicine such as nursing and medical

technology.
1.0

Technical Support: includes scientific and

engineering aides, technicians, photographers,

illustrators, quality assurance specialists,

etc.
1.9

Secretarial/Clerical/Non-professional

Administrative: includes secretarial, clerical

and administrative support

positions.
8.7

Professional Administrative:

includes professional/management positions

in areas such as financial management,

procurement, personnel, security,

administration, law, public affairs,

etc.
62.6

Wage System: includes trade, craft,

and general labor positions.
0.0





24) In column one, please indicate the NASA strategic enterprise or
strategic function with which your work is most associated
(check only one). In column two, mark all of those enterprises or
functions with which your work is associated (mark all that
apply).

































This is the
enterprise/
function with
which
my
work is…
…most
associated
…also
associated
Aeronautics

Enterprise
8.2 58.3
Space

Technology
Enterprise
7.5 71.9
Scientific

Research
Enterprise
7.8 66.1
Human
Exploration
&
Development of

Space Enterprise
19.6 56.6
Mission to
Planet
Earth
Enterprise
5.3 64.9
Space
Communications
Function
2.5 57.9
Human

Resources
Function
21.4 42.1
Physical

Resources
Function
15.3 36.0
I don’t know 12.5 8.3





25) Do you directly supervise other employees?







Yes No
37.4 62.6





26) Please indicate your age range.















Less than 25 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65 or older
0.3 5.4 24.3 48.2 20.8 1.0





27) What is your highest level of education?











Less than high school0.0
High school diploma4.2
Some college, no degree10.3
Associates (2-year) degree3.8
Bachelor’s (4-year)
degree
12.2
Post-Bachelor’s courses, no graduate
degree
17.0
Master’s degree40.4
Doctorate12.2





28) How long have you worked for NASA?












Less than 1 year0.0
1-5 years15.3
6-10 years27.2
11-15 years13.7
16-20 years15.0
21-25 years11.8
26-30 years7.7
More than 30 years9.3





29) At which center or installation do you work?













Ames Research Center[ – ]
Dryden Flight Research
Center
[ – ]
Goddard Space Flight
Center
[ – ]
Headquarters100.0
Johnson Space Center[ – ]
KennedySpace Center[ – ]
Langley Research Center[ – ]
Lewis Research Center[ – ]
Marshall Space Flight
Center
[ – ]
Stennis Space Center[ – ]


30) Please indicate your current grade level.









Wage grade0.0
GS1 – GS40.0
GS5 – GS85.8
GS9 – GS129.9
GS13 – GS1558.3
SES or equivalent26.0





31) Are you a graduate of any of the following programs?

(Check all that you have completed.)












MEP/MIP38.9
SEP10.8
PM/APM9.2
PDP7.6
Center sponsored administrative/clerical
training
6.7
Center sponsored management
training
19.7
Continual improvement
training
29.6
Customer Service Training8.9




32) If you could make one change, major or minor, to NASA’s current structure, programs, operations, etc. that you think would be most beneficial to the Agency in terms of delivering products and services to its customers, what would that be?

FULL PAGE PROVIDED FOR RESPONSES


SpaceRef staff editor.