NASA GSFC Internal Memo: 2007 NASA Culture Survey Response Rate

Hopefully, by now, you have received an e-mail from the NSSC Customer Contact Center with regard to completing the 2007 NASA Culture Survey. As indicated in the e-mail, this survey is part of a NASA study to identify and improve practices related to specific areas of workforce and communication management; therefore, the Agency is providing each NASA civil service employee the opportunity to share their perceptions and opinions in a short survey.

To give you some background…in October 2006, NASA’s Chief Historian’s Office conducted an employee survey to gather information on the beliefs and assumptions held by NASA’s professional scientist and engineer workforce. This survey was similar to previous year’s surveys, however, three additional items were added as a result of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) that covered areas of management credibility, upward communication and organizational support. The 3 specific statements included were the following:

• I can rely on management to be honest
• Management is effective in taking issues up the chain of command
• NASA management helps me get my job done

In February 2007, the Chief Historian briefed the Administrator on the results of the survey and three items listed above received a low percentage of positive responses and high percentage of negative responses, prompting an initial review of other available survey data to put some context around these findings and to identify follow-up actions. Therefore, in an effort to learn more about the underlying factors and behaviors of employee perceptions on these topics, the Agency conducted focus groups at five of the NASA Center’s during the summer and is currently administering the 2007 NASA Culture Survey with the hope that responses to the survey will help the Agency team assess specific areas of management credibility, upward communication and organizational support.

The survey has been open for 3 weeks and according to the current statistics, we are the lowest responding Center at only 9.64%. I encourage you to respond to the NASA Culture Survey and provide open and honest feedback regarding your perceptions with respect to management credibility, upward communication and organizational support.

Thanks,

Verron “Ron” M. Brade, Director
Office of Human Capital Management