How to Develop a Post-Survey Action Plan: Ideas and Exercises

Employee engagement surveys are essential tools for gathering insights into how your staff feel about their work environment. But collecting data is only the start. The real value lies in what comes next – analysing the results and turning them into concrete actions that will drive meaningful change. To help you make this leap from data to action, The Survey Initiative has developed an Action Planning Portal. By using this portal, your team can allocate time and resources where they’ll have the greatest impact, both for your people and the organisation as a whole.

Here’s a simple, seven-step approach to help you review your survey results, create actionable plans, and drive positive organisational change:

1. Schedule a Meeting

The first step is setting aside dedicated time for a results-to-action meeting. Make sure to schedule a session at a time that works for your key stakeholders. Before the meeting, circulate an agenda so that everyone comes prepared. Clearly outline the objectives – whether it’s identifying 1-3 actionable steps to improve workplace conditions or something else – and set expectations for participation. Since this is an interactive session, aim to allocate one to two hours to allow for proper discussion.

Interestingly, involvement in creating a solution boosts engagement – what researchers call the “IKEA effect” (Norton et al., 2012). The more people are involved in shaping their environment, the more invested they become in its success. Encouraging your team to actively participate in the planning process fosters ownership, trust, and creativity.

2. Briefly Review the Results

Before diving into brainstorming, take a few minutes to review the key results from the latest employee survey. This provides essential context for the conversation. The Survey Initiative Action Planning Portal makes it easy by highlighting the most important priorities for your team. This saves valuable time that might otherwise be spent manually analysing the data.

The areas you focus on should meet a few criteria: they should have a strong impact on engagement, align with your organisation’s goals, and have the resources (whether time, people, or budget) needed to address them.

3. Identify Strengths and Weaknesses

With the results in hand, ask the group two simple questions:

• What are we doing well?
• What needs improvement?

This part of the process can be as interactive as you like. Whether using physical sticky notes in an in-person meeting or a virtual platform, ensure that all voices are heard. This activity helps identify areas that are thriving and those that need attention.

4. Brainwriting for Improvements

Now it’s time to generate solutions. Instead of traditional brainstorming, where dominant voices can drown out others, consider using a technique called “brainwriting” (Grant, 2016). In brainwriting, participants write their ideas individually before sharing them with the group. Research shows that this method leads to a greater diversity of ideas and more creative thinking (Paulus & Nijstad, 2003). After about five minutes of silent brainwriting, gather everyone’s suggestions and organise them by theme. Review the ideas as a team and vote on the most viable options.

5. Use an Effort vs. Impact Matrix

If no clear winning ideas emerge from the brainwriting exercise, an effort vs. impact matrix can help with decision-making. This matrix categorises ideas into four quadrants:

• Low impact, high effort
• Low impact, low effort
• High impact, high effort
• High impact, low effort

This tool allows you to easily spot which initiatives offer the greatest return with the least effort – helping you prioritise projects that will make the most difference with the resources you have (Hogan & Coote, 2014).

6. Plan Your Next Steps

Once your top one to three action items have been identified, it’s time to plan. Document each action, assign a responsible person, and set deadlines. Having clear ownership and timelines ensures that momentum isn’t lost after the meeting. It also promotes accountability and keeps everyone focused on moving forward.

7. Add Your Action Plan to Action Planning Portal

Finally, formalise your commitments by adding your action plan to The Survey Initiative Action Planning Portal. This platform not only holds your team accountable but also helps track progress and sends out timely reminders. By documenting and sharing your plan, you make a public commitment to improvement, creating a roadmap for change that the whole organisation can follow.

By following these seven steps, your organisation can transform survey feedback into real, impactful action – leading to better employee engagement and, ultimately, better business results.

Final Thoughts

Employee surveys are valuable, but without action, they’re just data points. By following this structured approach and using tools like The Survey Initiative Action Planning Portal, you can ensure your organisation not only listens to its employees but also takes meaningful steps to improve the work environment. Engaged employees are not only happier – they’re also more productive, innovative, and committed to your organisation’s success.

References:

Grant, A. M. (2016). *Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World*. Penguin.

Hogan, S. J., & Coote, L. V. (2014). Organisational culture, innovation, and performance: A test of Schein’s model. *Journal of Business Research*, 67(8), 1609-1621.

Norton, M. I., Mochon, D., & Ariely, D. (2012). The IKEA effect: When labour leads to love. *Journal of Consumer Psychology*, 22(3), 453-460.

Paulus, P. B., & Nijstad, B. A. (2003). *Group creativity: Innovation through collaboration*. Oxford University Press.