Your Role in Initiating a Third Party Survey

Survey research often involves several people. Each person has a special role and responsibility in planning and initiating a third party survey. There are two major roles, those who sponsor the survey, pay for it and seek the information it will generate, and those who actually design and conduct the research.

Many times those who sponsor a survey are not familiar with the survey process. They may be executives, managers or professionals whose area of expertise is not in conducting effective surveys. They are more likely to be familiar with the problems, decisions, business processes of their industry or company. The sponsor’s role is to explain both what information or feedback is needed to be gathered and why it is needed to the researcher. The sponsor needs to be clear about the ultimate purpose for the survey and provide the researchers with clear guidelines concerning the time requirements for the survey.

On the other hand the researcher must be thoroughly familiar with the capabilities and limitations of the survey research process. The role of a researcher should inquire thoroughly about the information needs, the nature of the decisions and actions to be based on the survey results, and the overall operation of the company and unit sponsoring the survey. A good researcher will talk about alternative ways to conduct the survey and point out the survey procedures that might be used.

So when thinking of doing a third party survey, keep in mind the role you play. As a sponsor, you must:

1. Furnish the researchers with background information about your company and department operations.
2. Provide a summary of the issues that lead to the consideration of a survey
3. Indicate the type of information that would solve the issue
4. Be ready to take action on the survey results


Angi Fisher
Contact 101

Questionnaire Wording is Key

The wording of the survey question is very important. A key is to strive for objectivity in the surveys and be careful not to lead the respondent into giving a desired answer that you want, but a true and honest answer. The effect of question wording is one of the least understood areas in building an affective survey.

Survey researchers and investigators alike have confirmed that the slightest change in the way a question is worded can have a significant effect on how people will respond. Several authors who have written books on effective surveying and research have reported that minor changes in question wording can produce a 25 percent difference in people’s opinions and how they will respond.

What is meant by the minor changes is really looking at the effects of modifying adjectives and adverbs in your survey question. Words like usually, often, sometimes, seldom, rarely and occasionally are the most common adjectives and adverbs used in survey questions. These words will not mean the same thing to all people, but by using adjectives and adverbs like these you will get a true picture of the respondent’s opinion.

Angi Fisher