Case Study – External stakeholders

Situation

A newly established regulatory body in the health sector had introduced radically different policies and practices for carers in a large range of government and non government health care providers. The Director of the Unit was very keen to gain early benchmark data about the impact the Unit was having out in the field. The Unit was concerned that there was still much uncertainty about it’s role and that it was being regarded as a threat in some quarters. The survey was also viewed as a positive opportunity for the Unit to market itself to it’s stakeholders as an organisation that was committed to understanding key issues in the field.

Solution

The survey design carefully ensured that the Unit was going to gain the data it needed to take it forward. Some of the questions were as basic as whether or not stakeholders actually read the information they received from the Unit as well as more strategic questions. The survey was piloted and was edited a few times to ensure it was highly relevant and comprehensive.

After an extensive communication strategy was implemented, the survey was distributed to over 2000 respondents and an excellent response rate was received. The personalising of emails to each respondent appeared to make a real difference in survey completion rate. The report was then broken down into several demographic groups which allowed the Unit to get a very clear picture of how they were being viewed and their impact.

Outcome

The Unit was pleasantly surprised with the positive nature of the results. However the report did highlight a key issue about the need to build stronger partnerships with its stakeholders. This issue was picked up with great focus and energy by the Unit.