University of Ulster Logo CIMA Logo Ulster Business School logo

As part of an on-going research programme on Knowledge Management, funded by Chartered Institute of Management Accounting (CIMA) I invite you to complete a short multiple choice questionnaire.  It should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.  Please accept my thanks in advance for taking the time and effort to undertake this task - your opinions are greatly appreciated and valued.

 

SECTION A          GENERAL INFORMATION

Question 1:
What main industrial sector does your organisation belong to?

Question 2:
Approximately how many people are employed by your organisation?




 

SECTION B         USING INFORMATION EFFECTIVELY

Question 3:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
 
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Neither
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Information flows easily around and throughout the organisation
The structure of the organisation aids information flow
Information hoarding is discouraged
Employees are encouraged to ‘own’ the analysis of information
Employees are encouraged to determine action steps from information
Information capture crosses functional boundaries
Employees are constantly gathering customer information for product development purposes
Customer information is shared across the organisation
Information such as customer data, customer ideas, sales data, is rapidly captured and used
Information reaches appropriate decision makers in a timely fashion so it can contribute to business decisions
Information from remote sites is quickly incorporated into organisational systems
New information is quickly analysed in meaningful ways
Each employee is aware of the contents of organisational databases
Organisational systems are tailored to the informational needs of employees
The organisation has mapped all information repositories for the benefit of users
Each employee is able to access relevant information easily
Employees are stressed with the amount of information they are required to cope with
Information overload results in lost time
Employees are ‘swamped’ with data/information on return from work absences
Employees receive information relevant only to their needs
Employees are able to locate accurate information from remote locations
Employees are encouraged to use external information sources

 

SECTION C         ICT

Question 4:
Does anyone hold the following titles? If yes please indicate the date on the which the post was created.

 
Yes
No
Don't Know
Date
(mm-yy)
Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO)
Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Chief Learning Officer (CLO)
Community of practice Co-ordinator
Knowledge Author
Knowledge Broker
Web Master

Other, please specify

 

Question 5:
On a scale of 1-5, 1 representing extensive use and 5 representing little use, could you please assess your organisations use of the following technologies, for example if you extensively use the internet choose 1 from the drop down menu.

Internet
(e.g. World Wide Web)
Intranet
(e.g. internal internet-based system)
Extranet
(linking customers/suppliers)
Document management systems
(e.g. digital library)
Electronic publishing systems
(e.g. electronic journals)
Office Automation systems
(e.g. word processing, spreadsheets)
Meeting support systems
(e.g. videoconferencing)
Help-desks
(e.g. frequently answered questions)
Groupware/Workflow systems
(e.g. Lotus notes)
Agents, filters and navigation tools
(e.g. cruising agents on WWW)
Information retrieval engines
(e.g. keyword search facilities)
Data warehousing
(e.g. Online analytical processing)
Data mining tools
(e.g. data patterns, associations)
Knowledge directories
(e.g. corporate yellow pages)
Knowledge-based systems
(e.g. expert systems)
Intelligent support systems
(e.g. decision support, ‘what if’ analysis)
Electronic commerce
(e.g. Internet trading)
Other, please specify

 

Question 6:
For each technology in use please indicate if your organisation has provided formal training within the last 12 months:

Technology
Training
 
Yes
No
Don't Know

 

Question 7:
What proportion of employees have been on I.T. training programmes within the last year?

Internal (i.e. training conducted by training manager) %

In-house (i.e. training conducted by someone visiting the organisation) %

External (i.e. training attended at an outside organisation) %

Don't Know

 

Question 8:
Do you agree with the following statements?
Please only select one on each line

 
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neither
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Information Technology and applications are developed with a clear vision of business needs
Information Technology and applications are designed to meet specific organisational problems
Technology is designed to help employees work more efficiently
Technology is designed to aid
better decision making
Technology is seen as a means of enhancing collaborative efforts among organisational members
Technology is used to minimise barriers of geography and time
Technology is available to all employees
All employees are trained to use available technologies
Senior management leads by example by personally using new technologies 
Software applications are designed to share important information across the whole organisation
Software applications are designed to share important information with only those who need it
Technological systems are flexible and evolve depending on the use of information
System users feel that on-line training is sufficient for effective use of the application
Technological systems are designed to be easily mastered with on-line training only
The organisation regularly upgrades and replaces hardware and software
Priority is given to technologies that serve as 'information bridges' e.g. e-mail
Communications technology permits employees to talk to one another directly irrelevant of location, status, role, etc.
Communication technology permits the organisational members to connect directly with customers
Communication technology permits the organisation to connect directly with suppliers
All employees must contribute to the content of technological systems such as information repositories
Employees are rewarded for inputting information to technological systems
Employees are rewarded for
contributing to the maintenance of technological systems
Users of the technological systems decide what their content should be
Software applications are designed to recognise and retain important information

 

SECTION D         HOW WE WORK IN THIS COMPANY

Question 9:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
Please only select one on each line

ORGANISATION
 
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neither
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
a) The organisation uses cross-functional teams
b) The organisation uses multi-level teams
c) The organisation has developed a capacity for listening to its members
d) The organisation tolerates uncertainty and ambiguity
e) New approaches to capturing knowledge about customers are adopted and supported
f) New approaches to capturing employee experience e.g. good ideas based on employee experience are adopted and supported
g) New approaches to sharing knowledge about customers are adopted and supported
h) New approaches to sharing knowledge about employee experience are adopted and supported
i) Creative boosting techniques (brainstorming, ‘agendaless meetings’) are constantly encouraged
j) The physical environment is organised in ways which facilitate information flow e.g. open space area
k) Informal meetings, open to all employees irrelevant of status, are held regularly
l) Risk-taking and experimentation are encouraged
m) Employees are able to change their minds without ‘losing face’
n) Failure is viewed as an opportunity for learning
o) Employees are given the time, resources and support to pursue new ideas
p) Teams, and what they deliver, are clearly valued by the organisation
q) The organisation is apparent to newcomers and outsiders
r) Almost anyone would fit into this organisation
s) New employees need only a few days to feel at home within the organisation
t) The organisation takes a major responsibility for the welfare of its employees and their families
u) Getting results is more important than following correct procedures
v) The organisation ensures that all employees are inducted promptly
w) Recruitment and promotion procedures are explained and supported
x) The organisation allows employees to choose their own
work locations e.g. office-based, location-independent
y) Senior management lead by example
z) The organisation encourages external contact with other organisations

 

TEAM OR DEPARTMENT
 
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neither
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
a) The management team is always clear about what it wants
b) Employees participate in cross-functional teams
c) Employees routinely share ideas
d) Employees routinely share technological tools
e) Problems or errors are openly discussed
f) Solutions to problems are openly shared
g) Divisions, departments or units often work on joint projects
h) Employees within the same unit frequently volunteer to help one another
i) Employees from various units frequently volunteer to help one another
j) Members of a team are always clear about its goals
k) Teams are set up to include all the experience necessary to deliver solutions
l) Teams readily work in collaboration with other teams
m) A team acknowledges when it lacks the knowledge to reach a solution
n) Each team is open to knowledge and guidance from others
o) Teams always look to see how they can contribute to the wider organisation
p) Each member of the team will know clearly when its goals have been reached

 

INDIVIDUAL
 
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neither
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
a) Employees share a common way of talking and thinking about issues
b) Employees have the freedom to adopt their own approaches to the workload
c) Employees are able to use their skills and capabilities to the full
d) Employees feel they are in a position to freely express disagreement with senior managers
e) Employees have confidence that the organisation is progressing
f) Employees feel that they can have influence over organisational events and future plans
g) Employees feel that they are surrounded by people who co-operate
h) Employees believe that the best results are gained through teamwork
i) Employees know what teams they are in
j) Employees know who other team members are
k) Individuals move easily from team to team
l) Every member of a team gets something they personally value from membership
m) Employees know they will receive recognition for achievements
n) Employees acknowledge they have access to the latest technologies
o) Employees have sufficient time for a rewarding personal/family life

 

SECTION E       BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Question 10:
Is your organisation?

PLC
Partnership
Sole Trader
Limited Company
Small Private Company

 

Question 11:
Has gross revenue been?

Well in excess of costs
Sufficient to make a small profit
Enough to break even
Insufficient to cover costs
So low as to produce large losses

 

Question 12:
How important are the following to your business?

 
Very Important
Not
Important
Profit
Increase in sales
Market share
Price
Quality
Variety/customisable products
Innovation
Other (please specify)

 

Question 13:
Has your organisation been involved in any of the following changes within the last three years?
Please tick all that apply

Acquisition of another organisation
Takeover by another organisation
Merger
Relocation
Downsizing
Management buy in/out
Internal re-organisation

Other, please specify

 

Question 14:
For your principal product/service at what stage is the market?

Introductory
Growing
Mature
Declining
Not applicable

 

COMMENT SECTION

Please use this section for any additional comments you may have related to this questionnaire

 

If you would like to receive a copy of the findings of this research please provide contact details below. If you prefer to remain anonymous then leave this section blank.

NAME:

COMPANY:

JOB TITLE:

E-MAIL:

   

THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND CO-OPERATION

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Dr. Sandra Moffett
School of Computing and Intelligent Systems
Business and Management Research Institute
University of Ulster, Magee Campus

Tel: +44 (0)28 7137 5381
E-Mail: sm.moffett@ulster.ac.uk