In the 1930s, George Gallup began a worldwide study of human needs and satisfactions. He pioneered the development of scientific sampling processes to measure popular opinion. In addition to his polling work, Dr. Gallup completed landmark research on wellbeing, studying the factors common among people who lived to be 95 and older (Gallup & Hill, 1959). Over the next several decades, Dr. Gallup and his colleagues conducted numerous polls throughout the world, covering many aspects of people’s lives. His early world polls dealt with topics such as family, religion, politics, personal happiness, economics, health, education, safety, and attitudes toward work. In the 1970s, Dr. Gallup reported that less than half of those employed in North America were highly satisfied with their work (Gallup, 1976). Work satisfaction was even lower in Western Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Far East.
Satisfaction at work has become a widespread focus for researchers. In addition to Dr. Gallup’s early work, the topic of job satisfaction has been studied and written about in more than 10,000 articles and publications. Because most people spend a high percentage of their waking hours at work, studies of the workplace are of great interest for psychologists, sociologists, economists, anthropologists, and physiologists. The process of managing and improving the workplace is crucial and presents great challenges to nearly every organization. So it is vital that the instruments used to create change do, in fact, measure workplace dynamics that predict key outcomes — outcomes that a variety of organizational leaders would consider important. After all, organizational leaders are in the best position to create interest in and momentum for job satisfaction.
The development of the Q12 was based on more than 30 years of accumulated quantitative and qualitative research. Its reliability, convergent validity, and criterion-related validity have been extensively studied. It is an instrument validated through prior psychometric studies as well as practical considerations regarding its usefulness for managers in creating change in the workplace.
In designing the items included in the Q12, researchers took into account that, from an actionability standpoint, there are two broad categories of employee survey items: those that measure attitudinal outcomes (satisfaction, loyalty, pride, customer service perceptions, and intent to stay with the company) and those that measure actionable issues that drive the these outcomes. The Q12 measures the actionable issues for management — those predictive of attitudinal outcomes such as satisfaction, loyalty, pride, and so on. On Gallup’s standard Q12 instrument, following an overall satisfaction item are 12 items measuring issues we have found to be actionable (changeable) at the supervisor or manager level — items measuring perception of elements of the work situation such as role clarity, resources, fit between abilities and requirements, receiving feedback, and feeling appreciated. The Q12 measures “engagement conditions,” each of which is a causal contributor to engagement through the measure of its causes.
Q12 Index: Summary of outcomes
Q01. Expectations.
Defining and clarifying the outcomes that are to be achieved is perhaps the most basic of all employee needs and manager responsibilities. How these outcomes are defined and acted on will vary across business/work units, depending on the goals of the business/work unit.
Q02. Materials and equipment.
Getting people what they need to do their work is important in maximizing efficiency, in demonstrating to employees that their work is valued, and in showing that the company is supporting them in what they are asked to do. Great managers help employees see how their requests for materials and equipment connect to important organizational outcomes.
Q03. Opportunity to do what I do best.
Helping people get into roles in which they can most fully use their inherent talents is the ongoing work of great managers. Learning about individual differences through experience and assessment can help the manager position people efficiently within and across roles and remove barriers to high performance.
Q04. Recognition for good work.
Employees need constant feedback to know if what they are doing matters. An ongoing management challenge is to understand how each person prefers to be recognized, to make recognition objective and real by basing it on performance, and to do it frequently.
Q05. Someone at work cares about me.
For each person, feeling cared about may mean something different. The best managers listen to individuals and respond to their unique needs. In addition, they find the connection between the needs of the individual and the needs of the organization.
Q06. Encourages my development.
How employees are coached can influence how they perceive their future. If the manager is helping the employee improve as an individual by providing opportunities that are in sync with the employee’s talents, both the employee and the company will profit.
Q07. Opinions count.
Asking for the employee’s input and considering that input can often lead to better decision-making. This is because employees are often closer to many factors that affect the overall system than the manager is, whether that is the customer or the products they are producing every day. In addition, when employees feel they are involved in decisions, they take greater ownership for the outcomes.
Q08. Mission/Purpose.
Great managers often help people see not only the purpose of their work, but also how each person’s work influences and relates to the purpose of the organization and its outcomes. Reminding employees of the big-picture effect of what they do each day is important, whether it is how their work influences the customer, safety, or the public.
Q09. Associates committed to quality.
Managers can influence the extent to which employees respect one another by selecting conscientious employees, providing some common goals and metrics for quality, and increasing associates’ frequency of opportunity for interaction.
Q10. Best friend.
Managers vary in the extent to which they create opportunities for people at work to get to know one another and in how much they value close, trusting relationships at work. The best managers do not subscribe to the idea that there should be no close friendships at work; instead, they free people to get to know one another, which is a basic human need. This, then, can influence communication, trust, and other outcomes.
Q11. Progress.
Providing a structured time to discuss each employee’s progress, achievements, and goals is important for managers and employees. Great managers regularly meet with individuals, both to learn from them and to give them guidance. This give and take helps managers and employees make better decisions.
Q12. Learn and grow.
In addition to having a need to be recognized for doing good work, most employees need to know that they are improving and have opportunities to build their knowledge and skills. Great managers choose training that will benefit the individual and the organization.