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About This Report

Analysis and Action on the Survey Results

The analysis of the 2007 NASA Culture Survey (NCS) results was part of a broader study that included focus groups, center assessments, literature searches and the additional comments provided by survey respondents. The overall findings were presented at a Senior Management Council in January 2008, and a determination was made that more can be expected across our organization regarding open communications and organizational support in getting the job done.

The data in this report was weighted at the Center level to serve as a baseline but over 60 NASA organizations and several mission and support functions were provided their individual results for local diagnosis and action. As a way to move forward, the study team recommended a 'go to' organization goal that describes the focus, managerial practices and expected results of this model organization (Appendix A).

A key aspect of this organizational goal was underscored in the Administrator's message on January 28 to the workforce, A Day of Remembrance, in which he articulated everyone's responsibility for building trust and open communication (Appendix B). Moreover, the Headquarters Office of Human Capital Management will benchmark and share best practices used by nine organizations that exhibited the highest survey marks regarding the model organization goal.

How the Survey Was Conducted

The survey was conducted online by the NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) from September 4 until October 30, 2007. An invitation to participate in this survey was sent to all NASA civil service employees that included an electronic link to the survey web site and a password to access the survey. One person requested and was sent a paper version of the survey in lieu of the standard web survey.

Several subsequent reminder emails and an extended survey period were used in an effort to increase the response rate. Approximately 30% (5408 out of 18152) of NASA employees responded during that time. The graphs presented in Appendix C depict the demographic make-up of both the NASA population as well as the sample of that population who responded to the survey. Appendix D provides detailed information on how the data was weighted using the demographic make-up of the sample.

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