PHILADELPHIA –
*Please note: In the wake of COVID-19, the 2020 DLA Culture Climate Survey has been postponed.
The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support held a town hall meeting to kick off the 2020 DLA Climate/Culture Survey March 12.
The survey, conducted every 18-24 months, measures the perception of the agency’s values, behaviors and beliefs that impact the workplace environment.
Army Brig. Gen. Gavin Lawrence, DLA Troop Support Commander, encouraged maximum employee participation, stating that more involvement generates better outcomes.
“There are about 60 items over a span of four traits that is used to measure organizational effectiveness and we absolutely use the results to make improvements to the way we conduct day-to-day business,” Lawrence said. “So the more participation we have for the survey, the more detailed the information we get back, the more we can do to improve the day-to-day business and operations that we do. Your voice is our future.”
Patricia Lynch, the Command Support Office’s Organization Transformation Branch chief, who’s team creates actions based on feedback from the survey, said it’s important participants understand it isn’t about employee satisfaction, but rather organizational performance.
“The survey wants to know if you are equipped with the tools, the communication strategies and the overall strategies that you need as an employee to succeed,” she said. “That’s what we’re measuring.”
Organization Transformation Branch foster program manager Kelly Latta said results of previous surveys have produced a number of cultural improvement initiatives such as the Leadership Academy, as well as shadowing and mentoring programs.
“These programs are proof that if you take the survey and you let your voice be heard, those voices will carry on into the future and shape the way we move forward with these and other improvement initiatives,” he said.
Members of the organization’s six Cultural Improvement Teams, a product of past surveys, also spoke about initiatives they’ve introduced into their respective supply chains and command staff organizations that are geared towards improving the workplace environment.
Taylor Fontana, Industrial Hardware CIT chair, said the initiatives they work on were all derived from survey responses.
“That’s why we’re encouraging everyone to take the survey,” Fontana said. “Because it’s a direct way to make sure everyone’s voice is heard, and it allows everybody to be a champion of change.”
The survey, which was scheduled to launch March 17, is currently postponed due to COVID-19.