An organizational survey of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Page: 3 of 63
This report is part of the collection entitled: Office of Scientific & Technical Information Technical Reports and was provided to UNT Digital Library by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
4m Organizational Survey (OS) was administered at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC)
that queriedi employees on the subjects of organizational culture, various aspects of communications, employee
commitment, work group cohesion, coordination of work, environmental concerns, hazardous nature of work,
safety and overall job satisfaction. The purpose of the OS is to measure in a quantitative and objective way
the notion of "culture;" that is, the values, attitudes, and beliefs of the individuals working within the
organization. In addition, through the OS, a broad sample of individuals can be reached that would probably
not be interviewed or observed during the course of a typical assessment. The OS also provides a descriptive
profile of the organization at one point in time that can then be compared to a profile taken at a different point
in time to assess changes in the culture of the organization.
The OS administration at SLAC was the tenth to occur at a Department of Energy (DOE) facility in
conjunction with a Tiger Team Assessment. The OS was administered at SLAC in large groups. Times were
assigned to groups of employees based on the beginning letter of their last names. Of the 1344 employees
at SLAC, which includes employees at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL), 716 completed
the survey, yielding a response rate of 53.3 percent. This response rate is low compared to response rates
obtained at other facilities at which the OS has been administered in group sessions. The distribution of
responses varied across divisions with the lowest response rate of 43.1 percent in the Research Division, and
the highest response rate of 86.0 percent in the Environment, Safety, and Health Division. All data from the
OS is presented in group summaries, by division, supervisory level, and staff classification. Statistically
significant differences between groups are identified and discussed.
The overall profile for the SLAC organization obtained on the Organizational Culture Inventory (OCI)
(Human Synergistics, 1987), indicates that the culture at SLAC emphasizes creative and constructive thinking
and work. This is seen in the high mean scores obtained on the Humanistic-Encouraging (Cl), Affiliative
(C2), Achievement (Cl 1), and Self-Actualizing (C12) Scales. Emphasis on behaviors which might be
described as conventional (C4), dependent (C5), oppositional {Cl), and power-oriented (C8) was also evident
in the relatively high mean values obtained on these scales. Additionally, low mean values were obtained on
the Communication - Trust and Communication - Accuracy Scales. Mean values obtained on the Coordination
Scale indicate that employees perceive that work and different organizational units are not well coordinated.
The work conducted at SLAC is not perceived by the majority of employees to involve a high amount of
hazard or environmental consequences. Despite this, those attributes which are important to safety are
perceived as being helpful in doing one’s job well.
Numerous differences were obtained between divisions. The Director’s Office and Research Division,
as well as the SSRL to some extent, indicated that those behaviors which are constructive, as opposed to
defensive, are important to success within the SLAC organization. These behaviors include good
communication, coordination between work and work units, and affiliative- and achievement-oriented
behaviors. Presenting a quite different profile on the OS scales are the Environment, Safety, and Health,
Technical, and Business Services Divisions. The group’s indicated that defensive type behaviors were the
expectations placed upon them as opposed to the more constructive behaviors. Thus, they indicated that the
behaviors helpful to them in being successful within the SLAC organization included acting in a conventional
and conservative manner and avoiding being blamed for mistakes. Additionally, these divisions had lower
obtained mean scores on the Communication and Coordination Scales. The Environment, Safety, and Health,
and Technical Divisions both had high mean value' ^ the Hazard Scale and the questions pertaining to offsite
and onsite environmental consequences.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This report can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Report.
Shurberg, D.A. & Haber, S.B. An organizational survey of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, report, November 1, 1991; Upton, New York. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1098925/m1/3/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.