Appendix 1 Questionnaire
You have been selected to fill out this questionnaire!
My name is Sophie van Berckel and I am a research student from The Netherlands. At the moment I am temporarily working for ING Direct and doing a research on the global branding of ING.
I would be very grateful if I could take some minutes of your time to fill this out. It will be of great value for my research and it will only take you approximately 10 minutes to complete it.
Your response will remain confidential and anonymous. The findings will be reported in aggregate only.
When you have completed the questionnaire would you be so kind to put it in the envelope provided and give it to the internal mail before 4 June 2003.
The findings of the questionnaire will give new insights in the branding process ING globally is going through nowadays. The results of the questionnaire will be used by ING Direct.
If you would like to have any further enquires about this questionnaire you can reach me via Email or telephone:
Email: sophie.berckel@ingbank.com Tel : 90284304
Thank you very much for your time!
1. Personally, do you feel associated with the values of the Cube?
Yes No
For the following questions please circle the number that matches your view on the statements. If the statements are asked in a pair please answer both statements separately.
Totally agree Tend to Agree Not sure Disagree Totally disagree
In the business unit I work……….
2a. Each day is a challenge 1 2 3 4 5
b. Quality prevails over quantity 1 2 3 4 5
c. The atmosphere is risk avoiding 1 2 3 4 5
d. One feels comfortable in unfamiliar situations 1 2 3 4 5
e. Power distance is large 1 2 3 4 5
3a. Average age of employees is over 40 1 2 3 4 5 b. Most employees have been working for over 4 yrs. 1 2 3 4 5 c. Important decisions are made by groups or committees 1 2 3 4 5 Important decisions tend to be made by individuals 1 2 3 4 5 d. The organisation takes responsibility for employees
welfare
1 2 3 4 5
The organisation is more interested in work of employee 1 2 3 4 5
4a. I tend to take my work problems home with me 1 2 3 4 5 b. Employees are hired on basis of job competence 1 2 3 4 5
Employees are hired on social and family background as well as on job competence
1 2 3 4 5
c. I look far into the future concerning my job 1 2 3 4 5
I live day by day 1 2 3 4 5
Totally agree Tend to Agree Not sure Disagree Totally disagree
5a. Almost anyone would fit into this organisation 1 2 3 4 5
b. Communication is open 1 2 3 4 5
c. Uncertainty avoidance is high 1 2 3 4 5
6a. Meeting times are kept very punctually 1 2 3 4 5
b. The atmosphere is formal 1 2 3 4 5
c. The work environment is cost- conscious 1 2 3 4 5
7a. Results are more important than correct procedures 1 2 3 4 5
b. Major emphasis on customer needs 1 2 3 4 5
Major emphasis on following organisational procedures 1 2 3 4 5 c. We have a pragmatic approach towards business ethics 1 2 3 4 5
8. Could you indicate on a scale from 1-5 for each value, as known from the Cube, if your working environment matches the values stated below?
Excellent match Good match Not very good match Poor match No match at all
a. Opportunity to improve 1 2 3 4 5
b. Our actions affect our customers 1 2 3 4 5
c. Approach every task with energy 1 2 3 4 5
d. Fresh and different 1 2 3 4 5
e. Inspire confidence 1 2 3 4 5
………
………
………
9. What department are you working for? Please tick box.
Marketing & Communications Funds and Investment
IT
RMG – Sales & Distribution RMG – Mortgage Operations RMG – Customer Services RMG – Intermediary Services RMG – Customer Retention CPF
HRM
Direct Sales & Operations - Contact Centre Direct Sales & Operations - Support Services Financial Control
Risk – Credit & Market Risk – Legal Compliance
10. Do you think the department where you work for has great impact on the customer?
Please tick box.
Yes No
11. How long have you been working at ING Direct? Please tick box.
Less than 1 month
Less than 1 year and more than 1 month Less than 2 years and more than 1 year Less than 3 years and more than 2 years More than 3 years
12. What is your job position? Please tick box.
Executive Business manager
Specialist
Team leader
Team member
13. Is contact with customers a regular requirement of your job? Include phone, email, face-to-face etc. when considering this question. Please tick box.
Yes No
14. Do you think the Brand Values, as known from the Cube, can help ING as a Group provide better alignment in service towards its stakeholders?
Yes No
15. Could you give me one example of how you will use the brand values in your daily work?
………
………
The questionnaire ends here. Thank you very much for your time!
Appendix 2 Results of Hofstede
• Process vs. results oriented
On this dimension the organisation scores more results than process oriented. All employees stated that they find everyday a challenge and that in the company quality prevails over quantity. These are both characteristics of a results oriented business Unit/organisation. The two other characteristics of results oriented, no risk avoidance and feeling comfortable in unfamiliar situations, were not really understood by most employees. This is a shame because now, not a real statement can be made on which side of the dimension the organisation is.
Employee vs. job oriented
Most business units score clearly more employee oriented. The organisation takes responsibility for employee welfare and is not only interested in the work employees do but also personal issues are taken into account. Furthermore, important decisions tend to be made in groups. Only the employees working in the marketing department state that important decisions tend to be made by individuals!
Parochial vs. professional
Most business units are clearly more professional than parochial. Members of professional cultures are hired on job competence and they look far into the future concerning their jobs. Furthermore work problems are taken home sometimes. The direct operations Contact centre and the RMG Mortgage operations scored more in the middle between parochial and professional. The employees in these business units do not take their work problems home with them and do not think too far ahead. Parochial units tend to have employees with less formal education (Hofstede, 1991) which is the case here as well.
Open vs. closed system
Most business units scored somewhere in the middle on this dimension. Only one business Unit, Risk Legal compliance agreed that anyone would fit into the
organisation, the rest of the units all disagreed on this fact. This business Unit is new in the organisation, with all new employees, many from outside the organisation. This might declare the different meaning on this statement. So most units scored ‘closed’ on this statement. However most business units agreed on the statement that
communication is open within the organisation. The only units that disagreed on this fact are marketing and RMG Mortgage operations.
Loose vs. tight control
Most business units score more often tight than loose on this dimension. Meeting times are kept punctually; the only Unit that disagrees here is marketing. Remarkable is however, that the higher the position an employee has, the more he/she will disagree with this statement. Apparently meeting times on management or executive level are not kept punctually and in marketing not at all. All business units agree that the organisation is cost conscious, which is also a characteristic of tight control.
However, the organisation is not completely tight because the atmosphere, according to all employees, is not at all formal. This is a sign of loose control.
Normative vs. Pragmatic
Business units are divided on this dimension. Most units disagree on the fact that results are more important than correct procedures, only HRM and Risk Legal
Compliance agree. Those two units are more pragmatic oriented on this statement. All units agree that emphasis is on customer needs, which means pragmatic. Most units
agree on the statement that emphasis is on organisational procedures except HRM, Marketing and CPF. So most business units are more normative on this perspective.
‘Action’ requires internal positioning. Internal positioning aims to create a tactical package of actions to overcome identified barriers as well as to fulfil employee needs. This may involve focusing on changing the perception which employees have of a particular aspect and/or identifying and emphasizing benefits not previously recognized. Internal positioning involves providing an appropriate mix of benefits to a specific employee segment that will motivate it to achieve effective implementation of marketing and other functional strategies. Effective positioning requires careful management of the remaining elements of the internal marketing mix, namely process, price, promotion and place (Ahmed and Rafiq, 1995).
