QUESTIONNAIRE
Study on Knowledge Management and
Information Acquisition of Engineers
( Electrical and telecommunication engineers in large organizations )
The study-related survey is scheduled to take place from
15.12.2000
(
to 31.01.2001
) in response to popular demand to
15.02.2001
The study-related data collection is finished !
The questionnaire is addressed to
electrical and telecommunication engineers
who are working in a company with more than 1000 employees.
Targets and further details can be found under
www.jung24.de/details-e
The findings of the study will be published
now
under
www.jung24.de/results-e
The study is performed as part of a diploma thesis at the
FH (University of Applied Sciences) in Cologne (GERMANY)
.
Back to first page
Questions concerning the person and the organization:
1)
If you have been personally informed by me about this study, please give your
participation number
.
If not, continue with question # 2.
(participation number)
2)
Please indicate your
sex
:
Male
Female
3)
Please tick the
group of age
you are belonging to:
20 years or less
21 to 30 years
31 to 45 years
46 to 65 years
more than 65 years
not applicable
4)
What is your
nationality
?
( e.g.: German / UK / ... )
5)
Where did you pass your
apprenticeship / study
for your present job?
( e.g.: Germany / UK / ... )
6)
Which
function
do you have in the company?
Official in charge
Team leader
Head of department
Group executive
General manager / director
7)
How many persons
a)
advise
you on important decisions?
persons
b)
assume joint responsiblity
for your decision?
persons
8)
How many employees are
subordinate
to you at present?
persons
9)
How many people are
employed
with your company?
up to 1.000 employees
1.000 up to 5.000 employees
5.000 up to 50.000 employees
more than 50.000 employees
10)
When was your company
founded
? (year)
(e.g. in 1963)
11)
What is the
key activity
of your company?
Consulting
Research and development
Buying / selling
Management
EDV / IT
Production / installation
Service
12)
Do you want to have your / your company name
mentioned
in the study?
Yes, my name / my company's name is:
No
Questions concerning the methods used by engineers to acquire information:
13)
Do you have an
overview
on the knowledge availabe in your company?
Yes, I have a good general overview
Yes, I have a good overview in my field of activity
No, I do not have a good overview
14)
How do you
start
to solve a problem?
I try to approach the task by way of telephone inquiries
I delegate the task to others
I establish a team
I use know-how from previous projects
15)
Which
external sources
do you use to obtain information?
Internet
Universities
Research institutes
Testing institutes
16)
What kind of
media
do you use predominantly to obtain information?
Telephone
Facsimile
email
Internet
Intranet
Magazines / catalogues
Professional literature
17)
Please indicate which
percentage of the knowledge you acquired
you are actually using for your present activity (total=100%) :
a)
Basic knowledge (studies)
percent
b)
Privately acquired knowledge
percent
c)
Knowledge gained from professional experience
percent
d)
Special corporate in-house knowlege
percent
18)
What additional private efforts do you undertake to obtain
personal information enefits
?
None
Further education and training in my leisure time
Private relationships
Private research work
Magazines
19)
What kind of information
do you need?
Technical
Commercial
Product information
Information about other companies
Information about clients
Latest news
20)
What
occasions
do exist for an exchange of information?
Regular information sessions of employees
Work group meetings
Seminars
After office hours
21)
How does the
information exchange
take place between older experienced employees and younger engineers?
No regular exchange
Mixed project teams
Individual training before the older employees leave the company
22)
Do you attend
seminars
or other opportunities for further education and training?
Yes, as often as possible
Yes, mandatory seminars
Rather seldom
23)
What does the
company management
do to improve the information acquisition efforts of the employees?
No activities known
Establishment of a dedicated department for information exchange
Special in-house skill lists (e.g. skill databases)
24)
What do you think should be the
purpose
of "Knowledge Management"?
Saving of time
Knowledge transfer
Avoiding the repetition of mistakes
25)
Please assess your
chances
to obtain information on the following subjects?
Score from
1
( excellent ) to
5
( poor )
a)
Latest news
1
( excellent )
2
3
4
5
( poor )
b)
Unofficial news
1
( excellent )
2
3
4
5
( poor )
c)
Dates and deadlines
1
( excellent )
2
3
4
5
( poor )
d)
Standards
1
( excellent )
2
3
4
5
( poor )
e)
Information on patents
1
( excellent )
2
3
4
5
( poor )
f)
Tender documents
1
( excellent )
2
3
4
5
( poor )
g)
Other companies
1
( excellent )
2
3
4
5
( poor )
h)
Price information
1
( excellent )
2
3
4
5
( poor )
i)
Technical information
1
( excellent )
2
3
4
5
( poor )
j)
Product information
1
( excellent )
2
3
4
5
( poor )
k)
Laws / jurisdiction
1
( excellent )
2
3
4
5
( poor )
Non-company-bound worldwide information pool (retrievable information database):
This chapter serves to find out the demand for a non-company-bound worldwide information pool for knowledge transfer. What requirements must be met?
26)
What are the most important
topics
you expect to be included in such information pool?
27)
How long
are you willing to wait for an answer to your query?
Immediate answer required
Approx. one hour
Some days
Not important
28)
What
languages
should be used in the information pool?
29)
Which
costs
are acceptable for the use of the information pool?
Lump sum fee
Time fee
None
30)
Please state the percentage of
productivity rise
you realistically expect from an information transfer among the companies if this is done in compliance with your ideas?
percent
31)
Do you make available your own information
within the company
?
If yes, how? (e.g. Intranet)
Yes,
No
32)
Do you make available your own information
to other organizations
?
If yes, how? (e.g. Internet)
Yes,
No
33)
How
"old"
will the information be which you are prepared to make available to other companies in an information pool?
34)
What
other criteria
which have not yet been mentioned, do you deem relevant for an information pool?
Acquisition of information abroad:
35)
How do you cooperate with
foreign companies
?
Employer status
Contractor status
Branch office of the own company
Brainstorming and development of ideas
Not applicable
36)
Where, do you think, are
better / more efficient
solutions achieved?
In Germany
In European countries other than Germany
In other countries abroad
37)
According to your experience, does the engineering phase of a project take
more or less time
abroad compared to Germany? (percentage)
(+ means, engineers abroad need more time;
- means, engineers abroad need less time)
percent (do not forget to state + / -)
38)
What are the
advantages / disadvantages
of companies abroad?
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
39)
What are the advantages / disadvantages of the
professional training
in Germany compared to countries abroad?
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
40)
Do you have
branch offices abroad
?
If yes, please state major locations.
Yes,
No
41)
If you have branch offices abroad, do you have an
in-house corporate knowledge management system
?
Yes
No
42)
Is the
locally available knowledge
of the branch office abroad sufficient to work autonomously?
Yes
No
43)
What do you think are the most important aspects when selecting any
future site
?
I do not know
Local experience
Local knowledge
Mentality
Reliability
Price level
Thank you very much for your participation.
If you want to be informed about the findings of this study, please state your E-mail address(es) below.
You may give your feedback on the topic of this study here:
Send questionnaire
Reset entered data
If you want to fax the filled-in questionnaire: FAX: +49 69 1330 4049 678
My email adress is:
study@jung24.de
Telefon: +49 69 1330 4049 678 Fax: +49 69 1330 4049 678