User:Dfutrell62/The Mayflower Group

The Mayflower Group
The Mayflower Group is a non-profit consortium of large (at least 7,500 employees) companies that administer high-quality employee opinion surveys. The consortium develops global norms for comparison and in-depth understanding, and offers its members a reservoir of advice on survey and research practices.

History
The Mayflower Group was a brainchild of Dick Dunnington (IBM), Frank Smith (Sears), and Jack Stanek (University of Chicago). They invited a group of 18 organizations who were doing their own internal surveys, to a meeting preceding the 1971 American Psychological Association convention in Washington, D.C. The group met at the Mayflower Hotel, which is the source of the group's name. From this meeting, 15 charter members emerged.

Mayflower elected a Governing Board in 1972, adopted bylaws in 1973, and incorporated in 1976. The group remains a not-for-profit Delaware Corporation.

The group's original objectives were to Have core items that all members could ask in their surveys Maintain comparative data to compare survey results between organizations Exchange information on surveys and related topics Conduct research on attitude assessments.

Over the years, Mayflower has pursued these objectives focusing its efforts in four principle areas: Item wording and research Growth and structure Data sharing while maintaining a high degree of confidentiality Exchanging ideas, presenting research, and discussing experiences

Member Companies
Most of The Mayflower Group's member companies are included on Fortune's "The Most Admired Companies in America" list, and all member companies are among the top companies within their industry group.

The Mayflower Group's normative database includes survey data for more than 3 million global employees.

Criteria for Company Membership

 * At least 7,500 employees in any single country
 * Viewed as premier company (e.g. "Most Admired" list)
 * Have an active survey program, submitting normative data at least once every two years
 * Willing to use at least 18 Mayflower survey items

Requirements of Mayflower Representatives

 * Attend at least one meeting per year
 * Update the Survey Application Manual for his/her company each year
 * Participate actively in Mayflower committees
 * Protect Mayflower norms

Structure
Mayflower is a volunteer-run organization. It is managed by a Board of Governors, which is composed of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and a Secretary-Treasurer (whom are officers of the Corporation) plus the Chairpersons of the Norms, Research, International, Program, and HR Metrics committees. The past Chairperson is also a member of the Board and is responsible for succession planning.

Additional Information
Further Information about The Mayflower Group can be found at http://www.mayflowergroup.org